In the process of the automotive industry’s transformation to lightweight and high performance, the internal purity and process stability of cast parts are directly related to the safety and service life of the entire vehicle. Silicon carbide ceramic foam filters (SiC Filters) have become a key technology for solving the problem of molten metal inclusions due to their unique material properties and filtration mechanism, and have shown significant value in the production of core components such as engines, brake systems, and transmissions.
Filtration mechanism of silicon carbide ceramic foam filters
Silicon carbide ceramic foam filters adopt a three-dimensional mesh structure. Through the synergistic effects of mechanical interception, filter cake reinforcement, and surface adsorption, they can efficiently remove slag and micron-level oxidation inclusions in the molten metal. Its honeycomb pore design not only improves the efficiency of impurity capture, but also adjusts the flow rate of molten metal and reduces secondary oxidation caused by turbulence during the casting process.
For example, in the casting of ductile iron engine cylinders, this technology can reduce the subcutaneous pore defect rate by 42%, optimize the surface roughness to less than Ra 6.3μm, and significantly improve the machining accuracy.
Typical application scenarios of Silicon Carbide Ceramic Foam Filters
Engine key components
- Cylinder and crankshaft: The filter’s micron-level impurity interception ability can reduce the cylinder slag inclusion defect rate and improve the crankshaft fatigue strength. After using this filtering technology, car companies can increase the annual production capacity of a single line and reduce the overall cost.
- Turbocharger housing: For heat-resistant alloy cast iron casting, the filter adsorbs titanium nitride and sulfide impurities to reduce the risk of thermal cracking of the turbine housing in high temperature environments.
Lightweight brake system
In the casting of aluminum alloy brake discs, the filter reduces the porosity of the casting and improves the tensile strength by eliminating oxide inclusions; combined with the vacuum die-casting process, the heat dissipation performance of the brake disc is optimized.
Transmission and suspension system
- When used in transmission gearboxes, the filter can reduce cavity scouring and wear, and the dimensional consistency deviation is controlled within ±0.2mm;
- In the production of aluminum alloy control arms, the gradient pore design reduces the under-casting defect rate and improves production efficiency.
Economic benefits and process upgrades
The application of silicon carbide foam ceramic filters not only improves quality, but also brings significant economic benefits:
- Scrap rate optimization: After a certain automobile sheet factory introduced filtration technology, the inclusion content of the steel billet dropped from 0.12%, the rolling crack rate decreased, and the annual growth efficiency increased;
- Process compatibility: Adapt to the vertical parting boxless extrusion molding line (such as DISA equipment) and the vacuum direct reading spectral analysis system to achieve full process quality control from smelting to detection.
Conclusion
From traditional fuel vehicles to new energy vehicles, silicon carbide ceramic foam filters are driving the transformation of automobile casting processes with technological innovation. As foam ceramic filter manufacturers such as SEFU continue to innovate and break through technical bottlenecks, they will continue to enable the high-quality development of the automotive industry and provide global automakers with more efficient and reliable molten metal filtration and purification solutions.