. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CASTING Q&A
Q A
Exploring Aluminum Specs, MSDS Requests
In the specifi cation for 356.0 secondary casting aluminum alloy, the column
for the nickel content limit is blank. A maximum limit on “unspecifi ed other elements” of 0.05% each is included. If my metalcaster has 0.07% Ni, is it out of specifi cation because Ni falls into the “unspecifi ed other elements” category?
With copper-based al- loys, the common inter- pretation of the specifi - cations is that if a single element is left blank it
can signify that no limit exists for that element, as long as all of the other specifi ed elements are within limits. However, for aluminum alloys, the “other elements” notation is the controlling limit for any element that is not specifi ed. The Aluminum Association Pink
Sheet is the industry standard document for the chemistries for all aluminum casting alloys. The “other elements” column on the Pink Sheets includes a reference to footnote 31, which says: “‘Others’ includes elements for which no specifi c limit is shown, as well as unlisted metallic elements.” For 356.0 the “other elements”
limit is 0.05 for each unlisted element and a total “other elements” of 0.15. Based on this note, 356.0 alloy with a Ni content of 0.07 (higher than the 0.05 max) would be out of specifi ca- tion and nonconforming. However, neither the Aluminum Association Pink Sheet nor ASTM (ASTM B26 and ASTM B179) require testing for trace elements in aluminum alloys. The Pink Sheet footnote 31 says: “The
producer may analyze samples for trace elements not specifi ed in the registration or specifi cation. How- ever, such analysis is not required.”
For aluminum alloys, the “other elements”
notation is the
controlling limit for any element that is not specifi ed.
Q A
44 METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING
We would like our metal
casting supplier to provide an
MSDS for the castings they sell to our company. Should the supplier comply with this request, or are metal castings exempt from the requirement to supply the document?
Some metalcasters feel that castings fall under the exemption listed in the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Admin-
istration (OSHA) standards because they meet the requirements under the defi nition of an “article” in the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Hazard Com- munication Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200. According to the OSHA website, the
current defi nition of “article” in 29 CFR 1910.1200 is as follows: “‘Article’ means a manufactured
We recommend that every facility provide an MSDS to each customer who buys a casting.
of these post casting operations and thus will fall under the third provision of the note. To eliminate any potential complications and assure compli- ance, your metalcaster should provide an MSDS for each casting you purchase from the facility.
METAL
Recommendations are the opinion of the American Foundry Society Tech- nical Department. If you need as- sistance with a technical issue, email
sgibbs@afsinc.org.
MARCH/APRIL 2011
item: (i) which is formed to a specifi c shape or design during manufacture; (ii) which has end use function(s) dependent in whole or in part upon its shape or design during end use; and (iii) which does not release, or otherwise result in exposure to, a hazardous chemical under normal conditions of use.” The general industry understanding
of this regulation is that castings are not exempt from this standard. Castings can only be classifi ed as an “article” if the producing facility can guarantee (per notation (iii)) that no welding, grind- ing or melting of the casting will occur during the casting lifecycle. In other words, the castings only would qualify for this exemption if their surface were never broken at some point during use. By OSHA standards, castings may contain hazardous constituents, such as Mn, Cu, Fe, Ni, Cr, Pb, etc., which could be released during one
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