Centrifugal casting offers distinct advantages over forged metal in certain applications

• Complex Geometry: One of centrifugal casting benefits is the ability to create parts with OD shapes, such as flanges and bosses, this allows for near-net-shape production.  The amount of stock needed is significantly reduced, lowering the need for extensive rough machining.  This saves valuable spindle time and cost.

• Material Savings: Forged metals often need significant material to allow for final machining.  In contrast, centrifugal casting minimizes waste by directly producing parts close to their final dimensions.  Less weight equals less cost.

• Cost-effectiveness: While forged metals require heavy machinery and extensive labor, centrifugal casting can be more cost-effective for producing cylindrical or symmetrical parts. It requires less initial capital investment in equipment and can lead to lower operational costs.

• Improved Metallurgical Properties: Centrifugal casting promotes superior metallurgical properties by eliminating internal porosity and improving grain structure alignment. This is called equiaxed grain structure.  This allows mechanical testing results to be the same in all directions.  This results in parts with enhanced strength, durability, and fatigue resistance compared to forged components.

• Versatility in Material Selection: Centrifugal casting supports a wide range of alloys.  Copper based, aluminum based, nickel based and iron based alloys can all be centrifugally formed. This versatility allows for tailored material selection based on specific performance requirements, which forging may not always accommodate as effectively.

• Scalability and Consistency: Centrifugal casting is highly scalable, making it suitable for both small-scale production runs and large-scale manufacturing. It ensures consistent quality across batches, which can be challenging to achieve consistently with forging due to variations in process conditions.

In summary, centrifugal casting offers distinct advantages over forged metals in terms of cost, efficiency, material utilization, and quality for producing parts with complex geometries and superior metallurgical properties. These benefits make it a viable alternative to forging in many industrial or military applications.

For help with a component part project, please access our Request a Quote Form or call 262-377-9440.

Posted by

Scott Homa

Special Projects Manager

Johnson Centrifugal Technology

shoma@jct-usa.com