Grey Iron (all grades)
Grey Iron is relatively inexpensive and easy to cast. It can be used for applications where tensile strength and ductility are non-critical such as housings, engine blocks and valve bodies.  It also has unique properties which are useful for applications with sliding surfaces like hydraulic pistons.  Free graphite within the structure acts as a lubricant and also aids machining. Other advantages of Grey Iron include excellent damping and wear characteristics.

Ductile Iron (all grades)
Ductile iron (also known as Nodular or Spheroidal Graphite Iron) allows for greater tensile strength and ductility compared to grey iron. Tensile strength and ductility can vary across the range of grades allowing for irons to be suitable for a wide range of applications. They can include automotive components, load bearing applications and the construction of components. Additionally, these properties allow ductile iron to replace steel for many applications and achieve a significant cost saving. Ductile Irons are also easy to machine and are corrosion resistant compared to other ferrous metals.

ADI (all grades)
ADI (Austempered Ductile Iron) is a recent development in iron metallurgy. A controlled heat treatment cycle results in iron with a very high tensile strength and hardness. It benefits from being lighter and cheaper than steel while possessing similar mechanical properties. ADI can therefore replace nearly 80% of all cast and forged steels. It is also stronger than aluminium per unit weight. Other properties include excellent fatigue strength, abrasion resistance and noise dampening.

Alloy Irons (Various grades)
These include Ni Resist and SiMol. NiResist is a nickel alloy iron which exhibits excellent resistance to corrosion in harsh environments. SiMol is a silicon molybdenum alloy iron which resists oxidisation at high temperature. It is frequently used for turbine housings and exhaust manifolds in modern high performance engines.

If you have any query as to which is the right material or process for you, or if you require an alternative material or process, please contact our sales team who will be happy to help you.