304 or 304L Stainless Steel, is the commonly cast stainless steel grade used in stainless steel investment casting process.
304 Stainless Steel
Type 304 is the most widely used austenitic stainless steel for casting. For its compositions of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, 304 stainless steel is also known as “18/8” stainless steel. Type 304 stainless steel is adapted in casting mainly for its strong corrosion resistance and strength.
304L Stainless Steel
Type 304L stainless steel is an extra-low carbon version of the 304 stainless steel. This grade has slightly lower mechanical properties than the standard 304 grade. 304L stainless steel castings are softer but more corrosion resistant compared with 304 stainless steel castings.
| 304 & 304L Stainless Steel Compositions | ||||||||
| Type | C | Mn | P | S | Si | Cr | Ni | N |
| 304 | 0.08 max. | 2.00 max. | 0.045 max. | 0.03 max. | 0.75 max. | 18.00-20.00 | 8.00-10.50 | 0.10 max. |
| 304L | 0.03 max. | 2.00 max. | 0.045 max. | 0.03 max. | 0.75 max. | 18.00-20.00 | 8.00-12.00 | 0.10 max. |
Features of 304/304L Stainless Steel
- Corrosion Resistance: Type 304 and 304L stainless steels exhibit excellent resistance to corrosive environments such as the chemical, textile and petroleum industries.
- Oxidation Resistance: The maximum temperature to which type 304 can be exposed continuously without appreciable scaling is about 899℃。
- Heat Resistance: Continuous use of 304 between 425-860⁰C is not recommended. Although it is resistant to carbide precipitation and can be heated in high temperatures.
- Easy to weld with excellent weldability.
- Excellent strength and toughness in high temperatures
Process of 304 (L) Stainless Steel Casting
The investment casting process has been around for thousands of years and can be used to make 304 or 304L stainless steel castings in different shapes. The process involves a number of steps:
- Making a mold according to 3d file.
- Filling the mold with wax to creat wax patterns, inspect and modify the patterns if there is any defect.
- Weld the wax patterns to form a assembly.
- Dipping the wax into ceramic slurry to form a shell.
- Heating the ceramic shell to remove the wax.
- Pouring the molten shell.
- Breaking off the shell, and shot blasting or operate other surface finishing.
CFS Stainless Steel Foundry is experienced in investment casting 304 stainless steel and 304L stainless steel for a variety of applications, including valve components, pump components, medical instrument components, food machinery parts, etc. As the largest stainless steel casting manufacturer in China, our company can customize 304(L) stainless steel castings in different sizes and shapes. Besides, we can also provide extra machining and surface treatment services following our customer’s idea. Any inquiry on 304 or 304L stainless steel casting, pls do not hesitate to contact us!