First, a steel mold capable of producing thousands of castings in rapid succession must be made in at least two sections to permit removal of castings. These sections are mounted securely in a machine and are arranged so that one is stationary (fixed die half) while the other is moveable (ejector die half). To begin the casting cycle, the two die halves are clamped tightly together by the die casting machine. Molten metal is injected into the die cavity where it solidifies quickly. The die halves are drawn apart and the casting is ejected. Die casting dies can be simple or complex, having moveable slides, cores, or other sections depending on the complexity of the casting.

The complete cycle of the die casting process is by far the fastest known for producing precise non-ferrous metal parts. This is in marked contrast to sand casting which requires a new sand mold for each casting or gate of castings. While the permanent mold process uses iron or steel molds instead of sand, it is considerably slower, and not as precise as die casting.