The status of abroad foundry industry
In recent years, global foundry industry is growing successively , the output of casting increased 8.4% in 2004,compared with that of last year, China ranks the first among the
casting manufactures with an output of 22.42 million tons, and up to 23.9% higher than the year before. From growth rate and output of the world's top 10 casting suppliers, we can see that in the year 2004 ,Chinese casting accounts for about a quarter of global casting output.
Brazil casting production grows the fastest,up to 25.8%.Countries with growing rates that have exceed more than 2 digits are Brazil, China, Mexico, India, which are all developing countries. While developed countries have lower growing rate of hastings.
Since the year 2000,American casting production has stayed behind into the second place. The total casting production of the United States is 12.31million tons in 2004, including 35% gray iron casting, 33% ductile iron casting ,8.4% steel casting, 16% aluminum alloy casting.From the demand data, we can see that the demand of ductile iron casting and aluminum alloy casting are growing. In the year 2003,casting imported takes 15% of total demand, with a price 20%~ 50% lower than the domestic in the United States. Recently, because of high environmental requirements, high energy consumption, expensive labor force and other reasons,large American casting foundries that manufacture ordinary car parts are closed, and the production of casting is gradually moved to China, India, Mexico, Brazil and other developing countries.
Japan's foundry industry is under depression and the number of its employees is decreasing.The total casting production of Japan in 2004 is 6.39 million tons, including42% gray iron casting, 30% ductile iron casting, 4% steel casting, 21% aluminum alloy casting.Japan had done a lot of work in technological innovation, and developed the low expansion ball casting sand, high damping iron casting material, heat-resistant silicon ductile iron material. Welding and heat treatment can be applied to vacuum die casting, semi-solid casting is used in automobile aluminum wheels, thus improved the strength and elongation. Further development of magnesium alloy die casting and replacement of gravity casting, both increased the performance of products and decreased producing cost.
