Is HPDC Changing Wheel Manufacturing?

A car wheel is a critical, safety-relevant component. It must pass fatigue and impact tests and gain approval under all applicable regional standards and norms. Uniform, high strength matters in particular, as does sufficient ductility, meaning the ability to deform before fracture.

For decades, low-pressure die casting has therefore dominated the original equipment manufacturers' production processes. This process ensures calm mould filling and thus a low gas content. Consequently, the cast part can undergo heat treatment to produce the properties relevant to aluminium wheels. In the premium and performance segment, however, suppliers also use more expensive forming processes, such as forging or flow forming. Forging, in particular, produces wheels that are especially strong yet lightweight.

Unlike LPDC, high-pressure die casting fills the mould quickly and turbulently, which causes gas inclusions that increase the porosity of the cast part. This makes subsequent heat treatment difficult, because the entrapped gas could expand, resulting in blisters, distortion or local damage. This so-called blistering disqualified HPDC for wheels as a safety-critical component.

However, in recent years, two German companies have independently developed new processes that are intended to make HPDC suitable for the mass production of light-alloy wheels by 2026.

Two New Processes Compared

One of these processes is a newly developed casting system from Handtmann, which was unveiled at EUROGUSS 2026. According to the manufacturer, this system uses vacuum-assisted high-pressure die casting alongside optimised gating and overflow concepts. The aim is to achieve reproducible mould filling and reduce porosity in the microstructure. The project emerged in cooperation with the Turkish Cevher Group, which as a wheel manufacturer handles machining, painting and quality assurance of the blank after the casting process. Handtmann does not disclose information about the alloy used or any potential heat treatment.

Europe's Lead in International Comparison

It is notable that both processes originate from European companies and are close to being ready for production, whereas no comparable breakthroughs are known to have occurred in other countries. Similar research approaches have primarily been documented in Japan so far. For instance, an SAE publication by Noritaka Suzuki from 2025 describes HPDC processes for producing a die-cast wheel from recycled aluminium. According to the current state of research, there is no known series programme for complete HPDC wheels in China either. New large-scale capacity for wheels continues to be built there, and globally, as LPDC plants.

What It Means for Low-Pressure Die Casting 

It is not yet possible to predict whether high-pressure die casting could challenge or replace existing manufacturing processes in wheel production. In the case of LPDC in particular, however, this is entirely conceivable, primarily due to the lower weight, reduced machining requirements and lower environmental impact of HPDC. If the efficiency figures stated by the manufacturers are confirmed in series production, HPDC could become competitive with LPDC in terms of unit costs.

On the other hand, HPDC wheels still have to pass numerous approval and certification procedures before any series production. Scaling up the new technologies also represents a central hurdle. The currently installed capacity of LPDC plants is reason enough why HPDC cannot simply displace low-pressure die casting overnight.

The CO2 and Energy Balance in Detail

When it comes to the CO2 and energy balance, however, a clearer picture emerges. According to Handtmann's own statement, its new wheels are up to 20 to 30 per cent lighter than conventional LPDC wheels. The lower weight reduces the rotating mass of the wheel as well as the overall vehicle weight, and thereby lowers energy consumption, especially during acceleration. Independently of this, die casting allows aerodynamically optimised wheel geometries, according to the manufacturer, which can reduce aerodynamic drag and may make a separate aero cover unnecessary. In electric vehicles, both effects could contribute to greater range.

Entec-Stracon also points to the lower weight of the wheels, but sees the greatest lever for the energy balance in manufacturing. According to the company, the energy requirement halves through the elimination of the heat treatment that low-pressure die casting needs in order to achieve the strength.

Regardless of the companies' arguments, HPDC could improve the environmental balance of aluminium wheels more generally. On the one hand, high-pressure die casting delivers near-net-shape components, which reduces the amount of machining required and thereby lowers energy and material consumption. On the other hand, HPDC could allow a higher recycled content than LPDC, which would have a positive effect on the carbon footprint of the parts. The manufacturers' approaches differ markedly here. While Entec-Stracon states that it can use up to 100 per cent recycled material for process-related reasons, Handtmann reports an actually achieved recycled content of 32 per cent in 2025 for a near-primary aluminium alloy at one site. The Japanese SAE publication supports the underlying potential. According to it, the rapid solidification in die casting can finely distribute brittle iron intermetallics, such as those that form during aluminium recycling, and thus preserve toughness.

Barriers to Entry for New Suppliers

The current wheel market is capital-intensive and highly concentrated among a few large global manufacturers. In addition, the wheels produced must pass EU wheel type approval, tests by accredited test laboratories and OEM series approval. These structural hurdles make entering wheel production extremely difficult and risky for a typical medium-sized foundry.

Nevertheless, there are realistic entry points for SMEs. On the one hand, the CO2 and lightweight targets of the OEMs could mean that more environmentally friendly processes enjoy a regulatory advantage over alternatives. On the other hand, niches such as smaller batch sizes and special or performance segments could present opportunities for SMEs. Technology transfer also represents an option for smaller foundries, since at least Entec-Stracon explicitly offers its process as a development service. This could at least lower one hurdle for SMEs. To what extent these conjectures will materialise or not remains to be seen.