Stainless steel investment casting, as its name shows, is the investment casting process of stainless steel alloys. Stainless steel casting, or stainless steel investment casting, is the lost wax investment casting process by pouring melted stainless steel into molds for solidification. Thus achieving a solid stainless steel component in the desired shape.
Stainless steel is a widely used material for casting products. Its biggest advantage is the excellent corrosion resistance. When we have requirements of the properties of steel and corrosion resistance. Stainless steel casting is the better choice.
Stainless steel has a variety of grades. Some grades are heat treatable to further enhancement of mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties. That&#;s why stainless steel is commonly used to industrial and commercial investment casting products today. These corrosion-resistant properties make stainless steel castings ideal for military, medical, and industrial applications.
There are many stainless steel alloy grades on the market. Based on your performance and application requirements. We will choose the best alloy for your stainless steel investment casting needs.
300 Series Stainless (ANSI Equivalent) Austenitic Stainless Steels and 400 Series Stainless (ANSI Equivalent) Ferritic & Martensitic Stainless Steels are the common alloys we pour. Also, Precipitation Hardening (PH) Martensitic and Austenitic/Ferritic (Duplex) Stainless Steels we cast, Here We list them as below.
Austenitic Stainless SteelsView more about Stainless Steel Investment Casting Material Grades and Applications
For metal castings requiring corrosion resistance and high strength, especially those in severe environments. stainless steel casting is an ideal choice. Below are the main applications of stainless steel casting:
Mining, Agricultures, Energy, Military, Machine Tool, Valve bodies, Pumps, Housings, Gears, Bushings, Handles, Marine equipment, Medical devices.
The applications of stainless steel in Food machinery are the widest.
Due to its rust prevention capability, almost all food processing equipment is made in stainless steel. There are several processing processes to produce these stainless steel components. Such as casting, forging, welding, machining from the plate, etc. Among them, investment casting is the most flexible manufacturing process to produce complex shaped components for food processing machinery. So stainless steel casting is widely used in the food machinery Industry!
Typical stainless steel casting food machinery components: Food reactor, storage equipment, metal grinder components, coffee machine components, etc.
Stainless steel casting is the most widely used technique for valve & pump components. For its complicated design, stainless steel casting is able to produce any complex shape. Valve and pump components from stainless steel casting are durable enough for severe service applications. So stainless steel casting is a cost-efficient way and a popular selection for pump and valve applications.
The stainless steel casting valve & pump components are our most exported product these years. It includes a valve body, pump impeller, valve disc, valve gland, pump body, valve bonnet, etc.
Besides the above, Applications of Stainless Steel Castings also can be used in Sculpture parts, Bathroom & Toilet fittings, Door & Windows, etc.
Stainless steel has extremely high resistance to heat, abrasion, and corrosion. These features are suitable for marine application requests.
JC casting foundry can provide stainless steel casting, electro, polished and machined service. With our stainless steel alloys for marine components, we saved customers 30% of the budget.
Common stainless steel cast fittings are elbow, tee, bushing, close nipple, etc. Besides the casting, Our machining capability can meet any machining requirement like holes, threads.
When purchasing pipe fittings, considering the application. General Speaking, stainless steel 316 is higher than stainless steel 304. No matter in strength and corrosion resistance.
Stainless steel casting is able to produce a wide range of components for medical instrument manufacturers. The medical equipment has tight tolerances and dimensional precision. Our casting and CNC machining can meet this requirement.
We work with more grades of stainless steel materials. Including stainless steel 304(L), stainless steel 316(L), and more, to create custom medical parts.
Stainless steel cast parts for medical OEMs are included in dental & surgical tools, operating tables, other operating room equipment, MRI machines, Implantable components, X-ray equipment, stretchers, wheelchairs
To service our customers better, from design to quality control, we do a strict quality management system. Below are the Stainless Steel Investment casting Process Introductions.
Lost wax Investment casting is the most precise casting method to manufacture stainless steel casting. Especially those irregular or complex structures products. So stainless steel investment casting is almost equal to stainless steel precision casting.
The stainless steel casting process contains several steps as below: mold making, wax model making, tree assembly, dipping and dewaxing, pouring, etc.
This is the first step of stainless steel investment casting. Based on the product needed, we design it or get design drawings from clients.
After the mold is ready, inject wax into the mold cavity. Then take out the wax model from the mold after cooling. Inspect and Repair some appearance defects of wax models, such as slot, wax injection nozzle, flow pattern, etc. tree.
After inspection of wax models, weld them to the casting system one by one to form an assembly. It looks like a tree, So this step is also called Tree Assembly
The shell building is a whole silica sol process. It will repeat and dry and harden. Firstly, dip the assembly into a good colloidal silica coating. Then sprinkle with fire-resistant sand. Until to dry and harden. To form dense refractory coating surface outside the surface of wax models. Then repeat the step 5-6 times. Finally to get a certain strength and refractoriness of silica sol shell.
Put the shelling into the high-temperature oven. The wax inside the shell is melted by heating. Then drain out. Finally, we get a cavity that can be poured into the mold. This process is called Dewaxing.
The stainless steel ingots melt into liquid status under high temperatures. Then pour the liquid into the shell and cool at room temperature.
Cut the stainless steel casting blanks. Remove the sprue gate by grinding machine
Smooth the surface by various surface finishes, such as shot blasting, sandblasting, electropolishing, mirror polishing, etc.
If the product needs further processing, we need machining again.
After finishing production, Do an inspection.
The inspection process 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.
The silica sol investment casting process is the most precise casting process. This process can produce high-precision net shape castings with no machining. Our tolerance standard reaches CT5-6 level. With this process and standard, we can supply stainless steel casting with no defects.
Below is the ISO(GB/T) CT5-CT6 Linear Dimensional Tolerance (mm)
&#;&#;CT5CT5CT6CT 0.36±0.180.52±0..38 ±0.19 0.54±0. 0.42±0.210.58 ±0. 0.46±0.230.64±0. 0.5±0.250.7±0..56±0.280.78±0..62±0.310.88±0..7±0.35 1±0..78±0.391.1±0..9±0.451.2±0.6JC Casting Stainless Steel Foundry is one of the largest stainless steel investment casting companies and machining manufacturers in China. We can manufacture custom stainless steel castings ranging from 0.04kg-100kgs. They can match your exact design specifications with any grade required and OEM services.
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To serve our customers better, heat treatment, post-machining, surface finish are all available here. Our aim is to supply our customers with the best quality at competitive prices.
Our mature casting technique makes us the most reliable one-stop source for stainless steel castings. This is also the most attractive factor for foreign companies from the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, German, Japan, etc to purchase products from our company in China.
If you have any Stainless steel investment casting requirements, contact us or leave a message to us. Our Technicians will reply to you immediately.
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.