Non Ferrous Foundry

There are three main types of non ferrous metals: aluminium, magnesium and copper. Aluminium casting is dominated by the automotive industry. Although aluminium castings are more expensive than ferrous castings, there is a continuing market requirement to reduce vehicle weight and to increase fuel efficiency. When aluminium alloys are cast, there are many potential sources of defects which can harm the quality of the casting such as shrinkage defects, gas porosity and oxide inclusions. Pressure diecasting is the most commonly used casting process for aluminium as well as magnesium alloy castings. Magnesium alloy castings are used for aerospace, automotive and electronic applications. Their main advantage is their light weight. The melting of copper and copper-based alloys also presents special problems. Molten copper dissolves both oxygen and hydrogen and on solidification, these can cause porosity in the casting.

Foseco supplies products and equipment for each of the non ferrous metal types to prevent casting defects.