Non-ferrous metal alloy casting is a casting process using non-ferrous metals such as copper, aluminum, magnesium, and zinc alloys as the base material. It includes sand casting (gravity/low-pressure/centrifugal) and metal mold casting (gravity/pressure), and is widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Metal mold casting molds are reusable and suitable for mass production of small to medium-sized castings. Aluminum alloy die castings, due to their low density and high specific strength, are widely used in the manufacture of automotive brackets, frames, and brake drums. Magnesium alloy castings have a density of 1.8 g/cm³ and a specific strength exceeding that of aluminum and steel, significantly reducing component weight.
This process improves material properties through melt purification technology. Aluminum alloy melt purification employs adsorption methods (flux/filtration) and non-adsorption methods (vacuum/ultrasonic treatment), while magnesium alloys use a flux-covered melt or SF₆/N₂/CO₂ mixed gas for melt protection. Domestic breakthroughs have been achieved in melt treatment, lost foam casting (dimensional accuracy 0.2 mm), and investment casting (surface roughness Ra 1.6 μm) technologies. The establishment of an integrated industry-academia-research platform has promoted technological progress and driven the substitution of aluminum alloys and other materials in industrial manufacturing.
Non-ferrous metal alloys are widely used in industries such as machinery manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and construction. Cast steel accounts for a small proportion of steel material usage; steel mills primarily supply steel products, so smelters and processing plants are usually located in the same place. Non-ferrous alloy castings account for a large proportion (sometimes close to half) of non-ferrous metal material usage, forming a vast and complex series of casting alloys. Therefore, non-ferrous metal smelters typically supply metal ingots with specific chemical compositions for subsequent processes to formulate various alloys; smelters and processing plants are also often built separately.
