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Pound for pound, cast aluminum is stronger than cast iron.
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LOL, ok I see the problem here. "pound for pound"? Yea, that would be stronger, but that would also defeat the purpose of using aluminum, since it would have to be so much bigger. No MFG would make something out of aluminum and make it the same weight as they would if it were cast iron. The whole reason to use aluminum is to make it "strong enough" while still being light.
Nobody uses aluminum when ultimate strength is required, because "inch for inch" its hard to find a weaker metal.
A 1"x2" bar of cast iron 12 inches long would weigh 6 1/4 pounds vs aluminum the same size would weigh 2 1/3 lbs, but to get the aluminum bar to weigh the same as that 1"x2"x12" bar of cast iron, the aluminum bar would need to be 32" long... thats nearly 3 feet of aluminum to make the same "pound for pound" weight of one foot of cast iron....
The fact of the matter is we are not talking about the "pound for pound" strength of cast iron vs aluminum, we are talking about the strenght of lees' cast aluminum press vs their cast iron press, and the cast iron press is stronger in every way. Your original statment
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The cast iron [press] is weaker than aluminium.
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is wrong, get over it.
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This design approach is why Lee can sell a best in class Turret press for less than an RCBS Rockchucker.
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The cast iron lee classic is only a few dollars more than the cast aluminum press, and i can guarante those dollars dont come from the aluminum vs cast iron base. IT comes from a whole lot more steel in the linkages, the double diameter hollow ram, and more steel in the thicker and longer uprights.
The classic press has a cast iron base because it needs the EXTRA STRENGTH of cast iron to handle the additional leverage required for the bigger cartridges the classic can handle.