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Flexible casting solutions for iron, steel and aluminium

Mould casting + ADI

Mould casting enables the cost-effective production of engineering castings made from iron, steel and aluminium – ranging from simple geometries to complex, high-strength components. The process offers a high degree of flexibility in terms of material, component size and production volume, and is particularly well-suited to bespoke requirements, robust applications and function-oriented designs.

Customer benefits: Design engineers benefit from considerable design freedom, a wide choice of materials and high-performance component properties. Purchasing managers benefit from low tooling costs, flexible batch sizes and cost-effective solutions for individual parts, small batches and mass production.

What is mould casting?

Mould casting is a traditional casting process in which molten metal is poured into a mould made of compacted moulding sand. This mould is destroyed after the casting process and remade for each component. This makes it possible to produce components with a wide variety of geometries, dimensions and materials.

The process is suitable for castings made of iron, steel and aluminium and offers a high degree of flexibility in terms of technical requirements. Depending on the application, materials such as grey cast iron, ductile cast iron, cast steel or cast aluminium can be selected.

Depending on the requirements, processes such as pattern casting, hand mould casting, machine mould casting, sand casting or others can be used.

Mould casting is particularly suitable when low tooling costs, large components, robust material properties or flexible production runs are the main priorities.

Benefits of mould casting

High degree of design freedom in terms of geometry and component size
Suitable for iron, steel and aluminium
Cost-effective for individual parts, small batches and mass production
Low tooling costs compared to permanent mould casting
Wide range of materials
Suitable for robust and high-strength components
Good adaptability to technical requirements
Enables the production of large and heavy castings

Grey cast iron – a cost-effective cast iron with good vibration-damping properties

Grey cast iron is a tried-and-tested cast iron material containing lamellar graphite. It is characterised by good castability, high compressive strength, good vibration damping and very good machinability.

The material is particularly suitable for components where cost-effectiveness, dimensional stability, damping and good machinability are crucial. Owing to its properties, grey cast iron is frequently used for housings, machine frames, covers and technical cast components.

Spheroidal cast iron – high-strength, heavy-duty cast iron

Spheroidal cast iron, also known as cast iron with spheroidal graphite, is a cast iron material in which the graphite is present in a spherical form within the microstructure. As a result, the material achieves significantly higher strength and toughness properties than grey cast iron.

Spheroidal cast iron is particularly suitable for heavy-duty, safety-critical and dynamically stressed components. It combines the good castability of cast iron with excellent mechanical properties.

ADI heat treatment – high-strength ductile cast iron for demanding applications

ADI stands for Austempered Ductile Iron and refers to heat-treated ductile cast iron with particularly high strength, good toughness and high wear resistance. Through a targeted heat treatment process, the material acquires a special microstructure with high-performance mechanical properties.

ADI combines the high design flexibility of sand casting with properties that, depending on the application, can offer an alternative to quenched and tempered steel, cast steel or forged components. The process is particularly suitable for components that need to combine high load-bearing capacity, weight reduction and cost-effective production.

Mould casting for steel

Steel castings produced using the sand casting process are suitable for components subject to high demands in terms of strength, wear resistance, temperature resistance, toughness or corrosion resistance. Depending on the alloy, steel castings can be designed for particularly demanding mechanical, thermal or chemical operating conditions.

Steel castings are frequently used when components have to withstand high loads, be robust in design or function reliably under difficult operating conditions.

Mould casting for aluminium

Aluminium mould casting is suitable for lightweight, corrosion-resistant and easily machinable components offering a high degree of design flexibility. The process is frequently used when aluminium components are required in larger dimensions, with complex geometries or in flexible production runs.

Aluminium mould casting offers a cost-effective solution for lightweight components, prototypes, small-batch production and technical castings with reduced component mass.

Typical applications

Mould cast components are frequently used in mechanical engineering, vehicle manufacturing, agricultural machinery, plant engineering, mining, conveyor technology, valve technology, pump technology, building services engineering and in robust industrial applications.

Facts & figures

Materials

Cast iron, spheroidal graphite iron, steel and stainless steel alloys, special materials and aluminium alloys in accordance with current norms and standards.