Critical Casting Design Issues --The requirements for performance, castability/manufacturability , and cost are closely interconnected. Five casting design issues played a major role in meeting the three design imperatives

• Select the aluminum alloy to meet the mechanical strength and processing requirements.

• Insure that strength requirements are met in the critical features.

• Plan for microstructure control in high stress regions during casting.

• Design for machining stock and tolerances .

• Understand and manage requirements for "no-weld" regions.