We are a leading and global stainless steel castings supplier in China, providing professional stainless steel investment casting services to global customers! If you need customized stainless steel castings products, please feel free to contact us!
Stainless steels refers to a family of metals which are primarily iron and contain more than 11% chromium by mass and varying percentages of nickel.
Stainless steel alloys provide investment castings with high strength, corrosion resistance and operating temperature capability ranging from cryogenic temperatures to over 1500°F (816°C).
Stainless steel investment castings are fabricated by vacuum induction melting (VIM) of barstock followed by heat treatment.
Stainless steel alloys can be weld repaired if required to repair casting defects or for in-service repairs.
Stainless steel is often chosen for the material because of its strength and exceptional corrosion-resistant properties.
This benefits combination makes stainless steel an ideal choice to create castings for use in a diverse array of industries, including automotive, aerospace, marine, medical, and food processing.
Stainless Steel Casting Process
...Qianhao is a leading Stainless steel casting products supplier...
Stainless steel is often chosen for the material because of its strength and exceptional corrosion-resistant properties.
This benefits combination makes stainless steel an ideal choice to create castings for use in a diverse array of industries, including automotive, aerospace, marine, medical, and food processing.
Stainless Steel Casting Process involves the creation of a wax pattern, which is then surrounded by a ceramic shell to form a ceramic mold. The wax is melted out,
leaving the ceramic shell as a mold. Molten stainless steel is then poured into the mold to form a casting component.
After the metal solidifies and the mold is removed, some investment castings may require a secondary machining process.
How are Stainless Steel Investment Castings Made?
...How do we make the Stainless steel casting products...
Stainless Steel Materials for Investment Casting
Stainless steel is a form of low-carbon steel. It includes a minimum of 10% chromium, which leads to the formation of a chromium-oxide film. This film gives stainless steel its unique corrosion-resistant properties, and the ability to heal when in the presence of oxygen. The metal is highly-formable, resulting in the capability of producing components with accurate dimensions, complex structures, and a good surface finish. Stainless steels are classified by their crystalline structure into five main types:
1.Martensitic Stainless Steel:
Martensitic stainless steel alloys contain chromium, a small amount of carbon, and other elements in different grades. This stainless steel alloy lends itself well to hardening and tempering processes to improve the casting’s mechanical properties. This alloy is appropriate when corrosion- and oxidation-resistance are needed, as well as either creep resistance at high temperatures or high strength at low temperatures.
2.Ferritic Stainless Steel:
This alloy contains over 12% chromium and very low carbon content. It differs from other forms of stainless steel in molecular grain structure and chemical composition. It is not hardenable by heat treatment.
3.Austenitic Stainless Steel:
The most frequently used stainless steel alloys, the 300 series consists of a nonmagnetic, chromium-nickel alloy. Alloys in this series exhibit high levels of corrosion-resistance, but do not gain strength through heat treatment. The 304 alloy is known for its high standards of cleanliness. The 304-L and 316-L alloys are low carbon, resulting in a softer but more corrosion-resistant material that can withstand high-temperature finishing processes.
4.Duplex Stainless Steel:
Duplex stainless steel combines characteristics from both the ferritic and austenitic alloys. These alloys are often used in environments where pitting and corrosion are of concern, especially in a cold working environment. Benefits include improved strength, high toughness, good ductility, and high corrosion resistance.
5.Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel:
This process uses a heat application to make the alloy very tough. Precipitation hardening produces the strongest alloy of the stainless steel family, and is used for parts that cannot bend.
Our Representative stainless Steel Materials for investment casting
| 304 | Housings, bodies. SS304 is widely used in medical, plumbing, watering, mining and petrochemical industries as the standard for cleanliness as well as corrosion resistance. |
| 316 | The second most common austenite steel, also referred to as A4 stainless. SS316 is used primarily for its increased resistance to corrosion. |
| 304L / 316L | Lower carbon content than 316 stainless steel, which reduces the sensitization effect caused by the high temperatures involved in welding. Besides, it shows better resistance to stress-corrosion cracking. |
| 410 & 416 | Housings, bushings, handles, brackets. 400 series steels are high strength and very machinable. They will tend to break rather than bend under intense pressure. Ideal industries are automotive, food & dairy and various machine tools. |
| 17-4 PH | Most common precipitation-hardening martensitic stainless steel, which uses about 17% chromium and 4% nickel. |
Why choose Qianhao stainless steel Investment Castings
Our Capabilities for stainless Steel Investment Castings
We are well equipped and experienced to produce stainless steel castings with tight tolerances and outstanding repeatability.
We use modern melting methods to produce stainless steel investment castings with consistent hardness and strength.
We also perform secondary operations such as machining of critical surfaces and threaded holes and can provide anti-corrosion properties of the parts using surface treatments like plating or other coatings as required. stainless steel cast parts are also commonly heat treated to improve their ductility, strength and other mechanical properties. Our team consists of experts who have extensive experience working with a wide range of stainless steels. Our investment casting manufacturing process is certified to AS9100 and ISO 9001.
Precision Machining Services
Starting from machining and dedicated to machining for 30 years, Qianhao is matchless regardless of technology, equipment and capacity in the industry.
Machining operation is the core and biggest competitiveness of Qianhao. It is not a workshop, but a factory which has been equipped with advanced and complete equipment,
and has a complete management team. There have in place independent engineering team, production team, QA team and Supply Chain team to support its activities.
The machining blanks cover raw (steel) castings from Huawei foundry and outsourced iron castings, forgings, profiles, etc.
The company's powerful machining capabilities is the strong pillar for providing customer with precision machined castings & forgings and profiles.Our capabilities include turning, milling ,
tapping, broaching, drilling, & many other processes to fit your needs.
Surface Treatment Services
Qianhao is located in one of the most developed industrial areas of China, which means a rich supporting industrial chain give strong impetus to our industrial development. All surface treatments are available around us and these plants meet and pass the government's environmental requirements. They have rich experience in processing export products. They are also our trusted partners. Except painting, other surface treatment jobs are contracted to them.
| ● KTL（E-coating) | ● Zinc Plating |
| ● Mirror Polishing | ● Sand Blasting |
| ● Acid Pickling | ● Black Oxide |
| ● Wet Painting | ● Hot Galvanizing |
| ● Powder Coating | ● Nickel Plating |
| ● Vibration grinding | ● Anti Rust Dip |
Our Stainless Steel Investment Casting Products
We have many Stainless Steel Investment Casting clients in railway, automobile , construction Machinery, material handling equipment industries ,and has become important suppliers of the Top 500 companies in China.
How We Control Our Investment casting Products Quality
Quality is central to everything we do. It is our level of commitment to deliver a high quality product, ensured by a tight process control, that means we are able to repeatedly exceed our customers’ expectations.
Every employee at Qianhao is responsible for vigilantly watching over every step of our input and output processes.Our products go through strict quality checks at every workstation to achieve maximum quality control
for each manufacturing process.
Qianhao facilities is equipped with 40 plus state-of-the-art testing equipment in our industry, including Spectrometer,
Metallographic Microscope, Tension Tester, Low Temperature Tester, X-ray Tester, MPT, UT, CMM, Video Measurement Machine,
3D Scanner and so on. The strict testing and inspection processs guarantee high quality of our products in the aspects of chemical composition,
mechanical properties, non-destructive testing and high precise dimensional inspections.
Stainless Steel Investment Casting With Qianhao Metal
Steadfast devoting to the field of precision casting and machining for 30 years
Qianhao is a leading and globally recognized brand for complex and high-tech castings in the area of automobile, rail, construction equipment, material handling equipment and agricultural machinery.
Steadfast devoting to the field of precision casting and machining for 30 years and with strong engineering capabilities, complete quality assurance system and advanced management system, and deep industry expertise,our world class foundry provides these global industry leaders and medium-to-high end western customers with the highest quality products, services and solutions.
Top 500 Companies Choose to Cooperate with Us
We have many OEM customers in railway, automobile, construction equipment, material handling equipment industries and have become the important supplier of the Top 500 companies in the world.
FAQ of Stainless Steel Investment Castings
Q1: What are stainless steel investment castings?
A: stainless steel investment castings are metal components formed by pouring molten stainless steel into a mold to achieve a desired shape. This casting process allows for the creation of intricate and complex parts with specific properties, such as corrosion resistance, strength, and durability.
Q2: What are the advantages of using stainless steel investment castings?
A: stainless steel investment castings offer numerous advantages, including excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, wear resistance, and the ability to maintain their properties at both high and low temperatures. They are also versatile and can be used for various applications in industries like automotive, aerospace, and energy.
Q3: What industries commonly use stainless steel investment castings?
A: stainless steel investment castings find applications in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to automotive, aerospace, marine, oil and gas, construction, and medical equipment manufacturing.
Q4: What are the different methods of stainless steel casting?
A: There are several methods of stainless steel casting, including investment casting (lost-wax process), sand casting, die casting, and continuous casting. Each method offers its own set of advantages and is chosen based on factors like complexity, desired finish, and quantity of parts needed.
Q5: What is the difference between stainless steel investment castings and other types of metal castings?
A: stainless steel investment castings stand out due to their corrosion resistance and ability to maintain their properties in harsh environments. This sets them apart from other metal castings that might not possess the same level of resistance to corrosion or extreme temperatures.
Q6: Can stainless steel investment castings be customized for specific applications?
A: Yes, stainless steel investment castings can be highly customized. The casting process allows for intricate designs and specific shapes to be achieved, making them suitable for various applications. Additionally, different grades of stainless steel can be chosen based on the requirements of the application.
Q7: What are the considerations when selecting a stainless steel grade for casting?
A: The choice of stainless steel grade depends on factors such as the intended use, environmental conditions, temperature range, and required mechanical properties. Common stainless steel grades for casting include 304, 316, 17-4 PH, and 2205 duplex stainless steel.
Q8: What finishes can be applied to stainless steel investment castings?
A: stainless steel investment castings can undergo various finishing processes, including polishing, grinding, plating, and powder coating. These processes enhance the appearance, durability, and functionality of the cast parts.
Q9: How are defects in stainless steel investment castings minimized?
A: Defects in stainless steel investment castings can be minimized through careful design, proper gating and risering, control of casting parameters, quality inspection, and post-casting treatments like heat treatment and surface finishing.
Q10: Are stainless steel investment castings cost-effective?
A: The cost-effectiveness of stainless steel investment castings depends on factors such as the complexity of the design, the chosen casting method, the quantity of parts required, and the properties of the selected stainless steel grade. While stainless steel investment castings might have higher initial costs, their long-term durability and resistance to corrosion can result in cost savings over time.
Q11: How is our stainless steel investment casting performed?
1. Wax Model Making & Assembly
Once the mold is ready, inject wax material into the mold cavity, then take out the wax model from the mold after cooling. Repair some appearance defects of wax models, such as slot, wax injection nozzle, flow pattern, etc. After inspection wax models, weld them to the casting system one by one to form a assembly, which looks like a tree.
2. Shell Building
Shell making process is a whole silica sol process, namely dip the assembly into good colloidal silica coating, sprinkle with fire-resistant sand, dry and harden shell under certain temperature,thus to form dense refractory coating surface outside the surface of wax models, and then repeat the step 5-6, finally form a certain strength and refractoriness of silica sol shell.
3. Dewaxing
Dewaxing is a process in which the wax inside the shell is melted by high temperature steam and then drained out, resulting in a cavity that can be poured into the mold.
4. Pouring
Melt stainless steel ingots into liquid status under a certain high temperature, then pour the liquid into the shell and cool under room temperature. After solidification, knock out the blacks and clean sand.
5. Cutting,Grinding & Surface Finishing
Cut the stainless steel casting blanks from assembly one by one, remove the sprue gate by grinding machine and smooth the surface by various surface finishes, such as shot blasting, sand blasting, electropolishing, mirror polishing, etc.
6. Inspection
After finishing production, inspection 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.
Watch our stainless steel foundry video to learn how stainless steel castings are made. Videos are also available on youtube.com.
Q12: When to Use Stainless Steel Investment Casting？
You’ll get the most significant advantage from using investment castings if your part:
- has a complicated shape that would be difficult or impossible to produce with other casting methods
- requires exceptional surface qualities
- needs tight tolerances
- prefers minimal surface finishing or machining after casting.
Q13: Why Choose Qianhao's Stainless Steel Investment Casting Services
- Affordable Tooling: Tooling is the basic step to starting the stainless steel casting process. Although the machining accuracy and material of tooling play an important role in the final casting quality, the tooling of stainless steel is relatively affordable compared with other forming processes.
- Flexible design: Investment casting can cast out stainless steel products in different sizes and weights, so the design of cast stainless steel parts is very flexible. Stainless steel casting allows parts with a minimum 3mm thickness and weights ranging from 0.05kgs-80kgs. Besides, stainless steel castings with complex structures are also castable.
- Close Tolerance: The dimensional accuracy of stainless steel investment casting can meet ISO 8062 CT5-CT6 level. Such close tolerance can ensure stainless steel castings with less or no machining.
- Good Surface: Even after shot blasting, the surface of stainless steel castings is very smooth and looks bright. And people will never worry about stainless steel castings will get rust with time flys.
- High Production Efficiency: Stainless steel casting is a fast and repeatable process, so the production efficiency is very high, and no matter it is a large or small volume, it can all meet.