Our Approach
Five Decades of Die Cast
Dyersville Die Cast is a privately owned and operated custom manufacturer established in 1970. Founder, Joe Ertl, began Dyersville Die Cast from what he had learned manufacturing metal toy tractors with his father and brothers at the original toy company bearing the family name. Dyersville Die Cast focuses on custom die casting and value-added processes but the toy tractor business is kept alive with sister company Scale Models Toys . Today, Dyersville Die Cast is one of the largest, capable, non-automotive die cast manufacturers in North America. We deliver:
Good Parts On Time.
Our Story
Take a Virtual Tour!
Click below to view photos from a tour of our plant or contact us to schedule an in person visit.
Welcome to Dyersville Die Cast!
Aluminum...
...Meets Die
Your Die, Our Machines
Pour the Aluminum
Fire the Shot!
Remove the Part and Spray
Trim Time!
That's a Scrap!
Off to Quality!
Test Time!
Quality Technicians
First Shot, Last Shot
Lathe Milling
Drilling
Multiple Processes
Vibratory Bowls
In The Bowl
Five Stage Washer
Last stop, Paint!
Multiple Spray Guns
Die Maintenance
Good as New
Well Skilled
Welding
Technology
Safety
Training
Looking for a career?
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Welcome to Dyersville Die Cast!
Located in Dyersville, IA DDC is one of North America’s most capable and dependable die casters servicing a wide range of industries -
Aluminum...
We begin our tour with a bar of aluminum. Most of our die casting is done using one of seven different aluminum alloys all tested to ensure the best quality. -
...Meets Die
Once we have ensured the aluminum is up to our standards, we use the die to create the part. -
Your Die, Our Machines
Our customers either bring us a pre-fabricated die or drawings for the die they need and we create a die for them. Our customers always own their own dies. -
Pour the Aluminum
The aluminum is heated up using a furnace attached to the machine and poured via a robotic arm into the shot sleeve. -
Fire the Shot!
With the aluminum in the shot sleeve, a shot rod is then fired into the die to push the metal up into the die where it will solidify. -
Remove the Part and Spray
Once the part has hardened it is removed from the machine and the die is sprayed to ensure the parts are removed easily and the die remains a consistent temperature. -
Trim Time!
Once the part has cooled the excess metal including the biscuit (where the rod pushed the metal into the die) is trimmed off using the trim press at the end of the machine. -
That's a Scrap!
The scrap metal is then fed back into the furnace to be melted down again and reused. -
Off to Quality!
From there the parts are spot inspected and then sent to our quality lab for testing. -
Test Time!
In our quality lab, our parts undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they meet our customer's high standards. -
Quality Technicians
Our quality technicians are highly skilled and adept at both measuring and keeping an eye out for details. -
First Shot, Last Shot
It is common to just test the first and last shots of a run but we like to test parts in between as well to ensure EVERY part you get is high quality. -
Lathe Milling
After the part has been deemed exceptional, it is sent off to numerous secondary operations such as lathe milling. -
Drilling
Some parts need additional work such as holes drilled or sides milled. We can do it all. -
Multiple Processes
Most of our parts will go through multiple processes so we design our CNC machines to be able to do many different operations at once. -
Vibratory Bowls
Another secondary operation a part may undergo is a vibratory bowl to rough up the part's surface to prepare it for other purposes. -
In The Bowl
In the vibratory bowl the part is tossed around with different sized rocks to rough up the surface. -
Five Stage Washer
Before being painted the parts must go through a five stage washer so that the surface is cleaned and prepped. -
Last stop, Paint!
Finally our parts reach our multi story powder coat paint line. After these parts are painted they will be packaged and shipped to our customers! -
Multiple Spray Guns
We have spray guns on all sides to ensure even paint is distributed throughout. Our operators are standing by to catch any missed spots. -
Die Maintenance
Our dies are built to withstand over 1000 runs but when they start to run down we are there to fix them back up. -
Good as New
In our maintenance shop, we fix any number of problems such as broken pins. -
Well Skilled
Our Maintenance technicians are highly skilled repairmen. -
Welding
While we don't have a lot of welding opportunities, from time to time welding is necessary for die maintenance. -
Technology
We pride ourselves on staying up to date with the latest technologies. -
Safety
Throughout everything we do here, safety is our biggest concern. We do everything we can to ensure our workers understand and follow current OSHA regulations. -
Training
There's nothing we enjoy more than seeing our employees grow within the company. We provide ongoing training and career pathing for our employees. -
Looking for a career?
We are always on the look out for the brightest minds in any field! Fill out an application today!
Life at Dyersville Die Cast
At Dyersville Die Cast, we employee people with a strong work ethic who take chances and show initiative. If you think you have what it takes and are ready to grow your potential and your career, take a look at our current openings.