Stainless steel has its characteristics of rust resistance, corrosion resistance and shining appearance, therefore, it is always preferred as the forming material of various metal products. Stainless steel casting, as its name implies, is the casting process of stainless steel alloys. Investment casting or lost wax casting, is the most precise casting method to manufacture stainless steel products, especially those irregular or complex structures, so stainless steel investment casting is almost equal to stainless steel precision casting. The whole casting stainless steel process contains several steps: mold making, wax model making, tree assembly, dipping and dewaxing, pouring, etc.
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CFS Stainless Steel Foundry, located in Ningbo, China, has started its business of stainless steel investment casting since 30 years ago. In recent years, we continuously improve our production and management experience, and have become one of the largest stainless steel casting manufacturers and exporters in China. Currently, we can supply our customers all types of stainless steel castings with OEM services. To serve our customers better, value added services including heat treatment, post machining, surface finish are all available. We aim to supply our customers best quality, while competitive prices.
Chemical Compositions Grades Elements C Si Mn S P Cr Ni Mo 304 &#;0.08 &#;1.00 &#;2.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.045 18 ~ 20 8 ~ 11 &#; 304L &#;0.03 &#;1.00 &#;2.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.035 18 ~ 20 8 ~ 12 &#; 316 &#;0.08 &#;1.00 &#;2.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.045 16 ~ 18 10 ~ 14 2 ~ 3 316L &#;0.03 &#;1.00 &#;2.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.045 16 ~ 18 10 ~ 14 2 ~ 3 410 &#;0.03 &#;1.00 &#;1.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.040 11 ~ 13.5 &#;0.6 &#; 416 &#;0.15 &#;1.00 &#;1.25 &#;0.15 &#;0.060 12 ~ 14 &#;0.6 &#; 17-4 ph &#;0.07 &#;1.00 &#;1.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.040 15.5 ~ 17.5 3 ~ 5 &#; &#;0.03 &#;1.00 &#;2.00 &#;0.03 &#;0.040 21 ~ 24 4.5 ~ 6.5 2.5 ~ 3.5
1. Wax Model Making & Assembly
Once the mold is ready, inject wax material into the mold cavity, then take out the wax model from the mold after cooling. Repair some appearance defects of wax models, such as slot, wax injection nozzle, flow pattern, etc. After inspection wax models, weld them to the casting system one by one to form a assembly, which looks like a tree.
2. Shell Building
Shell making process is a whole silica sol process, namely dip the assembly into good colloidal silica coating, sprinkle with fire-resistant sand, dry and harden shell under certain temperature,thus to form dense refractory coating surface outside the surface of wax models, and then repeat the step 5-6, finally form a certain strength and refractoriness of silica sol shell.
3. Dewaxing
Dewaxing is a process in which the wax inside the shell is melted by high temperature steam and then drained out, resulting in a cavity that can be poured into the mold.
4. Pouring
Melt stainless steel ingots into liquid status under a certain high temperature, then pour the liquid into the shell and cool under room temperature. After solidification, knock out the blacks and clean sand.
5. Cutting, Grinding & Surface Finishing
Cut the stainless steel casting blanks from assembly one by one, remove the sprue gate by grinding machine and smooth the surface by various surface finishes, such as shot blasting, sand blasting, electropolishing, mirror polishing, etc.
6. Inspection
After finishing production, inspection is also an indispensable process before delivery. The inspection of stainless steel castings includes dimensional inspection, defects inspection and material inspection. Only qualified products can be shipped to customers.
Heat Treatment: Solution Treatment
Solution treatment is a kind of heat treatment process in which stainless steel castings are heated to a high temperature and maintained constant temperature in the single-phase zone, so that the excess phase is fully dissolved into the solid solution and then cooled rapidly, so as to obtain the su-saturated solid solution. The purpose of solution treatment is mainly used to elimate the internal stress and improve the mechanical properties of cast stainless steel components, which will be easier to operate post machining.
Unlike heat treatment for other steel investment castings, solution treatment is the only heat treatment method used after stainless steel investment casting process. And we suggest heat treatment process especially for those stainless steel castings to be post machined, as the hardness of stainless steel castings is high, which is difficult to machine, and solution treatment will reduce the hardness effectively!
Post Machining
Investment casting is preferred to produce cast stainless steel parts mainly because it can creat near net shape products, even without secondary machining. But due to the limitations of stainless steel investment casting, this casting process can not creat net shape parts in most cases when there is a higher size accuracy and higher surface finish requirement. In this condition, post machining is operated to remove excess material by grinding, milling, drilling, etc. CNC machining is the most precise machining process, while the cost is high.
To serve our customers better, CFS has its machining capability to supply machined stainless steel castings for our customers when there is such requirement. With in house machining, we can do the inspection timely and solve problems in the shorest time. In addition, the machining cost is ideal compared with outsourced factory.
Surface Finish
For stainless steel castings, there are several surface finish methods to improve its appearance, including shot blasting, sand blasting, electropolishing, mirror polishing, powder coating, etc.
Shot blasting: The most common and cost-optimal surface finish method to remove mill scales, burrs. It is the process to smooth stainless steel castings by the grinding of small steel balls in shot blasting machine.
Sand blasting: The process of cleaning the surface of stainless steel castings by the impact of high speed sand flow. The surface is more smooth than that of sand casting, while the cost is higher.
Electropolishing: A technique in which stainless steel castings are used as the anode for electrolysis in an appropriate electrolyte to selectively remove its rough surface and improve its surface smoothness. The surface is a bit shinning after electropolishing.
Mirror Polishing: Like its name, it is the manual polishing process operated with grinding wheel, and the surface will looks very shinning like a mirror, which is most time costing surface finish method. And due to its high requirement, the cost is highest compared with other surface finish ways.
Powder Coating: A surface treatment method for spraying plastic powder onto stainless steel castings. Like painting, there are different colors selected.
For metal castings requiring corrosion resistance and high strength, stainless steel casting is an ideal choice. The stainless steel investment casting process is used to create components for a range of industries including aerospace, petrochemical, medical, automotive, and food and dairy. Some of the parts and components commonly produced through stainless steel casting include:
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Stainless steel investment casting, also referred to as precision casting or lost wax casting, is a manufacturing process used to create complex metal parts in a wide range of shapes and sizes. It involves pouring molten stainless steel into a ceramic shell or mold, which is produced by coating a wax pattern with a ceramic material.
Aero Metals Inc. has extensive experience producing high-volume stainless steel investment castings for a broad range of applications spanning various industries, including aerospace, marine, military, and more. Check out our featured cast parts gallery for prime examples of our stainless steel casting work.
After the initial pour and once the ceramic material has solidified around the wax pattern, the wax is melted away, leaving a cavity in the ceramic shell. The molten stainless steel is then poured into this cavity, filling the mold and taking on the shape of the wax pattern. After the metal has cooled and solidified, the ceramic shell is removed, and the finished stainless steel part is cleaned, polished, and inspected for quality.
Investment casting is known for producing high-precision parts with excellent surface finish. It is a good choice for applications where precision and aesthetics are essential, such as in the medical, aerospace, and automotive industries. Additional stainless steel benefits include:
Stainless steel has a minimum chromium content of 10.5%, making it more resistant to corrosive liquid environments and oxidation. However, this is not absolute. Stainless steel investment castings are &#;corrosion-resistant&#; when used in fluid environments and vapors below °F (650°C) and &#;heat-resistant&#; when used above this temperature.
The base alloy elements of any nickel-base or stainless steel casting are chromium, nickel, and molybdenum (or &#;moly&#;). These three components will determine the casting&#;s grain structure and mechanical prosperities and will be instrumental in the casting&#;s ability to combat heat and/or corrosion.
The differences between wrought and cast versions of stainless steel are due to the material&#;s chemical compositions and micro-grain structure, which is affected by how the material is produced, cast, or extruded. These factors must be considered when choosing an alloy for your stainless steel investment casting metal project.
Aero Metal&#;s stainless steel investment castings are available in several series grades, including 300, 400, 14-4 PH, 15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, and .
Ferritic &
Martensitic Stainless Steel Grades (400 Series)400 series stainless steel is a stainless steel alloy similar to 300 stainless steel. The main difference between these alloys and their associated grades is their chemical makeup and components. 400 SS includes both ferritic and martensitic steels. The best alloy for your application depends on the required corrosion resistance, formability, wear, strength, temperature resistance, cost, and additional factors.
400 Series Stainless Steel (ANSI)
Steel Grade
Industry Applications
Precipitation Hardening (PH)
(Martensitic Stainless Steel Grades)Martensitic steel is a variation of stainless steel known for its high strength, hardness, and wear resistance. Martensitic stainless steel contains 10.5-18% chromium, which increases its corrosion resistance compared to other stainless steel alloys, including the 300 Series and 400 Series.
14-4 PH Series
Alloy Grade
Industry Applications
Learn more about Aero Metal's Martensitic Stainless Steel Alloys.
Austenitic and Ferritic (Duplex Stainless Steel Grades)
Austenitic and ferritic stainless steels are highly coveted for their enhanced strength, durability, and corrosion resistance. Austenitic stainless steel contains at least 10.5 percent and 8 to 12 percent nickel, nitrogen, carbon, and many other elements in solution. Chromium gives the steel its high corrosion resistance, while nitrogen acts as a stiffening agent.
Series
Steel Grade
Industry Applications
Learn more about Aero Metal's Austenitic Steel Alloys.
At Aero Metals, we can custom pour any &#;air melted&#; stainless steel alloy to fit your stainless steel investment casting project requirements. If you don&#;t see your alloy of choice listed above, visit our Investment Casting Alloys page for more material options.
Premium stainless steel investment castings provide increased corrosion resistance, enhanced surface finishes, and improved detailing. Industries that commonly use stainless steel investment castings include:
Using our on-site spectrometer, Aero Metals can help you find the right alloy to fit your stainless steel casting requirements. This device allows you to produce your own &#;specialty alloy&#; and enables you to change the chemistry to suit your application&#;s environment.
Request a quote today or contact Aero Metals for more information.
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