ALLOYS & HEAT TREAT
Eck is known as an innovator, developing robust processes to cast advanced alloys to enable new applications for castings. An example is A206, which we started in the 1970’s, and we have been developing best practices ever since.
The latest innovation is the Aluminum-Cerium alloys which offer superior performance at high temperature and unmatched corrosion resistance.
ALLOY INNOVATION
Eck Industries teamed with Oak Ridge National Lab and the Critical Materials Institute to develop high performance alloys using cerium. Cerium is a rare earth alloy that is plentiful, and low cost.
Aluminum-Cerium alloy formulations provide:
- Superior corrosion resistance
- Superior strength at elevated temperature, 315C
- Lightweighting ~ density range 2.49 - 2.78 g/cc
Aluminum-Cerium family can be processed in many ways:
- Casting
- Extrusion
- Forging
- Additive Manufacturing
Learn more at the American Foundry Society webinar here.
HEAT TREATMENT
Heat treatment is processed in-house. We offer water and air quench and we can tailor our heat treat specifications to meet your mechanical property requirements. Most aluminum castings fit the T4, T5, T6 or T7 heat treatments.
Descriptions:
- F: As cast
- O: Annealed
- T4: Solution heat treated and naturally aged to a stable condition
- T5: Cooled from an elevated temperature shaping process and then artificially aged
- T6: Solution heat treated and then artificially aged
- T7: Solution heat treated and overaged
Heat Treat Definitions:
- Annealing: Heating castings to increase ductility, which also tends to decrease strength.
- Solution Heat Treat: Heating castings to a suitably elevated temperature and holding at that temperature long enough to allow elements to enter into a solid solution and then cooling rapidly to maintain that solid solution.
- Aging: Precipitation of solute atoms at room temperature (natural age) or elevated temperatures (artificial age).
- Overage: Additional aging to improve dimensional stability.