A hermetically sealed disc drive comprising at least one aluminum alloy housing component manufactured with a thermally directed die casting press subassembly is disclosed. In one embodiment, the thermally directed die casting press subassembly comprises a thermally directed funnel gate that is skewed to sample molten material from an off-center portion of the shot sleeve. Disc drive housing components can be manufactured by injecting an aluminum alloy slurry from the shot sleeve through the thermally directed funnel gate and the injection nozzle into the die cavity. The aluminum alloy slurry may be a thixotropic slurry comprising a uniform primary aluminum particle size in the range of approximately 50 to 80 microns. The primary aluminum particles of cast products produced according to the methodology of the present disclosure, with the aforementioned particle size distribution, are free of encapsulated eutectic at the micron scale.

A hermetically sealed disc drive comprising at least one aluminum alloy housing component manufactured with a thermally directed die casting press subassembly is disclosed. In one embodiment, the thermally directed die casting press subassembly comprises a thermally directed funnel gate that is skewed to sample molten material from an off-center portion of the shot sleeve. Disc drive housing components can be manufactured by injecting an aluminum alloy slurry from the shot sleeve through the thermally directed funnel gate and the injection nozzle into the die cavity. The aluminum alloy slurry may be a thixotropic slurry comprising a uniform primary aluminum particle size in the range of approximately 50 to 80 microns. The primary aluminum particles of cast products produced according to the methodology of the present disclosure, with the aforementioned particle size distribution, are free of encapsulated eutectic at the micron scale.

Provided is a high-pressure casting method and a high-pressure casting device which are capable of safe and high-quality casting of a high-fusion-point metal having a fusion point exceeding 1000 K. After melting a casting material (1) inside a melting container (2) of cartridge type, the melting container (2) is linearly moved to pass through a guide (14) attached to a casting port bush (13) to thereby be communicated with the casting port bush (13). The melting container (2) is brought into close contact with the guide (14) and is setting to a cooling state. After the elapse of prescribed time, a plunger (50) is brought into contact with a plunger tip (4), and is immediately transferred together with a molten metal to the casting port bush (13). The molten metal is pressurized inside the casting port bush (13), and is injection-filled into a cavity (10).