Casting specification resources
Guides for the three jobs around a casting drawing: specify the part, accept the part, and choose the process and plan the purchase. Written by the factory that casts, machines and tests the parts.
Specify the casting
Notes and limits that belong on the drawing before anyone quotes it.
- A356-T6 casting specification
Alloy, temper, test specimen and property notes.
- Specifying mechanical properties
Where properties are measured and how they are accepted.
- Casting tolerance chart (ISO 8062)
Cast-blank and machined tolerances, stated separately.
- Alloy selection for pressure-tight castings
Which alloys to compare when the part must hold pressure.
- T5 and T6 qualification
Heat treatment, distortion and what to test.
- T6 heat treatment verification
After qualification, verify each T6 batch in production: records, hardness, tensile.
- Casting finish specification
Surface treatment notes and inspection.
- Casting DFM checklist
Walls, drafts, datums and machining stock.
- Squeeze casting design guide
Walls, envelope, draft, feeding and T6 distortion rules.
- Welding squeeze-cast aluminum parts
HAZ, weld locations and what goes on the drawing.
- A356-T6 vs A380 for marine castings: corrosion, strength, sealing
Corrosion, strength and sealing: when A380 die casting fits.
- Marine aluminum castings: salt spray, coatings and leak testing
Salt spray, coating and leak test requirements for marine aluminum parts. See also: welding squeeze-cast parts.
Accept the part
How porosity, leaks and first articles are judged, and what goes on the report.
- Casting porosity acceptance criteria
Zones, ASTM E155/E505 references, drawing-note templates.
- Porosity on machined surfaces
Accepting and disposing of porosity exposed by machining.
- Helium leak testing
Helium vs pressure decay, leak-rate units, report fields.
- Leak testing aluminum castings
Choosing the method, a 10-step checklist, report contents.
- Leaking aluminum castings: root cause
Six causes in check order, tests, repair limits.
- Vacuum impregnation of castings
When sealing is permitted, what to specify, when to fix the route.
- X-ray inspection to ASTM E505
Writing a radiographic grade on a drawing.
- Casting defect acceptance guide
Surface and internal defects, side by side.
- Casting inspection plan
Characteristic, method, sampling, record.
- Casting lot release sampling
Lot definition, sampling and records for each production lot.
- Aluminum casting material certificates
EN 10204 document types, line-by-line checks and what a certificate cannot prove.
- PPAP and first article inspection
What a first-article package contains.
Choose the process and plan the purchase
Route selection, cost drivers and what to send with an RFQ.
- Squeeze vs die casting selection worksheet
Score your part on six criteria.
- Casting RFQ checklist
Build the RFQ brief before you send the drawing.
- Aluminum casting cost drivers
What moves the piece price and the tooling cost.
- Aluminum price adjustment clauses
Move only the metal line; conversion cost stays fixed.
- Tooling cost and lead time
What sets the tool price and the first-sample date.
- MOQ and low-volume options
Prototype, bridge and repeat production.
- Alloy substitution approval checklist
Approving an equivalent alloy without surprises.
- Casting weight calculator
Estimate part weight from volume and alloy.
Process conversion reviews
When an existing part is forged, die cast with porosity, gravity cast or machined from billet, these pages set out what a squeeze casting review checks and when to keep the current route.
Questions about these guides
- Who writes these guides?
- CEX Casting engineering, the team that casts, machines and inspects the parts. Questions go to Howard Ding, Sales Manager.
- Can I use the drawing-note templates on my drawings?
- Yes. They leave the values open; your design authority sets the limits, and we confirm how we would inspect them.
Send a drawing for a route review
Send a 2D drawing and, if available, a 3D model with the alloy, annual quantity, critical tolerances and any pressure or leak requirement. Howard Ding replies with the proposed route, open questions and the tests that apply.
What happens next
- Howard Ding confirms receipt and asks for anything missing from the package.
- Engineering reviews geometry, alloy and acceptance criteria and proposes a route: squeeze casting, die casting, or a reason neither fits.
- You receive the quotation with tooling, samples and validation listed separately from the part price.