Støpegods

Støpegods, or castings, are components produced by pouring molten metal into a mold and allowing it to solidify. They provide near-net-shape geometry and are used when complex shapes, varying alloys, or large sizes would be difficult or expensive to achieve with other manufacturing methods.

Common manufacturing methods include sand casting (green or resin-bonded sands), investment casting (lost-wax), gravity die casting, low-pressure die casting, and centrifugal casting. Materials used include ferrous alloys (cast iron, steel) and non-ferrous alloys (aluminum, magnesium, copper, zinc). The choice depends on strength, weight, machinability, and surface finish requirements.

Post-processing may include heat treatment, machining, surface finishing, deburring, or coating. Castings are used in automotive, machinery and equipment, energy, construction, and consumer products due to their ability to form complex geometries and to produce large components at relatively lower tooling costs for high volumes.

Quality control includes dimensional tolerances, mechanical properties, and defect detection (porosity, shrinkage, inseparable inclusions). Non-destructive testing methods such as radiography, dye penetrant testing, and ultrasonic testing are used. Castings can be recycled and are often part of closed-loop material systems; however energy consumption in melting and potential defects influence overall performance and cost. Standards for castings exist from ISO, ASTM, and other bodies to specify classifications, tolerances, and acceptance criteria.