Material specifications describe all the requirements for the ingredients used for the casting: composition, microstructure, mechanical properties, heat treatment, and acceptance criteria. They form the basis for design, casting process, and quality control.
At Allard-Europe we are not limited to a standard range of materials. We start with your needs and work with you to make the right choice based on our expertise and many years of experience in engineering and knowledge of materials.
Allard-Europe is familiar with a large number of material standards: both the current international standards (EN, ISO, ASTM, etc.) and the older standards (DIN, SEW, etc.) that are still often referred to in castings.
Do you use a proprietary standard or a combination of standards? No problem: our team of experts interprets and translates your specifications into the appropriate production parameters.
Cast steel can be cast in almost any shape. It is therefore ideally suited for the production of complex structures and shapes that must bear heavy loads. Each type of cast steel has its own specific properties in terms of resistance to impact, corrosion, wear, pressure, low/high temperatures and/or weldability.
Cast steel at Allard-Europe is not a fixed list of alloys. It is tailor-made. We start from the desired requirements or properties, and make a choice based in part on:
Once the complete picture is correct, the material specification is established and the casting produced as you envision it.
Although at Allard-Europe you don’t start from a standard list, there are obviously materials that recur more often:
The above list gives a nice overview of our portfolio, and is a starting point for new assignments with similar characteristics.
Over the years, Allard-Europe has developed proprietary materials to meet the needs of the dredging industry. These Alladur™ ranges of high-chromium white cast iron are highly wear-resistant due to their high hardness, making them ideal for wear applications where wear is the main focus and impact is low. Some of these Alladur™ versions fall within the collective name Maxidur 5®.
Alladur™ 500 is comparable to XCr14 (EN 12513) or Class II Type B (ASTM A532). It is suitable for applications where wear resistance is critical. A minimum hardness of 59 HRC can be guaranteed.
Alladur™ 600 is comparable to XCr18 (EN 12513) or Class II Type D (ASTM A532). It is suitable for applications where wear resistance must be combined with some impact resistance. Corrosion resistance is better due to a higher chromium content. A minimum hardness of 55 HRC can be guaranteed.
Alladur™ 429 is comparable to XCr23 (EN 12513) or Class II Type A (ASTM A532). It is suitable for applications where wear resistance must be combined with higher impact resistance. Corrosion resistance is optimal thanks to the highest chromium content. A minimum hardness of 50 HRC can be guaranteed.
Allard-Europe is an expert in casting design and casting methodology. We know how to turn the most complex mechanical parts into a perfect casting. We are happy to help you right from the start of the design (co-engineering) to achieve smooth realization.
Here you see a first sample of pure craftsmanship. In the pattern shop, the casting patterns are made and finished. These serve to form the mold in the sand. Here the foundations are laid for casting a perfectly sized casting.
Allard-Europe is equipped with 4 medium-frequency induction furnaces. This allows us to melt 37 tons at one time, but also gives us the necessary flexibility for customization in function of material selection and molds.
The Fettling Shop is where castings are cleaned, finished and prepared for inspection or further machining after being removed from the mold.
Allard-Europe is well equipped to perform the heat treatments. During heat treatment, each casting is given the right balance between hardness and toughness. Through precise temperature control, we optimize the structure and mechanical properties of the material.
In the Machine Shop, castings are finished into end products with high precision. The mechanical post‑processing (machining) removes material to obtain accurate shapes, tolerances, and surfaces that cannot be achieved through casting alone.
Allard-Europe has large and modern CNC machines and employs qualified welders for cast steel who can, when required, add additional components to a casting.
Thorough risk management and advanced quality controls are an absolute necessity because the casting process is complex and small deviations can have major implications for safety, performance and cost.
