Stainless steel is the steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5% Chromium. Chromium makes a thin oxide layer on the surface of stainless steel products, which can prevent corrosion of products. Increasing the amount of Chromium gives an increased resistance to corrosion.
Besides, other elements, such as Carbon, Silicon and Manganese, are also contained in stainless steel. And addtional elements such as Nickel and Molybdenum may be added to offer other useful properties such as enhanced formability and increased corrosion resistance.
Why Stainless Steel Casting?
Stainless steel casting can be said to be an excellent technology to produce complex stainless steel components. Utilizing investment casting method, stainless steel investment casting process can be used to make precision stainless steel components for different industries such as automotive, food machinery, oil and gas, medical, etc. Then, why stainless steel casting?
Because investment casting of stainless steel has a high dimensional precision and surface finish, so it can reduce the machining work, just leave a little machining allowance in the areas which have higher requirements. However, some stainless steel castings are net shape structures, can be used without secondary machining. Thus, the use of stainless steel casting method can save a lot of machining equipments and processing hours, greatly save raw materials.
Another advantage of stainless steel casting method is that it can cast complex parts with various different grades, including duplex stainless steel. For example, stainless steel exhaust manifold can hardly be formed by the machining process. The production of stainless steel casting process can not only achieve batch production, ensure the consistency of casting, but also avoid the stress concentration of residual cutting grain after machining.
Stainless Steel Casting Grades
300 Series Stainless Steel Casting Grades
Austenitic 300 series stainless steel is a nonmagnetic chromium-nickel alloy. These stainless steel casting grades are used for their excellent corrosion resistance but cannot gain strength through heat treatment. 304L and 316L alloys also resist corrosion caused by welding and other high-temperature finishing processes. 300 series stainless steels are commonly used to investment cast piping and housings for industries including medical, marine, and food and dairy. We provide a range of 300 series stainless steel casting grades including:
400 Series Stainless Steel Casting Grades
Martensitic 400 series stainless steel is a chromium-magnesium alloy that provides high strength and machinability. This type of stainless steel is magnetic and can be hardened through quench and tempering to produce high strength. 400 series is frequently used for investment casting machined parts and valves for automotive and agriculture applications. We offer the following alloys:
- 410
- 416
- 418
- 420C
- 430
- 436
- 440A
- 440C
Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel Casting Grades
Precipitation hardening alloys provide high strength and corrosion resistance. They are magnetic and can be heat treated and aged to achieve the strength properties of martensitic steels while maintaining corrosion resistance. Precipitation hardening stainless steel casting grades are widely used by the military and in aerospace and petrochemical applications. We provide PH stainless steel castings using the following alloys:
- 15-5
- 17-4
Duplex Stainless Steel Casting Grades
Duplex stainless steels have a mixed microstructure that consists of 50% ferritic and 50% austenitic stainless steels. Therefore, duplex stainless steels tend to be stronger than ferritic or austenitic steels. Stress corrosion cracking is usually not a problem with duple stainless steels. We can make duplex stainles steel castings using below alloys:
- 2205
- 2207
Selecting a Stainless Steel Casting Supplier
Experienced stainless steel casting suppliers like CFS Stainless Steel Foundry can help you prioritize your casting requirements and guide you toward choosing the perfect stainless steel grade for your application. With quality management certifications, CFS’ commitment to quality is evident at every step of the stainless steel investment process and designed to help you make the best casting solution for your industrial application.