Casting in the World
Cast components are used in all areas of everyday life – in cars, trains and planes, from energy generation to mobile phones – our industry takes metal and recycles it into new engineered parts.
It’s liquid metal engineering!
What is Casting?
Made by pouring molten metal into a mould, castings can be used to make parts of complex shapes that would be difficult or uneconomic to make by other methods (such as forging, assembling components or cutting from solid material).
The castings industry is growing and more than 100 million tonnes of casting were produced globally last year, more than ever before!
What do we make? Here are a few examples of castings in the world around us:
- For the automotive industry: engine blocks, cylinder heads and cylinders, brake discs, wheels, brake callipers, turbo charger wheels and housings.
- For the water industry: pipes, taps, pumps and valves.
- For the energy industry: motors, generators, industrial gas turbines and wind energy hubs.
- For the rail industry: track crossings, brakes and wheels
- For the aerospace industry: turbine blades, runway lighting and aircraft seats
- For the medical industry: hip and knee implants, medical scanners and wheelchair components
- For the urban environment: street furniture, locks, lamp stands, sculptures and bike frames.
Need for SpeedDid you know?
- All of the turbine blades in modern jet engines are castings!
- Foundries in the UK cast all of the engines for Formula One!
- All brake discs in passenger cars are castings, so we keep people safe!
A Green IndustryDid you know?
- Most castings are made from recycled metal so without castings there would be piles of scrap metal damaging our local environment.
- Castings are used in wind turbines and tidal power installations so we help the global environment.
- Foundries recycle most of the sand they use, over and over again!
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Casting Case Studies
Rail Crossings & Tracks
Rail crossings are made of cast steel, alloyed with manganese, and are then welded to lengths of rail track. Then ...
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Renewable Energy – Wind Energy Turbine Hub
The hub of a wind turbine is made of ductile cast iron as it is strong and can withstand the ...
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Manhole Covers – really?
Manholes covers might not seem to be very exciting perhaps, but they need to be strong so that they can ...
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Jet Engine Turbine Blades – built for speed
The blades in a jet engine are made using investment casting. They are cast in exotic alloys, sometimes as single-crystal ...
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