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Saving Soil by Lightweighting With ADI

Jiten Shah

Aluminum is not the only material choice when it comes to lightweighting. In many cases, austempered ductile iron (ADI) can reduce weight versus a steel weldment due to the material’s excellent combination of strength, ductility, toughness, and endurance to fatigue. In the case of a spindle casting for a steering and suspension system used in the agricultural market, converting from a steel weldment to an ADI casting produced by AFS Corporate Member Craft Pattern & Mold allowed the customer to redesign the component as a smaller yet stronger part. Reducing weight is critical in the ag industry to help avoid soil compaction. The ADI casting has reduced the cost of manufacture over the steel weldment.
 

Craft casting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to read the rest of the column in the digital edition of the September/October 2022 Casting Source.