{"id":7628,"date":"2026-10-16T07:52:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T07:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/?page_id=7628"},"modified":"2026-10-16T10:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T10:02:16","slug":"cast-steel-casting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/","title":{"rendered":"Cast Steel Casting"},"content":{"rendered":"<main id='oxy-main'><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-119 oxy-container lyafs-hero lyafs-hero--flip\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-118 oxy-container lyafs-inner lyafs-hero-grid\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-115 oxy-container\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-100 oxy-text lyafs-kicker\">\nCast steel casting service\n<\/span><h1 class=\"oxy-text-7628-101 oxy-text lyafs-h1\">\nCast steel, sand cast or investment cast, without a pattern\n<\/h1><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-102 oxy-text lyafs-lede\">\nSteel is the hardest of the common casting alloys to get sound, because it has no graphite expansion to help feed the shrinkage. We print the sand mould, or print the wax pattern, from your CAD file, so a single steel casting is economic and the rigging is designed around your part instead of around a pattern.\n<\/p><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-105 oxy-container lyafs-cta-row\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-103 oxy-text-link lyafs-btn\" href=\"\/id\/get-a-quote\/\" target=\"_self\">\nSend your drawing for a quote\n<\/a><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-104 oxy-text-link lyafs-btn lyafs-btn--ghost\" href=\"#grades\" target=\"_self\">\nSee the steel grades we pour\n<\/a><\/div><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-114 oxy-container lyafs-quick\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-107 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-106 oxy-text\">\n<b>2 t<\/b>Largest single steel pour\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-109 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-108 oxy-text\">\n<b>3 m<\/b>Maximum casting envelope\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-111 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-110 oxy-text\">\n<b>1,500 t<\/b>Steel capacity a year\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-113 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-112 oxy-text\">\n<b>Carbon to duplex<\/b>Steel and stainless grades\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-117 oxy-container lyafs-hero-media\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"oxy-image-7628-116 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-pump-body.jpg\" alt=\"Large thin-walled cast steel pump body in the foundry\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-128 oxy-container lyafs-sec\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-127 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-122 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-120 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n01\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-121 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nCast steel, and which casting route your part needs\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-123 oxy-text lyafs-sub\">\nCast steel covers everything from a plain carbon steel bracket to a 17-4PH pump component. What all of it has in common is the reason it is difficult: steel contracts hard on solidifying and there is no graphite forming inside it to push back. So the feeder has to do all the work, the pouring temperature is around 100\u00a0\u00b0C higher than iron, and the mould has to survive both.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-124 oxy-text lyafs-sub\">\nThere are two routes, and the choice matters more than the alloy. <strong>Sand casting<\/strong> in a printed mould suits anything with a cavity, a flange or a bore you would otherwise machine, at wall thicknesses from about 4\u00a0mm up. <strong>Wax investment casting<\/strong> suits thin-walled, fine-detail geometry where the part is closer to net shape \u2014 impellers, vanes, small precision components. If you are not sure which yours is, send the drawing and the annual quantity and we will say.\n<\/p><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-126 oxy-container lyafs-note\"><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-125 oxy-text\">\nLooking specifically for corrosion-resistant stainless? The <a href=\"\/id\/services\/stainless-steel-casting\/\">stainless steel casting service<\/a> covers 304, 316L, 17-4PH and duplex 2205 in depth. This page is about steel castings generally, and about choosing between the two routes.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-180 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--alt\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-179 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-131 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-129 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n02\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-130 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nSand casting or wax investment? How we choose\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-132 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nBoth routes start from your CAD file and both avoid a pattern, so the decision is about geometry and tolerance rather than about lead time or cost structure. In practice it comes down to four questions, and the answers usually point the same way.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-141 oxy-container lyafs-grid lyafs-grid--2\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-136 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-133 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nSand casting in a printed mould\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-134 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nYour CAD model is printed directly as a sand mould and as sand cores on a binder-jetting printer, then poured under gravity. No pattern, no core box.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-135 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>Choose it when<\/b> the part has an internal cavity, an integral water or oil passage, a wall of 4\u00a0mm or more, or a finished weight above a few kilograms.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-140 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-137 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nWax investment casting\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-138 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nA wax pattern is printed from your CAD model, shelled in ceramic, and the wax is burnt out before the steel is poured. The shell becomes the mould.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-139 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>Choose it when<\/b> the geometry is thin-walled and intricate, the detail is finer than a sand surface can hold, or you need a smoother as-cast finish on complex vanes and profiles.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-178 oxy-container lyafs-table-wrap\"><table class=\"oxy-container-7628-177 oxy-container lyafs-table\"><caption class=\"oxy-text-7628-142 oxy-text\">\nWhich route for which part. Both are available on the same enquiry.\n<\/caption><thead class=\"oxy-container-7628-147 oxy-container\"><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-146 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-143 oxy-text\" scope=\"col\">\nYour part\n<\/th><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-144 oxy-text\" scope=\"col\">\nSand casting\n<\/th><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-145 oxy-text\" scope=\"col\">\nWax investment\n<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody class=\"oxy-container-7628-176 oxy-container\"><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-151 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-148 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nIntegral cavity or internal passage\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-149 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nYes, printed cores\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-150 oxy-text\">\nLimited\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-155 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-152 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nThin walls, intricate vanes\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-153 oxy-text\">\nLimited below about 4 mm\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-154 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nYes\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-159 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-156 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nAs-cast surface\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-157 oxy-text\">\nRa 12.5\u201325 \u00b5m\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-158 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nSmoother\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-163 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-160 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nHeavy sections, several hundred kg\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-161 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nYes, to 2 t\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-162 oxy-text\">\nNot practical\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-167 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-164 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nLarge envelope\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-165 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nTo 3 m\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-166 oxy-text\">\nSmaller\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-171 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-168 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nPattern cost\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-169 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nTidak ada\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-170 oxy-text lyafs-yes\">\nTidak ada\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-175 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-172 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nMinimum order\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-173 oxy-text\">\n1 piece\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-174 oxy-text\">\n1 piece\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-217 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--ink\" id=\"grades\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-216 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-183 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-181 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n03\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-182 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nThe steel grades we pour\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-184 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThree families, and the family you pick is decided by the duty rather than by the tensile number. Carbon and low-alloy steel cover structure and wear; the stainless family covers corrosion; duplex covers both at once.\n<\/p><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-213 oxy-container lyafs-table-wrap\"><table class=\"oxy-container-7628-212 oxy-container lyafs-table\"><caption class=\"oxy-text-7628-185 oxy-text\">\nSteel families. Grade callouts follow your drawing; where you have no callout we will propose one.\n<\/caption><thead class=\"oxy-container-7628-190 oxy-container\"><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-189 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-186 oxy-text\" scope=\"col\">\nFamily\n<\/th><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-187 oxy-text\" scope=\"col\">\nGrades\n<\/th><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-188 oxy-text\" scope=\"col\">\nWhy you would pick it\n<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody class=\"oxy-container-7628-211 oxy-container\"><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-194 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-191 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nCarbon steel\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-192 oxy-text\">\nPlain carbon, weldable\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-193 oxy-text\">\nStructure, brackets, bases and machine frames where strength and cost govern and corrosion is not the issue.\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-198 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-195 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nLow-alloy steel\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-196 oxy-text\">\nChromium and molybdenum bearing\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-197 oxy-text\">\nHigher strength and hardenability than carbon, for wear parts, gears and load-bearing components.\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-202 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-199 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nStainless steel\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-200 oxy-text\">\n304, 316L\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-201 oxy-text\">\nCorrosion resistance in chemical, food, marine and pump duty. <a href=\"\/id\/services\/stainless-steel-casting\/\">Full stainless service here.<\/a>\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-206 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-203 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nPrecipitation hardening\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-204 oxy-text\">\n17-4PH\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-205 oxy-text\">\nHigh strength plus corrosion resistance, where you need both and can accept a heat treatment step.\n<\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"oxy-container-7628-210 oxy-container\"><th class=\"oxy-text-7628-207 oxy-text\" scope=\"row\">\nDuplex stainless\n<\/th><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-208 oxy-text\">\n2205\n<\/td><td class=\"oxy-text-7628-209 oxy-text\">\nChloride stress corrosion plus roughly double the yield of 316L. Offshore, desalination and process plant.\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-215 oxy-container lyafs-note\"><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-214 oxy-text\">\nSteel grades are specified with a heat treatment condition attached, and the same alloy can be supplied soft, normalised or quenched and tempered. Tell us the duty and the hardness you need rather than only the alloy, and the casting and the treatment will be specified together.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-244 oxy-container lyafs-sec\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-243 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-220 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-218 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n04\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-219 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nWhy steel is harder to cast than iron\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-221 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nDuctile and grey iron both form graphite as they solidify, and that graphite occupies volume \u2014 it pushes back against the contraction and partly feeds the shrinkage for you. Steel forms no graphite. The whole contraction has to be fed from a riser, so the rigging is heavier, the yield is lower, and the window between a sound casting and a shrunk one is narrower.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-222 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThree other things change with steel, and all three are process decisions rather than wishes:\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-239 oxy-container lyafs-rail-steps\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-226 oxy-container\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-223 oxy-text lyafs-rail-num\">\n01\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-224 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nMetal at 1,500\u00a0\u00b0C and above\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-225 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nSteel pours about 100\u00a0\u00b0C hotter than iron. The sand has to take it, so we print moulds for steel from higher-refractoriness silica \u2014 above 96% SiO\u2082 on the large parts \u2014 instead of the lower-grade sand that is fine for iron and aluminium.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-230 oxy-container\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-227 oxy-text lyafs-rail-num\">\n02\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-228 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nA different binder\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-229 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nFuran resin is the right binder for aluminium, copper and iron. Steel runs on phenolic resin, which holds its strength at the higher pouring temperature and breaks down more cleanly afterwards.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-234 oxy-container\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-231 oxy-text lyafs-rail-num\">\n03\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-232 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nNitrogen under 3%\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-233 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThe binder carries nitrogen, and nitrogen causes gas porosity. The ceiling for steel is 3% \u2014 tighter than the 5% that cast iron tolerates \u2014 so the printed mould is dried and vented rather than left to breathe on its own.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-238 oxy-container\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-235 oxy-text lyafs-rail-num\">\n04\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-236 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nHot tearing, not just shrinkage\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-237 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nSteel is weaker while it is hot and still contracting, so a mould that restrains it will tear the casting. Printed sand is more collapsible than rammed sand, which helps, but the rigging still has to let the part move.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-242 oxy-container lyafs-callout\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-240 oxy-text\">\n\n      <b>The governing fact: steel has no graphite to feed the shrinkage.<\/b>\n      \n<\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-241 oxy-text\">\nEverything else on this page follows from it. Heavier feeders, a lower casting yield, tighter control on pouring temperature, and a greater premium on getting the rigging right before the first pour rather than after it.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-261 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--alt\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-260 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-247 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-245 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n05\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-246 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nWhat the printed mould changes for steel\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-248 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nA conventional steel job starts with a pattern, and the pattern is what sets your lead time and your minimum order quantity. Printing removes it, and for steel that matters more than for any other alloy \u2014 the rigging is the hard part, and with a printed mould you can test the rigging on the real geometry without first paying for a pattern.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-258 oxy-container lyafs-figs\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-251 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-249 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Patternless-Sand-Casting-for-Impellers.jpg\" alt=\"3D printed sand mould for an impeller steel casting\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-250 oxy-text\">\nPrinted mould for an impeller<span>Sand route, cores included<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-254 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-252 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Patternless-Sand-Casting-for-Pump-Bodies.jpg\" alt=\"3D printed sand mould for a pump body steel casting\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-253 oxy-text\">\nPrinted mould for a pump body<span>Wall thickness held as printed<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-257 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-255 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-printed-mould-2026.jpg\" alt=\"Casting produced from a 3D printed sand mould\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-256 oxy-text\">\nPoured from a printed mould<span>Steel casting after knock-out<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-259 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThe mould-making cycle runs about 70% shorter than the traditional route, and because there is no pattern there is nothing to amortise: one casting costs what one casting costs. The first part you receive is a real part in the real alloy, not a pattern and a promise.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-462 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThe moulds are printed on our own binder-jetting sand printers \u2014 the <a href=\"\/id\/3d-printers\/sand-3d-printers\/3dptek-j1800\/\">3DPTEK-J1800<\/a> for the moulds and cores up to about a metre, and the <a href=\"\/id\/3d-printers\/sand-3d-printers\/3dptek-j4000\/\">3DPTEK-J4000<\/a> for the large steel casings printed in one piece instead of assembled from sections. Both run the phenolic resin that steel needs, and both are machines we build as well as operate. <a href=\"\/id\/3d-printers\/sand-3d-printers\/\">See the full sand printer range.<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-298 oxy-container lyafs-sec\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-297 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-264 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-262 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n06\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-263 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nDefects cast steel is prone to\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-265 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nSteel has its own defect list, and it is a longer one than iron's. These six are the ones that actually decide whether your part passes, and every one of them is designed out at the rigging and melting stage rather than inspected out afterwards.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-296 oxy-container lyafs-grid lyafs-grid--3\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-270 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-266 oxy-text lyafs-card-num\">\n01\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-267 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nShrinkage porosity\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-268 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nWith no graphite expansion to offset contraction, an unfed heavy section will pull a void. Steel needs the largest feeders of any alloy we pour.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-269 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>What we do.<\/b> Size every riser against the section modulus and add chills where the geometry cannot be fed from one direction.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-275 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-271 oxy-text lyafs-card-num\">\n02\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-272 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nHot tearing\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-273 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nA crack that opens while the casting is still hot and contracting, usually where a thin section meets a thick one or across an internal corner.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-274 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>What we do.<\/b> Radius the transitions in the rigging design, and use printed sand's collapsibility instead of fighting it.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-280 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-276 oxy-text lyafs-card-num\">\n03\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-277 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nSand burn-on and veining\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-278 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nAt steel temperatures the sand itself starts to react, fusing to the casting surface or forming veins where the mould cracked.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-279 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>What we do.<\/b> Higher-refractoriness silica, a coating where the section is heavy, and a controlled pour rather than a fast one.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-285 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-281 oxy-text lyafs-card-num\">\n04\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-282 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nGas porosity\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-283 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nNitrogen from the binder and moisture from the sand both end up as blowholes in the last metal to freeze.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-284 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>What we do.<\/b> Hold nitrogen below 3% for steel, dry the printed mould, and vent it rather than relying on the sand to breathe.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-290 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-286 oxy-text lyafs-card-num\">\n05\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-287 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nDistortion and warping\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-288 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nSteel moves more on cooling than iron does, so a long flat part can bow and a thin flange can pull out of flat.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-289 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>What we do.<\/b> Allow for the movement in the printed mould, and stress relieve before machining so the part stays where it is cut.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-295 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-291 oxy-text lyafs-card-num\">\n06\n<\/span><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-292 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nSegregation in low-alloy grades\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-293 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nAlloying elements can concentrate as the casting freezes, leaving a band that machines differently from the rest of the part.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-294 oxy-text lyafs-card-foot\">\n<b>What we do.<\/b> Control the carbon equivalent and the cooling rate, and verify the chemistry on the heat before the casting is released.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-318 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--alt\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-317 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-301 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-299 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n07\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-300 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nHeat treatment and machining\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-302 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nA steel casting is almost never supplied in the condition it comes out of the mould. The as-cast grain structure depends on how the section cooled, the hardness depends on the carbon and alloy content, and the dimensions move when you cut it. The treatment and the machining are part of the casting, not an extra.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-315 oxy-container lyafs-grid lyafs-grid--2\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-305 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-303 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nNormalising\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-304 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nHeated above the critical range and air cooled, to refine the grain and give a uniform structure. The usual starting point for a carbon or low-alloy steel casting before machining.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-308 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-306 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nQuenching and tempering\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-307 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nFor the strength and hardness a low-alloy or 17-4PH grade is specified for. The tempering temperature is set by the hardness you need, and we agree it with the drawing.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-311 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-309 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nStress relief\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-310 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nBefore machining, always. Residual stress from cooling is what makes a part that measured true at the foundry fail to fit at assembly, and steel carries more of it than iron.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-314 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-312 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nMachining\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-313 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nCNC from 3-axis to 5-axis in the same chain, after the treatment rather than before it. Carbon steel machines freely; the stainless and duplex grades work-harden, so the cutting strategy is set accordingly.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-316 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nInspection runs alongside it: nine methods in house, including CMM and 3D scanning, a chemical analysis on the heat, and non-destructive testing where the duty calls for it. The dimensional report and the material certificate come with the parts.\n<\/p><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-488 oxy-container lyafs-sec\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-487 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-474 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-472 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n08\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-473 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nThe steel foundry behind these castings\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-475 oxy-text lyafs-sub\">\nSteel is poured on our own steel line at the Shaanxi Xianyang plant, alongside the aluminium and copper lines. Melting, heat treatment and inspection stay inside one steel foundry, and the records ship with the casting.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-486 oxy-container lyafs-deflist lyafs-deflist--2col\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-477 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-476 oxy-text\">\n<strong>Melting and composition.<\/strong> Medium-frequency induction melting, with a spectrograph sample taken from every heat before it is poured. The carbon and alloy window is narrower in steel than in iron, so a heat that drifts is corrected while it is still in the furnace rather than after the casting has set.\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-479 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-478 oxy-text\">\n<strong>Moulds and cores from our own printers.<\/strong> The printed sand mould, or the printed wax pattern for the investment route, comes off machines on the same site. Nothing travels between suppliers between your CAD file and the pour.\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-481 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-480 oxy-text\">\n<strong>Heat treatment on site.<\/strong> Normalising, quenching and tempering, or solution treatment for the austenitic and duplex grades \u2014 in our own furnaces, with the metallurgical laboratory in the same plant. A grade is verified before the part is machined, not after.\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-483 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-482 oxy-text\">\n<strong>Testing and records.<\/strong> Spectrographic composition per heat, tensile and hardness testing, dimensional inspection on a coordinate measuring machine, and non-destructive testing before shipping. The heat number stays with the casting and the records are exported with it.\n<\/div><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-485 oxy-container\"><div class=\"oxy-text-7628-484 oxy-text\">\n<strong>Scale.<\/strong> The steel line runs about 1,500 tonnes a year, quoted from a few kilograms up to 2 t per pour in a 3 m envelope. Beyond that we will say so rather than quote a casting the line is not sized for.\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-343 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--alt\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-342 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-321 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-319 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n09\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-320 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nSteel castings we have poured\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-322 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nImpellers, casings and bodies \u2014 the shapes that made steel worth casting in the first place. Because the mould or the wax pattern is printed, a different part every week costs nothing extra.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-341 oxy-container lyafs-figs\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-325 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-323 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-turbo-impeller.jpg\" alt=\"Turbocharger impeller casting\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-324 oxy-text\">\nTurbocharger impeller<span>Investment route<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-328 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-326 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Turbine-HousingEngine-Case.jpg\" alt=\"Turbine housing and engine case casting\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-327 oxy-text\">\nTurbine housing and engine case<span>Large section, printed mould<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-331 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-329 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-thin-wall-impellers.jpg\" alt=\"Large thin-walled impeller castings\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-330 oxy-text\">\nThin-walled impellers<span>Wall held at print<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-334 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-332 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-impeller-bowl.jpg\" alt=\"Cast pump impeller bowl in the foundry\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-333 oxy-text\">\nImpeller bowl<span>As-cast, from the foundry floor<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-337 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-335 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-closed-impeller.jpg\" alt=\"Closed impeller casting for a fuel pump\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-336 oxy-text\">\nClosed impeller<span>Fuel pump duty<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-340 oxy-container lyafs-fig\"><img class=\"oxy-image-7628-338 oxy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-finished-manifold.jpg\" alt=\"Finished steel casting produced from a printed sand mould\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"oxy-text-7628-339 oxy-text\">\nIntake manifold<span>Finished from a printed mould<\/span>\n<\/figcaption><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-369 oxy-container lyafs-sec\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-368 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-346 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-344 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n10\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-345 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nWhere cast steel pays off\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-347 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nCast steel wins where the part needs strength, wear resistance or corrosion resistance in a shape that cannot be machined from solid economically, at a quantity that would never justify a pattern. In practice that is these:\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-366 oxy-container lyafs-grid lyafs-grid--3\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-350 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-348 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nPump bodies and impellers\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-349 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThin-walled, curved, internal passages. The pump body that opened this page is exactly this family, and it is why the printed mould matters.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-353 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-351 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nValve bodies and trim\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-352 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nPressure-retaining walls with flanges and bores in one casting, in carbon steel or in duplex where the medium is aggressive.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-356 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-354 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nTurbine and engine casings\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-355 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nLarge ring sections with bolt patterns and internal features. The casing in the gallery above is one of these.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-359 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-357 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nWear parts\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-358 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nLiners, plates and teeth in low-alloy or manganese steel, where the duty is abrasion rather than load.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-362 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-360 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nGears, levers and brackets\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-361 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nLoad-bearing parts where cast steel replaces a forging or a weldment, at one-off quantities.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-365 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-363 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nMarine and offshore hardware\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-364 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nDuplex 2205 for chloride duty, from deck hardware to process components.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-367 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nThere is also a family of parts where steel is simply the cheaper way to get a shape: an oversized bracket, a one-off machine component, a replacement part for plant that is no longer supported. Those never justified a pattern before. They do now.\n<\/p><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-388 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--alt\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-387 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-372 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-370 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n11\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-371 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nWhat we do not do\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-373 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nSteel is the alloy where it is most tempting for a supplier to overstate what they can do, so it is worth being precise. These are the cases where we are the wrong answer, and we will say so in the first reply.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-386 oxy-container lyafs-grid lyafs-grid--2\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-376 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-374 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nWe are not a heavy steel foundry\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-375 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nOur steel line is built around printed moulds and printed patterns, which suits one-off and low-volume work to 2\u00a0t. If you need large steel castings in the tens of tonnes, or a supplier whose core business is steel, we are not it and we will tell you at enquiry.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-379 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-377 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nWe do not die cast or forge\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-378 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nHigh-pressure die casting and forging are different processes with different economics. We do neither, and we will not quote a steel part as if sand casting were interchangeable with them.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-382 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-380 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nWe are not the cheapest at high annual volume\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-381 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nA printed mould is economic because there is no pattern. Once a pattern pays back over thousands of parts a year, a conventional steel foundry will beat us on piece price. Our advantage is the first part, not the ten-thousandth.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-385 oxy-container lyafs-card\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-383 oxy-text lyafs-h3\">\nWe do not pour superalloys on the steel line\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-384 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nInconel, cobalt-chrome and the nickel superalloys are real capabilities here, but they run through metal 3D printing or investment casting with a different thermal regime. Ask for the right route rather than the same one.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-415 oxy-container lyafs-sec\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-414 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-391 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-389 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n12\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-390 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nChoosing the right route for your part\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-392 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nIf cast steel is not the answer, one of these is. Each one runs the same printed-mould or printed-pattern chain, so switching route does not cost you the lead time you were trying to save.\n<\/p><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-411 oxy-container lyafs-links\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-395 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-393 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/stainless-steel-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nStainless steel casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-394 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nCorrosion resistance is the governing duty: 304, 316L, 17-4PH, duplex 2205.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-398 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-396 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/precision-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nPrecision investment casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-397 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nThin walls, fine detail and tight tolerance \u2014 including the wax route described above.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-401 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-399 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/aluminum-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nAluminium casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-400 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nLighter, better thermal conductivity, and no corrosion problem in most environments.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-404 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-402 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/sand-mold-sand-core-3d-printing\/\" target=\"_self\">\nSand mould and core printing\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-403 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nWhen you need the printed mould or core itself as a product, not the casting.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-407 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-405 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/rapid-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nRapid casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-406 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nWhen the programme is the constraint and the alloy is secondary.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-410 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-408 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/resources\/materials-guide\/\" target=\"_self\">\nMaterials guide\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-409 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nTo check the alloy against the rest of the range.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-465 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-463 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/ductile-iron-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nDuctile iron casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-464 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nThe other ferrous route \u2014 QT400 to QT700 with graphite instead of a steel matrix.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-468 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-466 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/bronze-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nBronze and brass casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-467 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nNon-ferrous, for bearing, marine and architectural duty rather than structural.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-471 oxy-container\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-469 oxy-text-link lyafs-route\" href=\"\/id\/services\/gravity-casting\/\" target=\"_self\">\nGravity casting\n<\/a><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-470 oxy-text lyafs-route-desc\">\nAluminium and copper by gravity into a printed sand mould, to 5 m.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-413 oxy-container lyafs-note\"><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-412 oxy-text\">\nNot sure which one? Send the drawing and the duty, and let our application engineers make the call. We print the part before you commit to tooling, so the route is tested rather than argued.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-451 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--alt\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-450 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-418 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-416 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n13\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-417 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nCast steel questions\n<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"oxy-container-7628-449 oxy-container lyafs-faq lyafs-faq--one\"><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-421 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-419 oxy-text\">\nWhat is cast steel?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-420 oxy-text\">\nSteel that has been poured as a liquid into a mould and allowed to solidify, rather than rolled, forged or machined from bar. Any steel that can be melted can in principle be cast; the practical families are carbon, low-alloy, stainless and duplex.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-424 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-422 oxy-text\">\nWhy is cast steel harder to make than cast iron?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-423 oxy-text\">\nBecause iron forms graphite as it solidifies and steel does not. That graphite occupies volume and partly feeds the shrinkage, so iron needs lighter feeders. Steel has to be fed entirely from risers, which lowers the casting yield and narrows the margin for error.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-427 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-425 oxy-text\">\nShould my part be sand cast or investment cast?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-426 oxy-text\">\nSand casting if it has an internal cavity, an integral passage, walls of about 4\u00a0mm or more, or a finished weight above a few kilograms. Investment casting if it is thin-walled and intricate with fine detail. Send the drawing and we will tell you which one we would use.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-430 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-428 oxy-text\">\nCan you cast steel without a pattern?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-429 oxy-text\">\nYes, and that is the point of the service. Sand moulds and sand cores are printed directly from your CAD file, and for the investment route the wax pattern itself is printed. No pattern is made either way, so there is nothing to amortise.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-433 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-431 oxy-text\">\nWhat is the largest steel casting you can make?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-432 oxy-text\">\n2\u00a0t for a single pour, in an envelope up to 3\u00a0m on the largest dimension, on a steel line with 1,500\u00a0t a year of capacity. If your part is bigger, send it anyway and we will tell you honestly whether it is a job for a heavy steel foundry instead.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-436 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-434 oxy-text\">\nWhich steel grades do you pour?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-435 oxy-text\">\nCarbon steel, low-alloy steel, the 304, 316L and 17-4PH stainless grades, and duplex 2205. Specify by duty and hardness rather than by alloy alone where you can, because the heat treatment condition is part of the specification.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-439 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-437 oxy-text\">\nHow long does a steel casting take?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-438 oxy-text\">\nThe mould-making cycle runs about 70% shorter than the traditional route because there is no pattern, and the investment route avoids a pattern die as well. The rest of the time is melting, pouring, heat treatment and machining, which are the same steps any foundry runs.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-442 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-440 oxy-text\">\nWill I need heat treatment?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-441 oxy-text\">\nAlmost always. Normalising for a uniform structure, quenching and tempering where a hardness is specified, and stress relief before machining in every case. We treat it as part of the casting rather than an optional extra.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-445 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-443 oxy-text\">\nIs cast steel weldable?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-444 oxy-text\">\nGenerally yes, and considerably more so than cast iron, but the procedure depends on the carbon equivalent and the section. Tell us at enquiry if the part will be welded during fabrication and the grade and treatment will be specified with that in mind.\n<\/p><\/li><li class=\"oxy-container-7628-448 oxy-container lyafs-qa\"><h3 class=\"oxy-text-7628-446 oxy-text\">\nIs there a minimum order quantity?\n<\/h3><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-447 oxy-text\">\nOne piece. There is no pattern cost to spread across a batch, so a single steel casting is a legitimate order. Serial production is welcome too, but it is not what the printed route is optimised for.\n<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/section><section class=\"oxy-container-7628-461 oxy-container lyafs-sec lyafs-sec--ink\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-460 oxy-container lyafs-inner\"><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-454 oxy-container lyafs-head\"><span class=\"oxy-text-7628-452 oxy-text lyafs-rail\">\n14\n<\/span><h2 class=\"oxy-text-7628-453 oxy-text lyafs-h2\">\nSend a drawing and we will tell you which steel route fits\n<\/h2><\/div><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-455 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nSend the CAD file, the alloy or the duty, and the annual quantity. Our application engineers will come back with the route, the grade and the heat treatment condition, and a price \u2014 and if a conventional steel foundry or a different process is the better answer for your part, that is what we will tell you.\n<\/p><p class=\"oxy-text-7628-456 oxy-text lyafs-p\">\nYour file stays confidential. Nothing is subcontracted: the mould or the wax pattern is printed, the steel is poured, and the casting is heat treated, machined and inspected in the same chain.\n<\/p><div class=\"oxy-container-7628-459 oxy-container lyafs-cta-row\"><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-457 oxy-text-link lyafs-btn\" href=\"\/id\/get-a-quote\/\" target=\"_self\">\nSend your drawing for a quote\n<\/a><a class=\"oxy-text-link-7628-458 oxy-text-link lyafs-btn lyafs-btn--ghost\" href=\"\/id\/about-us\/contact\/\" target=\"_self\">\nTalk to an application engineer\n<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/main>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cast steel casting service Cast steel, sand cast or investment cast, without a pattern Steel is the hardest of the common casting alloys to get sound, because it has no graphite expansion to help feed the shrinkage. We print the sand mould, or print the wax pattern, from your CAD file, so a single steel [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7621,"parent":70,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_oxygen_hide_in_design_set":false,"_oxygen_tags":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7628","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<title>Cast Steel Casting | Steel Foundry, No Pattern Cost - 3DPTEK | AFS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cast steel from our own steel foundry: carbon, low-alloy, 304, 316L, 17-4PH and duplex. Sand cast in printed moulds or investment cast from printed wax.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"id_ID\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cast Steel Casting | Sand &amp; Investment, No Pattern Cost - 3DPTEK | AFS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cast steel in carbon, low-alloy, stainless and duplex. Sand cast in printed moulds or investment cast from printed wax. No pattern cost.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"3DPTEK | AFS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-16T10:02:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-pump-body.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimasi waktu membaca\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"16 menit\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cast Steel Casting | Steel Foundry, No Pattern Cost - 3DPTEK | AFS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/cs-pump-body.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-16T07:52:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-16T10:02:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"Cast steel from our own steel foundry: carbon, low-alloy, 304, 316L, 17-4PH and duplex. Sand cast in printed moulds or investment cast from printed wax.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"id\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"id\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/cs-pump-body.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/cs-pump-body.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":750,\"caption\":\"Large thin-walled cast steel pump body in the foundry\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/services\\\/cast-steel-casting\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/id\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cast Steel Casting\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/\",\"name\":\"3DPTEK | AFS\",\"description\":\"Renowned Chinese Industrial-Grade 3D Printing &amp; Rapid-Casting Solutions Provider\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"id\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"3DPTEK (3D Printing Technology Inc.)\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"id\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lyafs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/logo-34.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lyafs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/logo-34.png\",\"width\":232,\"height\":34,\"caption\":\"3DPTEK (3D Printing Technology Inc.)\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lyafs.com\\\/ja\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cast Steel Casting | Steel Foundry, No Pattern Cost - 3DPTEK | AFS","description":"Cast steel from our own steel foundry: carbon, low-alloy, 304, 316L, 17-4PH and duplex. Sand cast in printed moulds or investment cast from printed wax.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/","og_locale":"id_ID","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cast Steel Casting | Sand & Investment, No Pattern Cost - 3DPTEK | AFS","og_description":"Cast steel in carbon, low-alloy, stainless and duplex. Sand cast in printed moulds or investment cast from printed wax. No pattern cost.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/","og_site_name":"3DPTEK | AFS","article_modified_time":"2026-10-16T10:02:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":750,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-pump-body.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimasi waktu membaca":"16 menit"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/","name":"Cast Steel Casting | Steel Foundry, No Pattern Cost - 3DPTEK | AFS","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-pump-body.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-16T07:52:14+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-16T10:02:16+00:00","description":"Cast steel from our own steel foundry: carbon, low-alloy, 304, 316L, 17-4PH and duplex. Sand cast in printed moulds or investment cast from printed wax.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"id","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"id","@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-pump-body.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cs-pump-body.jpg","width":1000,"height":750,"caption":"Large thin-walled cast steel pump body in the foundry"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/services\/cast-steel-casting\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cast Steel Casting"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/","name":"3DPTEK | AFS","description":"Penyedia Solusi Pencetakan 3D dan Pengecoran Cepat Kelas Industri Terkemuka dari Tiongkok","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"id"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/#organization","name":"3DPTEK (3D Printing Technology Inc.)","url":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"id","@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/logo-34.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lyafs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/logo-34.png","width":232,"height":34,"caption":"3DPTEK (3D Printing Technology Inc.)"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/ja\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7628"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7769,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7628\/revisions\/7769"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/70"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyafs.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}