Your die casting operation doesn't stop because a core insert cracks. It stops because you can't get the replacement fast enough. Every hour of unplanned downtime costs money — and the difference between a good tooling component supplier and a mediocre one shows up in your production schedule, not on a spec sheet.
Palcam has manufactured replacement components for aluminum high-pressure die casting tooling since 1995. Cores, cavities, inserts, shaped core pins, slides, slide inserts, backup blocks — the high-wear parts that die casters consume and replace on a recurring basis. We don't build complete dies. We don't offer design services. What we do is take your prints and specifications and deliver precision-machined replacement components at competitive prices, on schedule.
Here's what that looks like in practice, and why die casters across North America keep coming back.
The Replacement Component Challenge
Die casting tooling takes a beating. Molten aluminum at 680°C cycles through your dies thousands of times. H-13 tool steel holds up, but it doesn't hold up forever. Inserts crack from thermal fatigue. Cores wear from repeated contact with molten metal. Slides lose alignment. Backup blocks wear.
This isn't a failure — it's the operating reality of aluminum HPDC. The components that interface directly with molten aluminum are consumables. They wear out, and they need to be replaced.
The question isn't whether you'll need replacement components. It's whether your supplier can deliver them consistently, at the right quality level, at a competitive price, without blowing up your production timeline.
Many die casters have experienced the frustration: a quote comes back slow, a delivery slips, a component arrives out of spec. Each delay compounds into machine downtime, missed shipments, and strained customer relationships. The cost of a bad tooling supplier isn't the component — it's everything downstream.
What Palcam Brings to the Table
Competitive Pricing With 80% Win Rate
When die casters send out quotes, Palcam wins roughly 80% of the time. Price is the primary reason. We don't charge a premium for basic competence — we run a lean, efficient operation that delivers quality components at costs that make sense for a recurring consumables business.
This matters because replacement components aren't one-time purchases. You're buying these parts regularly, across multiple dies, for the lifetime of your operation. Small differences in unit cost compound into significant savings over hundreds or thousands of components.
25+ CNC Machines — Capacity That Matches Your Urgency
Our floor runs 20+ 5-axis CNC machines — a fleet of DMG MORI systems including the DMU 200P (1800 x 2000 x 1100mm travel, 5,000kg table capacity), DMU 160U, multiple DMU 100P and DMU 125P systems, four DMU 100 MONOBLOCKs, and a fleet of ten eVo series machines. We also operate a large wire and sink EDM department.
Why does fleet size matter to you? Because when you need a replacement insert, you can't wait in line behind someone else's job. With 25+ machines running, we have the capacity to respond to urgent orders without sacrificing quality or pushing your timeline out. Multiple machines on the same platform also means we can run similar jobs in parallel — batch your components together, and turnaround gets faster.
60 People Who Know Die Casting Tooling
Every person on our shop floor understands what a die casting insert does and why precision matters. Our CNC programming team works from your prints and specifications to generate toolpaths optimized for H-13 and other tool steels used in HPDC applications. Our quality team inspects on a Hexagon GLOBAL Speed CMM with HP-L-10.10 laser scanning — 600,000 points per second — to verify that every component meets your dimensional requirements.
This isn't a general job shop that happens to make tooling components on the side. Die casting tooling is our core business.
Every Insert Ships With a Full Quality Package
This is where Palcam separates from most replacement component shops. Every insert we deliver comes with a complete quality package — not a basic inspection report, but a comprehensive verification that the component is right.
Full laser scanning plus CMM probing. Our Hexagon CMM with HP-L-10.10 laser scanner captures 600,000 points per second across the entire component surface. Why does this matter? Standard CMM probing measures discrete points — it can miss a material-plus condition on an internal corner radius caused by tool deflection during machining. Laser scanning catches what probing misses. It gives you confidence that the insert is within specification across every surface, not just at the probe points.
Full certifications included. Every insert ships with certified documentation for materials, heat treatment, and coating services. You get the paperwork your quality system requires without having to ask for it.
Hard check by an inspector on every insert. Before an insert leaves our facility, an inspector verifies: every hole depth is measured, all threads are checked with a thread gauge, all waterlines are ball-tipped and inspected with a borescope to ensure no internal sharp transitions remain between the drilled passage and the ball-tip intersection. Why? Those sharp internal features are stress concentration points — they can be the source of insert cracking in service. We go the extra mile to ensure this is never the case.
Machining over EDM — wherever possible. Palcam minimizes the use of sink EDM on die casting inserts. EDM is easier for producing final net-shape features, but it introduces a real risk: the recast layer (white layer) left on the EDM'd surface is prone to thermal cracking in HPDC service. Machined surfaces don't carry this risk. We invest the programming and machine time to produce machined finishes wherever the geometry allows, because it delivers more value to you in die life.
Wire EDM for ejector pin locations. Where we do use EDM, our large wire EDM capacity is an advantage. Wirecutting ejector pin holes produces far greater accuracy in both size and location than conventional methods — resulting in better tool operation, smoother ejection, and fewer maintenance issues.
The Components We Machine
For die casters, the replacement component list is familiar:
- Cavity inserts — The primary forming surface that shapes the cast part. High thermal stress, high wear.
- Core inserts — Internal features that require tight tolerances and survive repeated thermal cycling.
- Shaped core pins — Non-round core pins with complex profiles, 5-axis CNC machined (we don't do standard turned pins).
- Slides & slide inserts — Moving components for undercuts and side features. The inserts are replaceable wear surfaces.
- Slide carriers & backup blocks — Support components that house inserts, maintain alignment, and absorb casting pressure.
- Shot blocks & distributors — High-wear components that redirect molten aluminum into the runners.
- Other high-wear die components — Any tooling component that wears from contact with molten aluminum and requires periodic replacement.
All of these are manufactured from your prints and specifications. You supply the data; we program, machine, inspect, and ship.
Built for Recurring Work
The die casting replacement component business is a recurring relationship, not a one-time transaction. Your dies wear continuously, and the components that contact molten aluminum need regular replacement. The supplier who understands this operates differently from one that treats every order as a standalone project.
At Palcam, we maintain programming data from previous orders. When you reorder a component, we don't start from scratch — we pull the existing program, verify against your current specification, and run it. This reduces lead time on repeat orders and ensures consistency from batch to batch.
We also work with customers to forecast demand. If you know certain inserts have a predictable replacement cycle, we can plan capacity around your schedule rather than reacting to emergency orders. It's a partnership built on understanding the production rhythm of your casting operation.
Ontario-Based, Serving North America
Palcam operates from Newmarket, Ontario — in the heart of the Great Lakes manufacturing corridor. Our location gives us proximity to die casting operations across Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Domestic supply means shorter shipping times, easier communication, no customs delays on standard orders, and the supply chain security that comes with sourcing from a known, established manufacturer.
For Canadian customers, there's an additional advantage in the current trade environment. Tariff uncertainty makes domestic supply chains more attractive, and Ontario-based manufacturing eliminates cross-border risk entirely.
When to Talk to Us
If you're a die caster sourcing replacement tooling components — inserts, cores, slides, backup blocks — we'd like the opportunity to quote your next order.
We're straightforward about what we do and what we don't. We don't design dies. We don't build complete tooling. We manufacture replacement components from your specifications, and we've done it for 30 years.
Send us your prints. We'll get you a quote.
Request a Quote: palcam.com/contact | 905-853-1675