Materials Atlas DefMetrix

Aluminum · Product form

Aluminum Castings

Who pours castings in this alloy, and can they hold my geometry and pour weight?

What it is

Parts produced by pouring molten metal into a mold. For reactive metals this requires vacuum or inert atmosphere melting and specialized mold systems, which is why the qualified supplier list is short.

Typical dimensions
Grams to several hundred pounds; envelope limited by furnace and mold capacity.
Also known as
cast parts, investment castings, precision castings, cast components

Suppliers

Grouped by what they actually are. A mill and a distributor answer different needs.

Mills and producers 9

Companies that manufacture this form. Mill direct means longer lead times and mill minimums, with full melt traceability.

  • Blue Island, IL · Service provider Converter
    AS9100A356

    Aluminium sand castings in C355, C356 and C357, alongside the magnesium line. This capability was missing from the record entirely.

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  • Erie, PA · Service provider
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  • Howmet Aerospace Reported
    Pittsburgh, PA · Service provider Converter

    Aluminum investment castings for aerospace.

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  • Lincoln Foundry Verified
    Service provider
    Finished weights 0.01 lb to 100 lb

    Aluminium 319 and 356 sand castings.

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  • Mayfield Heights, OH · Mill Converter

    AlBeCast aluminium-beryllium castings. This is a metal matrix composite rather than a conventional aluminium alloy; confirm the grade against your print.

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  • Signicast Verified
    Hartford, WI · Service provider
    A356

    Aluminium investment castings, named applications including hydraulic fluid system, landing and braking, engine, fuel system and mounted sensing components.

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  • Cuyahoga Heights, OH · Service provider
    AS9100NADCAP Materials Testing LaboratoriesA356

    Aluminium castings by sand and permanent mould for critical engine and structural components.

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  • Minneapolis, MN · Service provider

    High pressure die cast aluminium in A380 and A360.

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  • Meadville, PA · Service provider

    Aluminum alloy castings alongside bronze.

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Production methods

The same form, purchased as tolling on your own material.

Investment Casting 2

Building a ceramic shell around a wax pattern, melting the wax out and pouring metal into the resulting cavity. For reactive metals the pour is done under vacuum or inert atmosphere against specially formulated shells.

  • Howmet Aerospace Reported
    Pittsburgh, PA · Service provider Converter

    Confirm which US plant carries aluminum scope.

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  • Signicast Verified
    Hartford, WI · Service provider
    A356

    Investment casting in A356, A355 and 201.0-T6 aluminium for weight-sensitive aircraft and satellite equipment. NADCAP accredited at Hartford, ITAR and AS9100.

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Sand Casting 3

Pouring metal into a mold formed in bonded sand. The lowest tooling cost route to a casting and the only practical one for very large parts, at the cost of surface finish and dimensional tolerance.

  • Blue Island, IL · Service provider Converter
    AS9100A356

    Aerospace sand casting with up to 80 internal cores, under AS9100 and NADCAP.

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  • Lincoln Foundry Verified
    Service provider
    Finished weights 0.01 lb to 100 lb

    Sand casting of aluminium at small part weights.

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  • Cuyahoga Heights, OH · Service provider
    AS9100NADCAP Materials Testing Laboratories

    Sand casting in a 60,000 sq ft aerospace-approved foundry.

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Die Casting 1

Injecting molten metal under high pressure into a reusable steel die. High volume and excellent dimensional repeatability, with tooling cost that only amortizes over large quantities. The dominant route for magnesium components.

  • Minneapolis, MN · Service provider

    600 ton Colosio machines. A380 is the general purpose alloy; A360 gives higher corrosion resistance and better strength at temperature.

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