Marine sector outlook

Published - 31st Aug 2016

Whether it’s producing a small part for a yacht or an engine component for a defence vessel, our dedicated team of engineers have lent their expertise to a whole host of marine projects over many decades at Haworth Castings.

Located close to the world-renowned Solent coastal region, we have forged long standing links with marine companies both locally and internationally. Our customers range from UK-based power suppliers and marine construction companies through to European maritime equipment manufacturers.

High-specification castings for the marine industry

We can manufacture castings from the small scale up to 500 kilos. We’ve produced everything from engine pistons and air compressors for pleasure craft through to marina fittings, such as electrical housing units and mooring cleats. We’ve also worked with customers in both the civil and defence sectors – manufacturing castings to meet very different needs.

In this work, we use both aluminium sand casting and gravity-die casting – and the choice depends on our customers’ budgets and overall project requirements. Aluminium alloys are employed in virtually all of our sand casting work. These have the ideal properties for use in marine components and fittings – with good strength-to-weight ratio.

We use a number of different aluminium alloys, including ‘LM6’. As we’ve discussed previously in the blog, this silicon-based alloy offers good corrosion resistance against water. It is also very ductile and less brittle than some metals. ‘LM6’ is ideal for intricate and thin sections and also for large castings. ‘LM13’ is used to produce some of our engine pistons since this alloy offers excellent durability against heat. This is particularly important in any kind of moving parts since heat can affect the molecular structure of some metals.

Testing and inspection

Once the casting process has been completed, the parts are tested to the highest standards using x-ray, crack detection, ultrasonic testing, and chemical/mechanical analysis. Furthermore, we offer UKAS-approved independent testing and inspection services.

Our dedicated machining capability allows us to finish the castings to exacting standards with post processing. 

Want to find out more about our work in the marine sector? If so, please call us today on +44 (0)1794 512685 or email us: sales@haworthcastings.co.uk