Aluminum Alloys
Technical information about investment casting alloys.
Questions?
Nu-Cast selects the aluminum alloy based on defined requirements for castability, strength, and cost. All castings undergo non-destructive testing (NDT), including X-ray and penetrant inspection, to detect subsurface defects and verify internal integrity.
Alloy properties are controlled through specified compositions, with elemental percentages verified by chemical analysis and supplier certifications. Customer-provided specifications and drawings define requirements, with our engineers available to align material selection with application needs, improve the process, and answer any questions along the way.
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We’ll help you choose based on your part and application.
Aluminum-Base Alloys
To read the following chart, use the comments to understand the castability, strength of the casting, and some indication as to the amount of heat the part will withstand. As a general rule, high strength castings have a much lower “castability than do lower strength castings.
ALLOY DESIGNATION |
PREFERRED TEMPER |
COMMON SPECIFICATIONS |
TENSILE (KSI) |
YIELD(KSI) |
ELONGATION (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A201 | T7 | MIL-A-21180 AMS-4229 |
55/65 | 44/55 | 2/4 |
| Comments: Hot short alloy, very low castabilitiy, configuration sensitive. Applications: Highstrength castings (Design only in consultation with foundry). | |||||
| C355 | T6 | MIL-A-21180 AMS-4215 |
35/44 | 30/33 | 1/3 |
| Comments: Somewhat lower castability than A356 or A357 alloys. Applications: Components exposed to moderate temperatures, such as turbine engine parts, pumps, etc. | |||||
| A356 | T6 | MIL-A-21180 AMS-4218 |
33/42 | 27/32 | 2/5 |
| Comments: Moderate strength, excellent castability, weldability and pressure tightness. Applications: Housings, chassis and castings requiring fine detail. | |||||
| A357 | T6 | MIL-A-21180 AMS-4219 |
36/41 | 28/31 | 3/5 |
| Comments: Excellent castability, moderate high strength, excellent weldability and pressure tightness. Applications: Structural components | |||||
| D712 | T1 | QQ-A-601 QQ-A-596 |
24/32 26/32 |
16/22 20/27 |
1/5 2/3 |
| Comments: Lower castability, used only for its brazing characteristics. | |||||
| F357 | T6 | AMS-4289 | 41 | 32 | 3 |
| Comments: Same as A357 except no beryllium | |||||