Overview of Stainless Steel Casting
Stainless steel is one of the main materials applied in steel castings. Compared with other steel castings, stainless steel casting shows special features and advantages, such as smooth surface finish, tight tolerances, affordable tooling, effcient production, and so on.
Stainless steel casting process: Creating an original wax model same dimensions as the final shape, building the wax model with plaster and successive layers until a strong shell surrounds the model. After melting the wax, pouring the molten stainless steel into the mold. After cutting and blasting the castings from the tree assembly, we will obtain net shape stainless steel castigs.
Stainless steel casting provides economical undercutting, high resolution, sophisticated detail and smooth surface finish compared to machining separations. Thus, in most cases, stainless steel casting is the only way the part can be made economically.
Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel Casting
All metals react with oxygen in the atmosphere to form an oxide film on the surface. Unfortunately, the iron oxide formed on ordinary carbon steel continues to oxidize, causing the rust to expand and eventually form holes. It is possible to use paint or oxidized metals (for example, zinc, nickel and chromium) to ensure the surface of the carbon steel, but, as is known, this protection is only a thin film. If the protective coating is damaged, the steel below begins to rust.
Corrosion resistance of stainless steel depends on chromium, but because chromium is one of the components of steel, the protection method is different.
When the content of chromium is added up to 10.5%, the corrosion resistance of steel is significantly increased. But when the chromium content is higher, although it can still improve the corrosion resistance, it will be not obvious. The reason is that when the steel is alloyed with chromium, the type of surface oxide changes to a surface oxide similar to that formed on pure chromium metal. This tightly adhering rich chromium oxide protects the surface to prevent further oxidation. The oxide layer is extremely thin, and through it can see the natural luster of the steel surface, making the stainless steel have a unique surface. Moreover, if the surface is damaged, the exposed steel surface will be self-repaired with the atmospheric reaction, and the oxide “passivation film” will be re-formed to continue the protective effect.
Therefore, all stainless steel materials have a common characteristic that the chromium content is all above 10.5%.
China Foundry for Stainless Steel Castings
CFS Foundry is the leading China foundry very experienced in stainless steel casting. With strong capability of casting a wide variety of stainless steel alloys, we provide custom stainless steel casting service for industries and applications including automotive, food & dairy, machinery, medical, plumbing, watering, mining, petrochemical, electrical, energy, aerospace, pipe fittings and others. We can assure you high quality stainless steel castings. The sizes of the stainless steel casting parts range from 0.1 inch up to 24 inches. The weights of the stainless steel casting parts are from an ounce to 50 pounds. Typical tolerances will follow ISO 8062 CT5-CT6.
We work closely with our customers to assure that the stainless steel cast components can be manufactured with the desired dimensions and surface finish in the most cost effective manner. Using simulation software to provide a “virtual prototype” we can begin to optimize the design prior to supplying products/components for design validation. We strive to be our customers’ best stainless steel casting supplier.
Besides stainless steel casting, we can also provide secondary operations, including surface polishing (mirror polishing or electropolishing), secondary machining, etc.
For your stainless steel casting source in China, we can be your good partner!