Centrifugal Casting

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What is Centrifugal Casting?

Centrifugal casting is the preferred metal casting process for applications demanding high strength and reliability, such as flight and land-based turbine engine compressor cases, petrochemical furnace tubes and reformer tubes, and naval defense components. Centrifugal casting produces defect-free parts with excellent material integrity.

In centrifugal casting molten metal is poured into a spinning die, which rotates on a vertical or horizontal axis depending on the part's design. Vertical centrifugal casting is commonly used for rings and cylinders, while horizontal centrifugal casting is ideal for tubes. Each can yield multiple parts from a single casting, increasing efficiency. 

Intense centrifugal force pushes denser metal to the outer diameter (O.D.) and drives impurities and oxides toward the inner diameter (I.D.), where they can be removed by machining. Directional solidification under pressure ensures a uniform structure, preventing mid-wall shrinkage and eliminating defects such as gas pockets or cavities.

Our Centrifugal Casting Expertise

MetalTek produces ferrous and non-ferrous centrifugal castings at our Sandusky International and Wisconsin Centrifugal Divisions. Our industry-leading centrifugal casting capabilities cover a wide range of sizes and are supported by the world’s largest and most diverse inventory of centrifugal casting dies. For customers, this minimizes upfront tooling costs and reduces lead times.

  • Horizontal centrifugal castings: O.D. up to 60 in. (1525 mm), length up to 432 in. (10 973 mm), and weight up to 128,000 lbs. (58 060 kg)

  • Vertical centrifugal castings: O.D. up to 180” (4572 mm) and weight up to 34,000 lbs. (15 422 kg)

MetalTek can use vacuum casting to control oxygen exposure and enhance high-performance alloys like 718, 625, GTD222, and Rene77. This process ensures uniform soundness and tight tolerances, ideal for high-reliability components in aerospace and defense applications. We cast vacuum parts up to 18 in. x 42 in. (455 mm x 1070 mm) and 800 lbs. (364 kg).

Centrifugal Casting Video

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When to Use Centrifugal casting

Centrifugal casting is a good choice when your application requires:

  • Symmetrical shapes such as tubes, rings, and cylinders

  • Improved material properties over sand casting

  • Eliminating centerline shrinkage to improve structural integrity

  • Limited I.D. features

  • Large parts up to 128,000 lbs. (58 060 kg)

  • Uniform grain structure for enhanced strength and performance

  • High dimensional integrity for applications such as defense

Contact us to learn more about centrifugal casting and determine whether it is a good fit for your application.

Solutions

Rocket Engine Dome

Rocket Engine Dome

Rocket engine component centrifugally cast in exotic alloy.

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Food Processing Centrifuge Cage

Rotating parts using centrifugal process are balanced where others are not.

Bushings For Mining Industry

Bushings for Mining Industry

Versatile processes and wide material choice for bushing applications.

Accumulator Tube

Accumulator Tubes

MetalTek leads the Accumulator market offering the largest selection of size, centrifugal dies, and manufacturing capabilities.

Centrifugal Cast Gear Blanks

Centrifugal Cast Gear Blanks

Gear blanks with homogeneous grain structure that promotes even wear.

Ethylene Cracking Tubes Solution

Ethylene Cracking Tubes

MetalTek’s strict metallurgical and manufacturing process control results in centrifugally cast ethylene cracking tubes that resist coking and carburization.

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