01. What is cast aluminum alloy?
Casting aluminum alloy is an aluminum alloy mainly made from scrap aluminum, which is smelted with copper, silicon and other materials, and then produced into blanks or parts through casting processes.
Cast aluminum alloys feature low density, high strength, excellent corrosion resistance, casting processability, and plastic processability. They are mainly used to produce semi-finished alloy products for castings and are widely applied in fields such as automobiles, motorcycles, mechanical equipment, communication equipment, electronic appliances, and hardware lighting.
This type of cast aluminum alloy is also often referred to as recycled cast aluminum alloy, which accounts for approximately 80% of the total output of cast aluminum alloys. This article specifically refers to recycled cast aluminum alloys.
02. What is the production process of cast aluminum alloy like?
The production process of cast aluminum alloy ingots mainly includes pretreatment, smelting, ingot casting, etc. Among them, smelting involves steps such as melting, alloying, refining, slag removal and degassing. Specifically:
Firstly, through pretreatment, non-aluminum metal and non-metal scraps are sorted out, thoroughly removing oil stains, coatings and moisture, achieving efficient separation of different types of metals and non-metals, and ensuring that the waste meets the smelting requirements.
Secondly, the basic task of smelting is to melt the aluminum material into molten aluminum, transfer it to the alloy furnace and add a certain corresponding charge for alloying treatment. After thorough melting and slag removal, it is sent to the refining furnace for tempering and refining, and the inclusion of gases and oxides is strictly controlled. Eventually, an alloy liquid that meets the requirements is produced.
Finally, the molten aluminum alloy is poured into the mold through the casting process. After it cools and solidifies, a cast aluminum alloy ingot is formed.
03. What are the common grades of cast aluminum alloys?
Common casting aluminum alloy grades include 383Y.3, AD12.1, A380, AlSi9Cu3 (Fe), etc. Among them, due to the similar chemical composition of 383Y.3 and AD12.1, the market collectively refers to the above two grades as ADC12.
ADC12 is the mainstream grade of cast aluminum alloy and can be used to make components such as automotive cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, locomotive shock absorbers, engine gearboxes, agricultural machinery gearboxes, camera bodies and power tool bodies.
04. What enterprises are involved in the casting aluminum alloy industry chain?
The casting aluminum alloy industrial chain covers the complete chain from waste recycling to terminal application. The core links can be divided into three parts: raw material supply, midstream manufacturing, and downstream application.
The raw material supply enterprises of cast aluminum alloys mainly include waste aluminum recycling enterprises, aluminum product manufacturing enterprises, waste aluminum trading enterprises, etc. The production enterprises of cast aluminum alloys are often referred to as recycled aluminum plants. Casting aluminum alloys are mainly used for the production of die-castings or castings, etc. Their downstream application enterprises are mostly die-casting factories, automotive parts factories or automotive whole vehicle factories, etc.
05. What are the industry standards for cast aluminum alloys?
The main national recommended standards in our country include GB/T8733-2016 "Casting Aluminum Alloy Ingots", etc. 383Y.3 is a grade derived from this standard. The relevant standards in Japan mainly include JISH2118:2006 "Aluminum Alloy Die Casting Ingots", etc. AD12.1 is a grade derived from this standard. The main relevant standards in the United States include ASTMB85/B85M, etc.
06. What are the chemical composition requirements for ADC12?
The chemical composition requirements for the alloy grade 383Y.3 as stipulated in the recommended Chinese standard GB/T8733-2016 and the alloy grade AD12.1 as stipulated in the Japanese standard JISH2118:2006 are shown in the following table.
07. Besides the chemical composition requirements, what are the quality requirements for ADC12?
Apart from the chemical composition, the national recommended standard GB/T8733-2016 stipulates the fracture structure, slag inclusion amount and appearance quality of the alloy grade 383.3. For instance, it is stipulated that the fracture structure of the ingot should be dense, without slag or inclusions, and should be visually inspected. It is stipulated that the grade of slag inclusion in the ingot should not exceed grade two. It is stipulated that the surface of the ingot should be clean and free of mold spots and foreign inclusions. Minor slag inclusions, dressing marks, and minor cracks caused by pouring shrinkage are allowed. The pinhole degree is an indicator determined through negotiation between the supply and demand sides, etc.
08. What is the relationship between cast aluminum alloys, alumina and electrolytic aluminum?
Alumina is produced into electrolytic aluminum through electrolysis. Electrolytic aluminum can be further processed into aluminum alloy products by adding other elements. The scrapped aluminum alloy products are recycled and reused, and reprocessed into cast aluminum alloys to achieve low-carbon, green and circular utilization.
