Where to get Niresist castings

Sfinetuner · Aug 30, 2006

I have a component for a special project approx 21 pounds with complex gometry. Due to the technical requirements I need to cast this in Ductile Niresist D5. This has upto 35% nickel and I need about 300 pounds poured at a time.

Can I get some information on the casters of such metals and approximate pricing of the casting?

Thank you all in advance.

Paul

surplusjohn · Aug 30, 2006

I believe Grey Syracuse in Chitnango NY does this in investment casting. They do turbine blades etc

bronto48 · Aug 30, 2006

Try a search of ferrous foundries. Last I checked, there was an internet site that had a foundry list by state. Try Amer. Foundry Assoc. or simmilar, maybe Thomas Registry. 20 years ago we had a 35,000 lb. Ni-Resist casting poured at a big foundry in Miss. or Ala. but cannot remember the name.

surplusjohn · Aug 30, 2006

http://www.escocorp.com/turbine_technologies/process.html

JRIowa · Aug 30, 2006

21 pounds would be a very good sized investment casting. If you only need 30 parts, there would be a large investment in tooling to get the wax patterns made. Shell casting offers the next step down in part detail. An aluminum pattern would work for that size shell.

Another casting route would be lost foam. You don't have the up-front tooling costs, but you have the machining costs for the foam patterns.

For you UNS 43006 D-5 castings, try Globe Foundry in Los Angeles or Mid Cities in Milwaukee. There's another one in PA, but I can't think of the name now.
JR

toadjammer · Aug 30, 2006

Is there a reason that this material couldn't be sand cast? Just about no mater what the complexity of it a pattern and core boxes would be easier than a lost foam or wax tool and especially cost effective considering the sshort run.

Sfinetuner · Aug 31, 2006

Great, Thanks. That was fantastic information I would ever get. I was late in entering this forum, you guys are amazing. Your suggestions are precise and correct information I was looking for. I am open for any process including sand casting.

The prices of these casting are astonishing, $18/lbs.

SND · Aug 31, 2006

If they make the molds, write up a good contract. Make sure that in the contract it is said that the molds are yours, you paid for them, and that they can and will leave their shop and be brought to any of they competitors if they're not able to pour the castings to the quality you require or if for any reasons at all you want to deal with someone else in the future.

We went thru the whole process of having our main product cast a few years ago. Turned out the foundry couldn't properly pour the pieces and they had cracks which we can't allow. We told them to send us our molds and forms which we paid full price for and we'd get it cast elsewhere. Turned out in the contract, the molds were ours but they couldn't leave their shop. We just said screw that and went back to making it out of solid. Yes it was a foundry in the USA, I forgot the name though.

JRIowa · Aug 31, 2006

There are a lot of foundries that won't let the patterns go with their rigging on it. Nobody wants to give the other guy the advantage. There's still a lot of "black art" when it comes to pouring metal. Anything with high nickal or chrome content make it harder to cast.

We get all of our stainless steel investment castings from Korea. The quality is fantastic. The problem with investment is in the wax forms. We have some 30 pound parts, but they are rare for an investment casting.

Shell casting is great for both low and high volume parts. The only difference is that you need to have a metal pattern to stand the heat of curing the shell. Much more deffinition than plain sand.
JR

Sfinetuner · Aug 31, 2006

I need to keep a note about that toolings. JR/SND, do you think it is better to leave the tooling part to foundry? or we develop it so as we can move it at our convinience to other foundries. I am interested with shell casting.

The component is a hollow cylinder average 1/4" thick 10" Long and 8" in dia with many convex flange sections and insertions.

toadjammer · Sep 1, 2006

Most importantly the price of the castings will be very dependant on quantity and tooling cost will more than likely be a major part especially when complexity goes up. It in no way has to be done in a shell process. I have made plenty of patterns and boxes with a lot less wall than 1/4" with great results. Alot of low run aircraft parts are sand cast and they can get alot more complex than yours sounds. If it was me I would make wood or urethane patterns and boxes. Most pattern shops will have no problem doing this type of work. The foundry will probably have a shop they work with. It sounds like you are making an intake or exhaust manifold, and have no experience with the casting buisiness. I don't really think this is something you should attempt yourself unless if you are famillar with complex parting lines. And shell casting will add a considerable ammount to the tooling price and limit the flexibility of foundry choices.
Toad

dmalicky · Sep 1, 2006

I had a NiResist project a few years ago. D5 is the low CTE alloy, right? That is the one we were going to use, but we abandoned it because of the cost (and that was in 2004... see below). IIRC, the CTE of D5 is pretty sensitive to the amount of nickel, so if low CTE is what you're after be sure to get a caster that has experience with D5. I may have some metallurgy info if you want it.

Yes the cost is outrageous, mostly due to the nickel, and especially the past year. Take a look at:
http://www.lme.co.uk/nickel_graphs.asp
and graph from 1998 to 2006. Wow.

David

Sfinetuner · Sep 1, 2006

Thanks again, I am planning to give the job to a consultant or a experienced foundry only. I got to know the rates are also much dependent on yield of casting and most importantly quantity. David thanks for the LME link. It shows nickel is lowering down recently. The price curves would defy roller coaster designs.

Paul

Yogesh · Sep 2, 2006

IF you have further specs and willing to go overseas? we can help you. We do D2 & D4 in ductile iron regularly and sell mostly to US. I hope this dose not spike my sales lead

Either way you are interested or not, I recommend you to keep the patterns part with the foundry only. Every foundry has its unique methoding and splitting techniques. Niresist is generally poured at very high temps (above 1600 deg cent) the material has very high fluidity and is very thin at these temperatures. A perfect mould design is very essential in this case or you can never get a good casting.

Yogesh

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Where to get Niresist castings

Sfinetuner

Plastic

surplusjohn

Diamond

bronto48

Hot Rolled

surplusjohn

Diamond

JRIowa

Diamond

toadjammer

Hot Rolled

Sfinetuner

Plastic

SND

Diamond

JRIowa

Diamond

Sfinetuner

Plastic

toadjammer

Hot Rolled

dmalicky

Aluminum

Sfinetuner

Plastic

Yogesh

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