Investment casting is a common precision casting method. When choosing an investment casting alloy, you need to consider the use requirements of the part, performance characteristics, casting processability, and cost. For example, the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties required for your application.
Our most commonly used investment casting alloys include 304, 316, and 17-4 PH stainless steels.
For applications that require extremely high corrosion resistance, we recommend stainless steel.
For applications that require lightweight, corrosion-resistant parts, we recommend investment casting A356 aluminum alloy. A356 alloy is known for its smooth surface finish and is well suited for applications that require continuous motion, such as automotive parts or pump parts, and is very lightweight.
When higher hardness is required, carbon steel is often used for investment casting. This is common for firearms parts, agricultural equipment, and other equipment or machinery that is not in a corrosive environment. In addition, carbon steel is also an affordable alloy.
For parts that need to combine durability and corrosion resistance, we recommend cobalt alloys. Cobalt-based alloys contain large amounts of cobalt, chromium, and carbon, making them versatile and pressure-resistant. Cobalt alloys are also often used in medical implants due to their long service life.
Common casting alloys we use and their advantages
Aluminum alloy
Features:
low density, high specific strength, good corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. Good casting performance, strong filling capacity, and can cast parts with complex shapes.
Application:
Widely used in aerospace, automotive, electronics and other fields. Such as compressor blades and impellers in aircraft engines, engine blocks, cylinder heads, wheels of automobiles, and radiators of electronic equipment.
Selection considerations:
If the parts have strict requirements on weight and require good corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity, aluminum alloy is a suitable choice. For example, in the aerospace field, in order to reduce the weight of the aircraft and improve fuel efficiency, many parts will give priority to aluminum alloys.
Titanium alloy
Features:
It has high specific strength, good high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, and has unique advantages in aerospace, biomedicine and other fields. However, the smelting and casting processes of titanium alloys are difficult and costly.
Application:
Mainly used for key parts in the aerospace field, such as aircraft landing gear, engine fan blades, casings, etc.; in the biomedical field, it is used to manufacture artificial joints, dental implants, etc.
Selection considerations:
When parts need to work in high temperature and high corrosion environments, and have strict requirements on weight and strength, such as high-temperature parts of aircraft engines, titanium alloys are ideal materials. In the biomedical field, due to its good biocompatibility, titanium alloys are suitable for manufacturing implants that are in direct contact with human tissue.
High-temperature alloys
Features:
It has excellent high-temperature strength, oxidation resistance and thermal fatigue resistance, and can work stably for a long time at high temperatures. However, the composition of high-temperature alloys is complex and the casting process requirements are strict.
Application:
Mainly used for high-temperature parts of aerospace engines and gas turbines, such as turbine blades, guide vanes, combustion chambers, etc.
Selection considerations:
For parts that bear high loads in high-temperature environments and require good thermal stability and creep resistance, such as turbine blades of aircraft engines, high-temperature alloys are an inevitable choice. It can ensure the reliability and service life of parts under extreme working conditions.
Stainless steel
Features:
It has good corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance and mechanical properties, and there are many types. Different stainless steel grades can be selected according to different requirements. The casting performance is relatively good and the cost is relatively low.
Application:
It is widely used in food machinery, medical equipment, chemical equipment, architectural decoration and other fields. Such as tanks and pipes in food processing equipment, surgical instruments in medical equipment, reactors and valves in chemical equipment, etc.
Selection considerations:
If the parts need to work in a corrosive environment such as humidity, acid and alkali, and have high hygiene requirements, such as the food and medical equipment industry, stainless steel is a commonly used material. Different stainless steel grades vary in corrosion resistance, strength, etc., and can be selected according to the specific use environment and performance requirements.
Copper alloy
Features:
It has good electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and wear resistance, excellent casting performance, and can obtain castings with good surface quality.
Application:
It is commonly used to manufacture electrical components, heat-conducting devices, wear-resistant parts and artistic sculptures. Such as connectors for wires and cables, commutators for motors, heat exchangers for air conditioners, bearings and bushings in machinery, etc.
Selection considerations:
Copper alloys are suitable for parts that require good electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity or wear resistance. In some artistic sculpture and decoration fields that have high requirements for appearance, copper alloys are also widely used due to their beautiful color and good processing performance.
If you have any other questions about the investment casting alloys we provide, please feel free to contact our team of experts.