FURNACE ROOM  

8981 SE 76th Drive, Portland, Oregon  U.S.A.  :   Phone 503-771-3346  :   Fax 503-771-9702   :      E Mail   barrcast@barrcasting.com

We provide this service using only certified ingot.

We offer many different alloys for you to choose from.  This page, in particular, is dedicated to giving the specifications for Aluminum 356.  The ingot numbers that you find listed in the furnace room pages, such as Aluminum 356, are the alloys that we have found to be the most popular, and are arranged in three main categories (Bronze, Aluminum, and Zinc.)  We have an inventory of each of the alloys listed in the furnace room pages, while other alloys are available on request.

(Tip) Please keep in mind that each alloy is engineered for a particular purpose.   For example, sheet metal can require different characteristics of an alloy than tubing, sand casting or extruding metal.  Because certain projects require different alloy characteristics, we certify our alloys.  Not all foundries offer alloy certification, and some cast their parts from mixed alloys of scrap.  This can greatly weaken an alloy, or make its cure rates change significantly.  If you have a particular purpose, that will require the full strength of your metal in a set number of days, then certified metal is crucial.   At Barr Casting we keep a record of the certifications for each new bundle of ingot.
       

. ---------------------------------------------- Go back to the home page to choose another bronze or aluminum alloy............................................
 
 

356 ALUMINUM
QQ-A-601 Composition 3  as is sometimes called, describes the T6 heat treated version of this popular alloy.

   (Primary or Secondary). 356 aluminum is the industry standard and is considered aircraft quality.  Alloy 356 is easy to cast and requires only a minimal amount of  skill to gate and riser, which means very consistent castings for the customer.  Aluminum 356 will age in one year to full properties.  If your castings are going to be turned or milled in less than a year, then you will probably want us to heat treat your parts. Heat treating will automatically bring your parts to full properties. The process takes only a short time.  It is important to consider the issue of heat treating, because Aluminum 356 is very soft from the outset.  For those not familiar with machining aluminum 356 which has not cured the proper amount of time, you can anecdotally compare it to machining a cube of butter. Heat treating, however, adds a small amount of lead-time to your casting job, as we send the parts out to get this process done.  Also, as a second consideration with heat treating, there can be a problem with warpage.  Once warped, straightening a part can be difficult. If you need the properties of  alloy 356 and do not want to deal with the potential warpage from heat treating then consider alloy 713   Alloy 356 will not color anodize, see alloy 713

(Tip) If any of the negatives of alloy 356 concern you see Alloy 713 Aluminum

Typical Mechanical properties of

------Alloy 356 (T6) Temper)-------

Source the Aluminum data book Reynolds Metals Co.

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