Stainless steel castings are used extensively across a wide range of industries, in particular in the automotive and marine industries due to its strength and excellent resistance to corrosion, making it highly durable over time.
Stainless steel casting involves heating steel above melting point and introducing the material into a mould, from where it solidifies into the required shape. This process allows for the production of intricate and detailed parts that may be difficult or costly to produce using other manufacturing methods.
Stainless steel is available in a range of different alloys, each displaying different properties and compositions which are detailed in the tables below.
Ferritic stainless steel contain a chromium mix of between 10.5% and 18% which is relatively low and provides a correspondingly lower resistance to corrosion than other stainless steel compositions. Ferritic steel does, however, provide superior toughness.
Martensitic stainless steel contain similar amounts of chromium but have a different structure to Ferritic steel. They have a similar reduced corrosion resistance but, due to the relatively high level of carbon, Martensitic steel can be hardened via heat treatment. Both Ferritic and Martensitic steels are magnetic.
Austenitic stainless steel has a higher composition of both chromium and nickel than ferritic or martensitic steel, providing much greater resistance to corrosion and greater performance at low temperatures.
Duplex stainless steel is a relatively new composition and is a combination of austenitic and ferritic steel. This combination produces a steel that is both strong and resistant to corrosion.