Important Message

Dear Customer,

After 123 years of trading, Charles Butcher and Co Ltd, and its operating company, Durham Foundry (Sheffield) Ltd, are ceasing trading. This has not been an easy decision but the board believes that it is the right time to do so and is in the best interests of the shareholders. This is a planned closure and the companies are wholly solvent.

Current orders will be honoured but we will be unable, unless specifically agreed, to take on any new work.

To enable the closure to happen as smoothly as possible, we have entered into an agreement to try and transfer work to Canlin Castings Ltd. They are a similar foundry to Durham Foundry offering the same range of material grades, quantities and weights. Their details are:-

Canlin Castings Ltd,
North Street,
Langley Mill,
Nottingham
NG16 4DF

Tel: 01773 715412
Email: sales@canlincastings.co.uk
Website: http://canlincastings.co.uk/

The contact there, to discuss how work may be transferred, is David Carlin who can be contacted at dcarlin@canlincastings.co.uk

If you wish to discuss anything regarding the closure, please contact me on 0114 249 4977 or email me at castings@durhamfoundry.com.

Mike Naylor
Chairman and Managing Director
Charles Butcher and Co Ltd and Durham Foundry (Sheffield) Ltd

Durham Foundry Logo

0114 249 4977

castings@durhamfoundry.com

ISOQAR Registered & UKAS Management Systems

Certificate Number 8140

ISO 9001 | ISO 14001

Compacted Graphite Iron Castings

Compacted Graphite Iron was first patented at about the same time as ductile iron in the late 1940’s. At the time it was viewed more as a curiosity rather than a production material, but its unique properties has led it to be used in many applications which are unsuitable for grey or ductile iron. CGI has twice the strength of grey iron and costs no more to produce than ductile iron. 

About Compacted Graphite Iron Castings

Compacted Graphite Iron, which is also known as CGI or Vermicular Graphite Iron, is a form of cast iron in which the shape of the graphite particles is between that of conventional grey iron flakes and ductile iron where the graphite is in spheres. The worm-like compacted-graphite shape provides physical properties that mirror the most beneficial properties of grey and ductile irons.

Grey iron is particularly easy to cast and machine and it has good damping and thermal conductivity, but its flaky structure makes it brittle, as reflected by its low tensile strength. At the other end of the spectrum, ductile iron has a high tensile strength but relatively poor thermal conductivity and damping properties. Compared with these two extremes, CGI has thermal conductivity and damping properties roughly the same as grey iron and tensile strengths and stiffness comparable to those of ductile iron.

Compacted Graphite Iron Production

At Durham Foundry we have been producing compacted graphite iron castings for the last 30 years. As well as compacted graphite iron castings, our customer base also covers grey, ductile and alloyed irons for the engineering, decorative, architectural and artistic sectors and we can supply castings from one off up to small to medium batch production using Alkali Phenolic resin bonded sands.

Our workforce of highly skilled moulders can work from complex loose pattern equipment, particularly where low volumes are required, whilst our moulding line is suited for batch production. Our long trading history, coupled with an investment programme that has enabled us to keep up with modern production methods and environmental legislation has meant that we have been involved with many projects requiring compacted graphite iron castings and continue to be so.

All our compacted graphite iron castings are produced to the current ISO material specification, ISO 16112, along with any further certification which a customer may require. Manufacturing takes place within our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Management Systems. Call Durham Foundry on 0114 249 4977 to discuss your Compacted Graphite Iron project.

Compacted Graphite Iron Castings Production

Our diverse customer base has also given us experience in a wide range of applications for compacted graphite iron castings , including pumps and valves, forges, foundries and rolling mills, automotive and aerospace, a wide range of OEM’s, quarries and mines, railways and rolling stock, local authorities and artists and sculptors. We also have long term trading relationships with local pattern makers, machine shops and surface finishers which enable us to quote for the complete supply of the finished casting.

CGI is produced by treating the melt as if ductile cast iron was being made, but the reaction is ‘killed’ before it has time to complete, resulting in a graphite shape between that of flakes and spheres. A special type of ladle addition known as Compact Mag is used to achieve the desired reaction. The first commercial CGI applications were the high-speed rail trains (175+ mph) in Europe. Initially, they had cast iron disc brakes that were simply not up to the task. They suffered severe heat-checking and cracks, which were potentially catastrophic. CGI cured all that, and it has been widely reported that several engine builders and automotive manufacturers are beginning to rely on CGI to meet efficiency and strength requirements.

Please browse our website for more information about Durham Foundry and our ability to manufacture Compacted Graphite Iron Castings (CGI Castings) and then contact us on 0114 249 4977 or e-mail us on e-mail us on castings@durhamfoundry.com.

Any questions about Compacted Graphite Iron Castings?

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