How Castings are Made

Casting is broadly defined as the process of forming a substance into a specific shape using a mold. Metal casting employs a variety of metals to create the molded end product and dates back thousands of years.

Some of the metal casting processes and materials used in ancient times are still in use today. There are numerous reliable and effective metal casting materials that are used for industrial purposes. The most commonly used resources are:

• Gray iron
• Ductile iron
• Aluminum
• Steel
• Copper
• Zinc

Gray Iron Casting

Gray iron is one of the most frequently used casting materials in industrial manufacturing. Accounting for a large portion of casting supply markets, it is a strong, versatile substance. Gray iron can be machined easily, tested for quality without using destructive methods, formulated to meet specific application requirements, and is cost-effective at high volumes. It is suited to a variety of applications, including those that require:

• Damping or vibration control
• High strength to weight ratios
• Dimensional stability
• iron casting in a foundry

Ductile Iron Casting

For processes requiring greater strength than that provided by gray iron casting, ductile iron casting may be a useful alternative. Ductile iron shares similar traits with gray iron, and thus has many of the same advantages. However, ductile iron differs from gray iron casting in the following ways:

• Greater strength
• Improved wear resistance
• Stronger toughness
• Superior ductility
• Reduced weight
• Reduced shrinkage
• Lower cost

Aluminum Casting
Aluminum is also a widely used casting metal, due in large part to its superior versatility. As one of only a few materials able to undergo most metal casting processes, aluminum is a relatively adaptable substance to work with. Aluminum’s corrosion resistance, high thermal/electrical conductivity, good mechanical properties and strength at high temperatures make it an effective choice for:

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