Why investment casting
Hygienic pump, valve, mixer and filling-machine parts are cast in austenitic stainless steel and finished to cleanable, low-roughness surfaces.
Components
- Pump rotors and housings
- Valve bodies
- Filling and dosing parts
- Cutting and forming tools
Materials
CF8, CF3M and related austenitic grades.
Frequently used alloys
| Grade | Type | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| CF8 | Austenitic stainless steel, cast 304 type 304 type | ASTM A351/A351M, A743/A743M |
| CF3M | Low-carbon Mo-bearing austenitic stainless steel, cast 316L type 316L type | ASTM A351/A351M, A743/A743M |
| CF8M | Mo-bearing austenitic stainless steel, cast 316 type 316 type | ASTM A351/A351M, A743/A743M |
| GX2CrNiMo19-11-2 (1.4409) | Low-carbon Mo-bearing austenitic stainless steel, cast 316L type 316L type | EN 10283 |
Typical requirements
Hygienic design: smooth, crevice-free, cleanable surfaces; surface roughness and porosity limits on product-contact areas.
- Low surface roughness
- Pickled and passivated or electropolished
- Material declarations
Related engineering topics
Surface finish
Surface texture of investment castings: Ra and Rz, typical as-cast, blasted, ground and machined conditions, how to specify surface requirements and visual acceptance standards.
Finishing and heat treatment
Post-casting operations for investment castings: shell removal, cut-off, grinding, heat treatment, blasting, surface finishing, straightening and machining.
Documentation
Documentation for investment castings: EN 10204 inspection documents 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2, material certificates, dimensional and NDT reports, heat-treatment records and traceability.