When building complex metal components for marine applications, stainless steel casting and aluminum casting are the most commonly used metal forming processes today. While aluminum castings are lightweight, they have limited corrosion resistance in seawater and require extensive maintenance. Therefore, stainless steel castings are recognized as the best choice for marine applications due to their excellent corrosion resistance, gloss, strength and stiffness.
Why is stainless steel used in marine applications?
Grade 304 (UNS S30400/S30403) stainless steel castings have proven adequate for many marine applications. However, the current industry standard is grade 316 (UNS S31600/S31603 - commonly referred to as "marine grade" stainless steel), which provides a solution for approximately 90% of marine applications. Grades 304 and 316 are austenitic (300 series) stainless steels because their metallographic structure (austenite) gives them excellent ductility, good strength, non-magnetic properties, good weldability and very good corrosion resistance sex.
While stainless grades 304, 316 and duplex steels are all available for marine applications, they do offer varying degrees of corrosion resistance and durability. The corrosion resistance of all stainless steels also increases if kept clean.
Why are stainless steel castings used in marine applications?
Marine stainless steel castings
The most common method of casting stainless steel alloys for marine applications is investment casting. The investment casting process is an excellent choice for producing dimensionally accurate hardware that requires excellent corrosion resistance in the marine industry. Since many highly corrosion-resistant materials, namely 316 stainless steel, are cast on a regular basis, this process makes good economic sense. At CFS Stainless Foundry, we produce thousands of stainless steel investment cast parts each year and have an excellent track record in the industry for the fastest lead times at competitive prices. We are also able to provide additional surface treatments to parts, such as electropolishing, mirror polishing, to further improve corrosion resistance and provide parts with an excellent surface finish.
Examples of marine hardware produced from stainless steel castings include:
marine propeller
boat steering wheel
Ship Rail Base Accessories
boat cross post
bruce anchor
deck hardware
Cleats, handles, brackets, covers and other marine hardware
engine parts
Bearing housing
sealed enclosure
For more information on stainless steel casting applications, click here.
