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What’s the Best Metal for Your Casting Project?

EQI has been a leading supplier of metal castings for decades. Castings allow for the cost-effective creation of complex, three-dimensional parts to meet almost any application’s requirements. While all casting processes begin with molten metal, a variety of specialized molding processes are best suited to specific materials and part attributes.

Investment
Casting


Uses a wax pattern coated with a refractory material. Then, the wax is melted out and the mold is filled with molten metal.

Techniques:

  • Silica sol process
  • Combination process with silica sol – sodium silicate

Sand
Casting


Uses sand as the main mold material.

Techniques:

  • Vacuum process sand
  • Green sand casting
  • Resin-bonded air or gas set sand casting
  • Thermal set sand casting (shell molding)
  • Lost foam

Die casting / Permanent Mold /
Semi-Permanent Mold


Uses metal molds and high pressure to force the molten metal into a mold.

Techniques:

  • High-pressure casting
  • Low-pressure casting
  • Gravity pour casting

When selecting metal for a casting project, EQI will work with you to consider characteristics such as strength, hardness, machinability, corrosion resistance, and cost. With these factors in mind, EQI offers a broad range of iron, steel, and aluminum castings across nearly every casting manufacturing process.

Iron


Grey Iron

Known for its color, which comes from the graphite flake structure that develops during the solidification process. Grey iron is a popular choice because it’s cost effective.

Qualities

  • Good machinability
  • Great damping capacity
  • Good thermal conductivity
Uses

  • Pump housings
  • Gears and valves
  • Hydraulic parts
  • Machinery bases

Ductile Iron (Nodular Iron)

A cast iron with spherical graphite structures in the metal that increase ductility and broaden the range of suitable applications. Stronger than grey iron, ductile iron can be alloyed to boost specific properties such as thermal resistance, strength, and elongation. Due to its high carbon content, ductile iron is a good candidate for various heat treatments to modify the microstructure and material properties further.

Qualities

  • High tensile strength
  • Superior ductility and improved impact resistance
  • Excellent wear resistance
Uses

  • Heavy-duty machinery components
  • Critical structural and load-bearing components
  • Hydraulic parts
  • Machine tooling
  • Fittings

Steel


Carbon and Alloy Steel

Steels can be tailored for many applications by selecting the appropriate carbon and alloy content. Heat treatment can provide a wide range of strength, ductility, and hardenability. Carbon steel is versatile and economical, making it ideal for general machine and structural applications. It can also be easily welded up to specific levels of carbon equivalence.

Qualities

  • High tensile strength
  • Great ductility
  • High machinability
Uses

  • Industrial equipment
  • Construction components
  • Machinery parts

Stainless Steel

A ferrous alloy that is highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion due to added chromium that forms a protective oxide layer. There are over sixty different grades of stainless steel, and unique compositions are regularly added to the spectrum.

Qualities

  • Corrosion resistance
  • High strength
  • Toughness
  • Excellent thermal resistance
  • Suitable in harsh environments (heat, cold, acidic) and hygiene applications
Uses

  • Chemical processing equipment
  • Pumps & valves
  • Impellers
  • Housings

Nickel-Based Alloys

These alloys are often deployed in extreme working environments. The nickel matrix and alloying additions perform exceptionally in high-temperature and corrosive applications, often in the thermal processing, chemical, and petroleum industries.

Qualities

  • Thermal resistance
  • Corrosion resistance
Uses

  • Industrial furnaces
  • Water treatment components
  • Marine parts
  • Chemical processing equipment

Aluminum Alloys

Aluminum alloys have a desirable strength-to-weight ratio, making them ideal for applications where weight is an issue.

Qualities

  • High strength-to-weight ratio
  • Good corrosion resistance
Uses

  • Transportation parts
  • Industrial components
  • Marine applications

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EQI is ready to help you determine which metal alloy best suits your needs. Get started with help from our metal casting experts.

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News

Adding Value Through New Coating Guarantees at Northern Ireland Facility

At EQI, we continuously tailor our value-added services to meet our customers’ needs. An excellent example comes from our facility in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, which is proud to offer high-quality powder coating services with standard and marine grade guarantees of up to 40 years.

 

Recently, the Craigavon facility earned new certifications for coating architectural aluminum, ensuring adherence to the highest quality standards for our customers. The Craigavon team has been designated approved applicators with Akzo Nobel, Sherwin-Williams, and Axalta powders for coating all architectural aluminum products up to 8 meters long.

 
 

 

Here are a few more reasons why customers can rely on Craigavon to deliver exceptional coating services for architectural aluminum.


Offer standard and marine grade guarantees for at least 25 years and up to 40 years on specific coatings through our five-stage dip pretreatment process. This is especially valuable to our customers located near the ocean and challenged by high levels of moisture and salt sea air.


Utilize onsite lab equipment for daily testing to ensure products meet rigorous global architectural standards.


Verify quality through in-depth techniques, including salt spray corrosion tests, impact and abrasion resistance tests, and adhesion checks.


Have a high capacity to process aluminum louvers, cills, flashings, and facades in our advanced semi-automatic powder line.


Able to fulfill specific requirements for packaging, storage, and delivery to you and your customers.

 

 
 

Craigavon is just one example of a facility that’s adding value through employees who’ve become masters of their craft. Says Daniel Courtney, General Manager at Craigavon, “There’s nothing in the market we can’t paint, and if we haven’t done it before, we will always give it a go.”

The Craigavon team has also created a family-like atmosphere, working to develop personalized relationships with each other and customers. The casual, laid-back culture has fostered an environment where everyone–from the person working on the shop floor to upper management–feels as though they have an equal stake in contributing to the company’s success.

 

 

Contact Us

If you’re looking for an approved applicator for powder coating and wet paint—who will treat you like family—fill out this form or call us at +44 28 3835 1320, or (616) 850-2630.

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Blog Article

The Truth About Tariffs



Why EQI is uniquely positioned to handle any type of supply chain risk.

 

 

We’ve all heard the news about the tariffs, and many of you have come to us with concerns. How will these tariffs affect us? Where is the right place to do business?

Our answer to these questions is simple. Tariffs are just another type of supply chain disruption, and we at EQI are the most effective company in the world at mitigating risk for your metal components.

From the pandemic to environmental crises, government sanctions, and beyond, we have swiftly navigated every type of challenge you can imagine–including tariffs implemented by previous administrations.

We thoughtfully evaluate each customer’s challenges and create custom solutions, matching them with the best capabilities and partners for each project. To achieve this, we leverage our global manufacturing network, which empowers us to produce a diverse array of line-ready metal components that fulfill unique product needs.

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at a few more reasons why EQI is uniquely capable of mitigating risk:

  • Top-three global counterweight provider with years of experience managing risk.
  • A leadership team that brings decades of experience in production, procurement, logistics, supply chain management, and more.
  • Spent over 20 years developing an extensive supply chain in China and have maintained strong relationships with production partners there. China continues to produce high-quality, lower-cost products, even with the tariffs.
  • Developed strong partnerships with suppliers in India, Vietnam, and North America, doubling our capacity and enhancing our ability to swiftly source outside of China as needed.
  • Established global logistics and shipping partners. Other competitors in this market don’t have the same type of access to large-scale options. For example, EQI ships over 8,000 containers per year.
 

When you partner with EQI, you gain access to a comprehensive range of capabilities. We will expertly handle your shipping and logistics and offer value-added services such as coatings, warehouse and inventory management, machining, and assembly.

This extensive range of services simplifies supply chains and provides certainty, transparency, and resiliency in the face of any type of risk.

 

 

Contact Us

Interested in learning more about our risk mitigation capabilities? Contact us today.

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Map of Asia calling out EQI's offices in Coimbatore, India.
News

EQI Expands in India

As part of our continuous efforts to better serve our clients globally, EQI recently expanded its offices in Coimbatore, India.

 

Over the past few years, our head office in India has been increasing the strength of its team in various departments, including Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain. As the team grew, so did their need for a larger space with more workstations.

Recognizing the importance of providing our 19-person (and growing) team with the resources they need to be successful, EQI strategically chose to add office space in government-owned TIDEL Park. This central location, near the airport and railway station, meets our current needs and positions us for future growth.

EQI India is one of five global headquarters in North America and Asia. Together with warehouses, fulfillment centers, and manufacturing facilities, EQI has customer touchpoints across the globe.

With the expansion in India, EQI has improved its capability to handle global complexities faced by our customers. We will continue to seek avenues of growth for our clients, company, and employees while cultivating our position as leading providers of line-ready components that streamline and de-risk the supply chain for industrial equipment manufacturers.

 

 

Contact Us

Interested in streamlining your supply chain and enhancing your manufacturing process? Contact us today.

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