Why Cast Iron Foundry Manufacturers Prefer Gray Iron

Cast iron foundry manufacturers tend to work with gray iron for several reasons. To begin with it is very versatile because it contains a lot of carbon. This makes it easy to melt, cast and machine when it is time to manufacture items from it.  This type of iron does not shrink much or hardly at all and it is highly fluid making it easier to design with and gives plenty of freedom in design. Based on how the engineer adjusts the iron’s composition, as well as the casting method selected, the iron can have a wide range of tensile strength.

Cast iron manufactures gray know that to increase the hardness of the metal all they need to do is increase the heat.  However if the hardness and strength of the metal is increased too much it can lead to high costs for casting the metal as well as that of machining.  The harder the metal is the more difficult it is to mold.  Some of the things that are made from gray cast iron include pipes, gearwheels, pulleys, brake discs, gearboxes, cylinder blocks, engine blocks, brake cylinders, driving castors, furnace components and much more.