NovaCast Limited

Image showing part of the shell mould casting process. These shell mould halves have been joined together and are ready for casting – the hardened moulds, which have a tensile strength of 350 to 450 psi, will be placed within a flask, which is filled with sand to provide support for the delicate shells while the molten alloy is poured in. Finally, the sand and shell are broken away to reveal the casting

A set of precision-machined safety-critical clutch parts going through our final quality checks. These were low-pressure die cast in LM25TF aluminium (Heat Treated Casting to BS 1490:1988 LM25TF).

This sand mould is for the Norton Commando front wheel hubs we are casting in LM25TF aluminium for Andover Norton. The image shows the cast-iron brake track insert in place within the mould together with a filter within the gating system. The filter is positioned to reduce the velocity of the alloy flow into the mould, producing a more laminar flow that reduces turbulence, lowers the risk of sand erosion and filters any unwanted impurities to limit inclusions.

NovaCast has continued to demonstrate its commitment to environmental transparency by once again disclosing its environmental impact through CDP, the global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system. Now with the world’s largest, most comprehensive dataset on environmental action, the insights that CDP holds empowers investors, companies, cities, and national and regional governments to make the right choices today to build a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term.

Bit of an unusual image. This is a sand casting core with a carbon steel insert positioned precisely and coated with a refractory graphite-based compound to preheat the insert before casting. This protects against any reaction between dissimilar materials used for the insert and the main casting - in this case an aluminium.

This was a fairly hefty casting! It is a 200kg pump body that was sand cast and shot blasted. Shown here ready to go for final machining, the casting was done in Leaded Gunmetal LG2 (BS1400 – 1985 alloy LG2). The substantial lead content in LG2 gives it excellent machining qualities. It has medium strength, good pressure tightness and is not subject to dezincification. Its excellent resistance to superheated steam combined with reasonable corrosion resistance to seawater and brine, makes it suitable for pressure-tight pump and valve components.

Hardness testing a drive shaft machined from AISI 431 (BS431S29) stainless steel billet. This high chromium, low carbon martensitic stainless steel has high hardenability, strength and corrosion resistance, and has been heat treated by case hardening. Our semi-automatic digital Brinell hardness tester sets the testing force and dwell time via a control panel. A digital Brinell microscope with adjustable LED illuminator automatically reads the indentation and instantly displays test results, making it both fast and extremely accurate.

One of several OEM Norton Motorcycle components being manufactured by NovaCast. These Norton Commando 850 cylinder barrels are cast in BS1452 Grade 17 cast iron using the shell mould casting process then powder coated, machined and honed to original specifications.

These elbows are part of a ship-to-ship refuelling assembly. They are sand cast in leaded gunmetal LG4 (BS1400– 1985 alloy LG4) which is an alloy of Copper, Tin, and Zinc. Chosen here for its combination of pressure tightness, high strength in tension and compression, hardness, ductility, and high resistance to impact. This image shows the castings immediately after being broken out of the sand moulds with gating system (pouring cup, sprue, runner, and risers) still in place.