What is Stainless Steel Casting?
Stainless steel casting or precision casting, silica sol casting technology. It is an excellent casting technology in casting industry. It is not only suitable for casting of various types and alloys, but also can produce castings with higher dimensional accuracy and surface quality than other casting methods, and even complex, high-temperature resistant and difficult to process castings that are difficult to be cast by other casting methods They can be made by investment casting.
Common Materials Grades That Maple Can Cast
| C | Si | Mn | Cr | Ni | Mo | Cu | Nb | |
| 304 | ≤0.08 | ≤1.00 | ≤2.00 | 18.0-20.0 | 8.0-10.5 | |||
| 304L | ≤0.03 | ≤1.00 | ≤2.00 | 18.0-20.0 | 8.0-12.0 | |||
| 316 | ≤0.08 | ≤1.00 | ≤2.00 | 16.0-18.0 | 10.0-14.0 | 2.0-3.0 | ||
| 316L | ≤0.03 | ≤1.00 | ≤2.00 | 16.0-18.0 | 10.0-14.0 | 2.0-3.0 | ||
| PH17-4 | ≤0.07 | ≤1.00 | ≤1.00 | 15.5-17.5 | 3.0-5.0 | 3.0-5.0 | 0.15-0.45 | |
| 2205 Duplex | ≤0.03 | ≤1.00 | ≤2.00 | 21.0-23.0 | 4.5-6.5 | 2.5-3.5 | 0.08-0.2 |
Learn more about what material we can cast, please contact us.
Stainless Steel Casting in Maple
Silicon sol casting is the main technology process to produce stainless steel casting parts in Maple Machinery. It’s the advanced casting method with the best accuracy at present, and it is also one of the best casting technologies of Maple. Our foundry has a strong product customization attribute, we can adjust the casting process according to the requirements of customers. In order to get high accuracy and smooth surface, middle-temperature wax is used as wax pattern for small weight products with complex design; low-temperature wax is used as wax pattern for large weight products to avoid shrinkage and deformation in wax model step; auto-machine die is used for mass production ensure the consistency of parts, improve efficiency and reduce cost; manual die is used for small batch products to reduce tooling cost……
We are always flexible to provide customers with the best customized solutions to help customers manage orders and reduce costs.
We also have other advantages in the silica sol casting. We are in the leading position in China in the control of casting tolerance and surface. In general, the tolerance of silica sol casting is CT5 and the surface roughness is Ra6.4. However, Maple can control some critical dimensions to CT3-4 and the surface roughness can reach Ra3.2. We are competitive in medical, food processing, precision instruments and other industrial fields.
Post Treatments of Stainless Steel Castings
There are four main processes of silica sol casting, parttern making, shell making, casting and post treatment. There are many kinds of post treatment that Maple can provid to meet different requirements.
Although silica sol casting is more accurancy and has better surface, but not all dimensions can be achieved by casting, especially when some dimensions have higher tolerance and surface requirements, they must be achieved by machining.
Our own machineshop can done most of the machining technic, we have rich experience in machining stainless steel parts. Stainless steel is harder and sticky, it’s completely different from carbon steel and iron when select the machining cutter and formulate the processes.
Solution Treatment
Solution treatment is a kind of heat treatment, which is usually used to improve the properties of stainless steel parts, such as corrosion resistance, hardness and ductility, to meet the special application requirements. The parts that need to be machined are usually solution treated.
Surface Treatment
Here are the common surface treatments in Maple:
| Shot Blasting | The most widely used surface treatment method for cleaning surfaces and removing oxide scale. It is the lowest cost surface treatment |
| Polishing | Polishing process is usually used in stainless steel parts to meet the appearance requirements. Polishing is divided into mechanical polishing, chemical polishing, electrolytic polishing and so on |
| Pickling and Passivation | Remove oxide scale and rust on casting surface to protect products from corrosion. Commonly used in stainless steel castings |
Application of Stainless Steel Casting
The special properties of stainless steel parts play different roles in various industry.
Oil&Gas Industry: In the oi&gas industry, many parts are directly exposed to corrosive gas or liquid. In order to ensure that parts can maintain a long life in harsh environment, stainless steel is the best choice of material. Many valve parts, pipe fittings and pump accessories are in stainless steel. They are corrosion resistant, fatigue resistant, and have long service life.
Food Process Industry: In the food processing industry, some metal parts will contact with food or beverage. Food grade stainless steel can ensure the safety such as 304L, 316L. Stainless steel parts are corrosion resistant, easy to clean and high strength, which can meet the requirements of the food industry.
Medical Equipment: Same as food processing industry, stainless steel parts are widely used in medical equipment, such as surgical tools, operating tables, medical instruments, wheelchairs, etc.
Marine Industry: In addition to mechanical and technological performance requirements, marine parts also require seawater corrosion resistance, which is very complex.