Due to current environmental conditions, marine casting has developed into a highly specialized form. Given the long coastline and vast expanses of water, marine foundries form a vital part of the metal casting industry. Aluminium castings are widely used in the maritime sector due to their high weight-to-strength ratio and excellent corrosion resistance, making them well-suited for marine applications.
Where do we need Marine castings?
Marine castings have many applications, not limited to ships, tankers or offshore installations. It includes Marine, submarine and coastal structures. This covers a wide range of installations, including slipways, platforms, handrails, Bridges, valves, pump assemblies, submarine assemblies, etc. There are also deep-sea equipment and installations that need Marine casting. We need these castings for ships, cargo holds, overpasses, observation towers, naval stations and other structures.
Aluminum is a very reactive metal, which means its property is to oxidize very quickly. While a weakness for most metals, this quality is crucial to their ability to resist corrosion. In the presence of oxygen (in air, soil, or water), aluminium immediately reacts to form aluminium oxide. The alumina layer chemically binds to the surface and seals the core aluminium to prevent further reaction. This differs from steel or iron’s oxidation (corrosion), in which the rust expands and flakes off, constantly exposing the new metal to corrosion. Aluminum oxide film is tough, challenging, and can renew itself instantaneously. As a result, aluminum alloys are widely used in Marine applications due to their corrosion resistance.
Why do we need it?
Because of the environment in which we work, Marine casting is essential.
1. Highly Corrosive environment: Seawater is one of the most corrosive substances. High salt levels can corrode almost any building material except the water itself. This is why all metals rust in a very short time when exposed to sea water. The corrosive effects of seawater can extend to coastal areas with high moisture content and have the same effect on metal structures. However, we must have many structures, from transport ships to Bridges near shore. Marine casting is a specialized branch of casting, and we use metals that are better able to withstand this kind of environment.
2. Durability: If the biggest challenge of an offshore facility is building something that lasts, that’s one of them. The focus is always on developing something that can last a long time and still be cost-effective. We need metals that can withstand corrosive environments and stress in certain facilities, such as Bridges or underwater structures. Eventually, the metal structure will begin to rust, crack, or begin to buckle under pressure. Casting metals like stainless steel helps create more durable structures and stunning structural designs.
3. Protection of the environment: The sea is a central transport corridor, especially for goods. This includes the transport of chemicals and oils. Many offshore facilities and modes of transport, such as oil platforms, tankers, and ships, are used for this purpose. But these also pose a threat to the environment. Any spill of dangerous or toxic substances may cause irreversible damage. We need metals that are durable and strong enough to stand the test. With ocean casting, we use metals that can help us create a safer environment.
4. Manufacture Cost-effective products: Marine casting is an ongoing effort to create products that can work under harsh conditions and remain cost-effective. There are many factors to consider here – the cost of casting, further processing and the need to make metal strong enough to withstand the pressure. This was possible using metals such as stainless steel in the casting process.
Why are aluminum castings used in Marine applications?
The casting method for Marine aluminium alloys can be gravity die casting, die casting or sand casting. Choose any aluminum casting process based on the structure of the component. For example, die casting is preferred for ADC12, a material with
skinny wall thickness.
But if the quantity is not large, we can also choose gravity casting to save costs.
1. The casting process has many advantages Compared with forging, welding, stamping, rolling, extrusion, and other metal forming processes. The reasons for the success of the casting process are:
2. Due to physical properties, some metals can only be cast because they cannot be recast into bars, rods, plates, or other shapes.
3. This process is highly adaptable to mass production requirements. Large quantities of a given cast can be produced quickly.
4. Some light aluminum alloys can only be produced as castings because of their advantages and disadvantages.
5. Show outstanding bearing quality.
Another option: stainless steel
Other metals like stainless steel are also used for strength and corrosion resistance. Marine casting is becoming increasingly important, and Marine industries and buildings now require specialized casting.
1. Strong corrosion resistance. Certain types of stainless steel perform best when exposed to salt water.
High-stress corrosion resistance.
2. Very high strength-to-weight ratio. This makes stainless steel one of the strongest metals in Marine casting. Because of its strength, we can use thin steel plates instead of thick ones. It makes installation easier.
3. It’s a great deal. Installation is easy and requires less effort. Plus, you use much less metal, further reducing costs. The processing and handling costs of stainless steel are also lower.
4. It’s a very malleable metal. That’s why stainless steel is used today to make unique structural designs.
5. It’s recyclable, which makes it environmentally friendly and economical in the long run.
In addition, copper alloys are common in Marine applications such as propellers, valves, pumps, pipes and heat pipes. Some advantages of copper-specific alloys are their thermal conductivity, durability, and ease of forming. In addition, Marine animals and organisms have a lower chance of attaching to the copper alloy. Several of the most popular copper-based alloys used in the Marine industry include:
1. Copper-nickel alloy: the primary alloy in the hull, legs, riser jackets, cooling systems, and aquaculture cages.
2. Coppery niche: Popular in forged condenser tubes, cast sea water pumps and valve parts.
3. Copper-nickel aluminum: Suitable for fasteners, gears, bolts, bearing bushings and shafts.
4. Copper-nickel tin: The main component of lifting nuts, valve actuator rods, drill bits and bearings.
The strength content of many copper-based alloys can be increased by adding zinc. Bronze is also standard in Marine applications. Like copper, bronze-based alloys protect against mussels, algae and other destructive organisms. Bronze alloys also have excellent resistance to ammonia stress corrosion.
Why EASIAHOME?
EASIAHOME is a leader in custom-cast stainless steel boat parts and Marine hardware. No matter your needs for custom-manufactured ship deck hardware, custom-manufactured ship parts, or marine hardware, EASIAHOME can quote you accurately and quickly for your work and provide a good solution.
What sets our company apart from other stainless steel foundries is our attention to detail and our knowledge of your industry. From design, proofing, production import, and delivery, EASIAHOME is with you every step to ensure that our quality is always beyond your expectations.
Our ships and boat castings have a high-quality surface finish to ensure that appearance is not compromised. We offer a variety of services that other casting suppliers do not always offer, including stainless steel investment casting manufacturing, shot blasting, electric polishing, mirror polishing and other surface treatments available, CNC machining, welding and assembly, direct Logo if necessary, custom packaging, fast delivery, convenient air or sea delivery.
Please contact us if you have any questions about casting stainless steel boats or parts!
