Impregnation of castings

  • Impr2022

Impregnation of parts consists of filling cracks, fissures and porosity to allow the parts to become liquid and gas tight. It is important to understand that these defects are often undetectable to the naked eye and their positions can vary in the part. This technique is required for critical parts to ensure a seal on a machined surface of a gasket, for example.When developing a part with re-machining, where the final profiles must have the best possible surface finish, it is important not to machine more than 0.4 mm of aluminium and to provide a machining allowance that reproduces the final profile. This problem does not exist with die-cast parts which are naturally tight.

This can be done on raw, machined or surface-treated parts, but it is best done as the last step in the range.

In practice, the parts are impregnated with a resin that enters the pores and cracks of the surface. This resin is then permanently stabilised over time by heat polymerisation.

The impregnation does not modify the geometry or reinforce the strength of the part. It provides a seal of up to 10-6 bar in helium.

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Metal prices March 2024

Technology associated with non-ferrous metal prices

Alloys A-S9U3 DIN226, A-S12U, A-S12, A-S10G are alloys of high pressure die casting.

The aluminium gravity casting or shell uses A-S13 and A-S7G06.

Zamak 5 is an alloy of high pressure die casting zinc.

The GIRM copper, LME copper, basic and complete brass indices are aimed at the technology of hot stamping (forging).

Finally, CuZn39Pb1AlB is used in the high pressure die casting of brass.

Description of the metal and wage indices

- Monthly and quarterly averages since 2010.
- A-S9U3 MB :aluminium foundry DIN226/a380 - EN AC-46000 - NF EN 1706 average of Fridays of the month €/tonne - source Metal Bulletin.
- A-S12 : aluminium EN AC - 44300 - NF EN 1706 source Affimet - price first day of the month €/tonne.
- A-S12U : aluminium foundry ENAC-47100- NF EN 1706 - monthly average €/tonneAluminium LME: aluminium monthly average LME 3-month contract.
- A-S13 :aluminium source Affimet Calypso 43X - price first day of the month €/tonne.
- A-S10G : aluminium source Affimet - price first day of the month €/tonne.
- A-S7G06 : aluminium source Affimet - price first day of the month €/tonne.
- Cuivre GIRM: Copper Cu-ETP - CW004A - NF EN 12165 - CuA1 monthly average daily price in €/1000 Kg - full price.
- Cuivre LME: LME Copper Seller Cash - monthly average LME daily prices in €/1000 Kg
- Laiton Base : Drop forging brass CuZn39Pb2 - CW617N - NF EN 12165 - Source KME - monthly average base price bar €/100 Kg
- Laiton Com (complet) :Drop forging brass CuZn39Pb2 - CW617N - NF EN 12165 - monthly average full bar price in €/100 Kg (H1701). Basic brass origin KME increased by 97€, 98€, 100€ (01/01/16), 110€ (01/01/22) per 100 kg.
- Laiton Fon :Foundry brass ingots CuZn39 Pb1Al B - CB754S - NF EN 1982 - monthly average full price in €/100 Kg (H1905).
- Zamak 5 : ZnAl4Cu1 - ZL0410 - NF EN1774 monthly average made by us in €/Ton from H1621.
- Zinc LME : monthly average zinc LME 3-month contract buyer/seller US$/tonne.
- Argent €/kg:London price 1st fixing - monthly average source Cookson Clal in €/Kg, Price based on silver surface treatment.
- Euro €/US$ : conversion rate of the EURO € / US $ monthly average.
-ICHTrev-TS : Insee ex UN A3700 revised labour cost index all employees mechanical and electrical industry replaces A3300 since Dec 2008. In Dec 2008: A3300=143, A3700=100. A3300=(A3700 x 143)/100. FSD2/PSDB: FSD 2 index replaces the former PSD B, PSD C, and PSD T.

Document keywords:

A-S9U3 AS9U3 Metal bulletin DIN226 A380 A-S12U AS12U A-S12 AS12 LME A-S13 AS13 A-S10G AS10G A-S7G06 AS7G06 Cuivre Cua1 Girm LME Copper Laiton CuZn39Pb2 CuZn39Pb1AlB Zinc Zamak Zamak5 Argent €/US$ KME

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Brass & bronze

Different Brass :

The different bronzes:

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Protecting yourself from rising primary materials

AZC Tonne

In recent decades, the choice of material for a new part design is essential for contain its price in the future. Indeed, the known world reserves of some metals are limited and demand is increasing: they will inevitably appreciate and sometimes even be in short supply.
We present a small comparison of three metals with very different characteristics and covering the most common non-ferrous metals.

First of all, it is clear that the choice of an alloy will be obvious and mandatory if you need a major characteristic of it. Thus copper, an excellent conductor, will be required to pass high electrical impedances. But aluminium, also a good conductor, can be sufficient for medium currents or you can increase the cross-sections to achieve your objective.
It is hard to imagine that there are only three

decades in the early 1990s, that these metals had similar prices per tonne. Traditionally at that time zinc alloys were the cheapest of the three. In 2005, copper and zinc, which have global reserves of much lower than aluminium prices that start to diverge from the latter and will have a stronger rise and increased volatility. From this date onwards, under the pressure of demand, copper will soar and the price of zinc will remain predominantly above that of aluminium.


AZC Tonne Rond Rouge

This may seem obvious, but when developing a new part, the price of the metal must be taken into account is not per kilo but per litre. Indeed, what characterises a room is its shape which can be adapted according to the metal chosen. It can be seen from the following curve that the density accentuates the price differences over the years.

Since what constitutes the price of metals is the ratio between supply and demand,we can expect the current trend to continue in the future with an aggravating factor which is the speculation of financial actors who will not fail to exploit this situation.

In addition, the metals impose a processing cost which is highly variable and should not be neglected. It is therefore necessary to assess your need to make the right choice of material.


AZC Litre

Source of monthly Insee values by metal.

CSV Data

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Alloys comparison

  Hot forging alloys
  Nuance Feature Surface treatment Thermic treatment
Brass-Bronze CuZn40Pb2 – CW617N Hot forging brass - good hot forging and undercutting ability Easy polishing orsurface treatment like chroming, nickel plating, tinning  
CuZn37Mn3Al2PbSi – CW713R High resistance brass - mecanical characteristic higher than hot forging brass    
CuAl9Ni3Fe2 – CW304G copper aluminium - excellent performance at sea - good friction capacity - high mecanical caracteristic    
Copper Cu-ETP – CW004A Electrotype copper - All electrical applications - Very good electrical and calorific conductor Silvering  
CuCr1Zr - CW106C Chrome copper   Quenching followed by anrevenue increases the mechanical properties and hardness
Cu Te Telllurium copper - All electrical applications    
Aluminiums AlSi1MgMn - EN AW – 6082 Light metal, good electrical and calorific conductor - resistance pieces - 100% recyclable anodisation increases corrosion resistance Quenching increases the mechanical properties and hardness
AlCu4MgSi - EN AW 2017A Light metal, good electrical and calorific conductor - resistance pieces - 100% recyclable anodisation increases corrosion resistance Quenching increases the mechanical properties and hardness
AlCu2Mg1.5Ni - EN AW 2618A Light metal, good electrical and calorific conductor  - Aeronotic alloy - 100% recyclable anodisation increases corrosion resistance LQuenching increases the mechanical properties and hardness
AlMg3 - EN AW – 5754 Light metal, good electrical and calorific conductor - resistance pieces - 100% recyclable anodisation increases corrosion resistance  

 

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