Industry Forecast


Investment Casting Industry in Chinese Mainland


by Zhigang LU, Kehui HU, Tsinghua University, Yun ZHANG, Investment Casting Branch of China Foundry Association T


he investment casting industry in Chinese mainland started in 1950s and currently there are two kinds of shell process methods, sodium silicate shell process and colloidal silica shell process. The sodium silicate shell process, using sodium silicate as the binder and paraffin-stearic acid as the pattern material, is generally applied to produce castings such as low alloy steel casting, carbon steel casting and ductile iron casting. Every year more than one million tons castings are produced by more than 1000 foundries. The greatest advantage of this process is high production efficiency and low production costs, but it is also stuck in trouble of environmental pollution control. With the increasing demands of the China government on environmental protection, the foundries are facing the challenge of business transformation. Most foundries are considering abandoning the sodium silicate


shell


process and starting the colloidal silica shell process. Meanwhile, based on characteristics of the castings, the foundries are trying their best to develop new shell building processes with high efficiency and low cost. Besides, some foundries turn to resin sand process when the casting quality standard can be met.


Regarding colloidal silica shell process, there are two types of investment casting foundries nowadays. One is mainly state-owned enterprises with approximately


60-year alloy casting, development,


which aim at the domestic aviation, aerospace, military industry of high value-added casting market, including super


titanium alloy


casting, aluminum alloy casting and other complex investment castings. The other is mainly private enterprises, setting up after 1990s. Their products, primarily made by stainless steel or carbon steel,


24 ❘ January 2017 ®


China


target at the oversea general commercial casting market principally.


High Value-added Castings In the recent decade, Chinese aircraft and aerospace industry has been developing rapidly. High value-added castings are in strong demand, increasing in high speed. It is estimated that the castings will increase by 15% in 2016 compared with that in 2015 and the output value could reach $ 669 million. As for aircraft industry, the


development of military aircraft is being conducted to satisfy the requirement of national defense. Complicated investment castings are highly needed in result of the increment of advanced aircraft. When it comes to civil aircraft, the demand of airplanes keeps strong as China has quite big population and broad territory. Although lots of civil airplanes are still imported, having the ability of independent production for civil airplane is one of the great targets to upgrade the country’s manufacturing sector. Especially in aircraft engine manufacturing, China restructured the aircraft industry system. Aero-engine Corporation of China (AECC) has been


established in August 28, 2016, which consists of key companies linked to aero-engine design and manufacturing. This corporation has registered capital of 50 billion yuan RMB and 96,000 employees.


The establishment of


AECC shows the ambition of China’s government to develop the advanced home-grown aircraft engines. The industrial gas turbine (IGT) has a broad market in production of energy and power and gains more attentions of the government. Policy and financial support has been provided to develop aero-engine and industrial gas turbine. With official support and marketable


drive,


private capital has participated in the construction of foundries that produce high value-added aero and IGT castings, which definitely promotes the import of advanced equipment and materials.


General Commercial Casting The general commercial castings in Chinese mainland are mainly for overseas markets, including automobile part, general machine parts, pump valves and hardware, etc. In 2016, there is an obvious polarization for this


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