For example! There are many other factors to consider, when purchasing alloys, including the consistency of the blend, the selling price of the finished item with regard to the cost of materials, the advantages and disadvantages of Lead in the formula, the ability of the alloy to capture detail, resist discoloration during plating, polish to a smooth finish, have tensile strength and still retain ductility. Of extreme importance is the ability of the alloy to help reduce porosity and run clean enough to prevent excessive drossing. What may be perceived as a savings in the raw material costs, may be lost several times over in the amount of dross, skimmings, waste, scrap unfilled cavities in the mold, and returned pieces after plating. These are just a few of the things one must calculate when purchasing a raw material.

Everyone in the metal industry will claim to have the best possible materials, so the final burden must rest upon the end user to determine if their quality castings demand consistent high purity, low drossing premium grade virgin materials, or if their parts will cast with small inconstancies that are unimportant for that particular piece and a secondary blend of materials mixed with standard grade virgin material is sufficient. There are also many different blends and prices available in-between these two examples and a quality supplier will point out those differences and offer a number of them.

As a side step to the actual raw materials, there is another important factor to help determine the proper alloys and their use. This factor translates into knowledge. The kind of knowledge that goes hand in hand with the alloy. Many casting houses have substantial knowledge on the proper procedures for producing a quality casting each and every spin. When that Company requires additional knowledge from outside support, then the alloy supplier should be able to offer additional guidance with the correct use of their materials, as well as be familiar with all phases of model making, mold making, venting, gating, fluxing, polishing, vibrating, cleaning, and plating techniques. These are all important steps that must be coordinated for the best possible castings by the most economical means.

With this in mind, it becomes crucial that the correct materials are used for the correct reasons. Alloy manufacturers will offer the proper alloys designed for specific production runs and vital information to sustain the quality throughout the production run. Price is important but should not be the only determining factor when one selects a vendor or particular composition of metals.

Additional information is available with regard to all of these issues and we invite your questions before any purchases are made. Please call us at our Toll free number.

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