Industry
Casting inspection and foundry quality
Turkey is one of Europe's largest casting producers. We help buyers select capable foundries and receive castings free of the defects that only show after machining.
01Castings fail where they cannot be seen
Casting quality is decided by method design, melt quality, moulding and process discipline. Many casting defects, such as gas and shrinkage porosity, inclusions and cold shuts, are internal or only revealed after machining, when the casting has already absorbed most of its value.
QUALITAS TR audits foundries, follows first article and sample approval, inspects castings before and after machining and coordinates NDT and laboratory testing. Our metallurgical background allows us to discuss gating, feeding, melt treatment and heat treatment with foundry engineers in technical terms.
02Typical quality risks we see
- Shrinkage and gas porosity revealed during machining
- Inclusions, sand and slag defects
- Cold shuts, misruns and cracks
- Insufficient machining allowance or core shift
- Wrong nodularity or microstructure in ductile iron
- Mechanical properties not meeting the grade
- Weld repairs without control or approval
- Poor traceability of heats and batches
03How QUALITAS TR supports casting and foundry buyers
| Service | What we do in this sector |
|---|---|
| Supplier Qualification and Capability Audits | Foundry capability audits: melting, moulding, core making, fettling, heat treatment, laboratory and NDT. |
| Manufacturing and Special Process Audits | Special process audits of melting, pouring, heat treatment and impregnation. |
| First Article Inspection | First article and sample approval of new patterns and dies, including sectioning when required. |
| NDT Coordination and Witnessing | RT, UT, MT and PT planning and review to the casting quality class specified. |
| Material Verification and Certificate Review | Chemical composition, mechanical properties and microstructure verification. |
| Independent Quality Control | Visual, dimensional and leak inspection before and after machining. |
04Key inspection points
- Pattern and core box identification
- Melt chemistry and inoculation records
- Test bar mechanical results
- Nodularity and microstructure where specified
- Visual surface quality against acceptance criteria
- Dimensional layout of first articles
- NDT extent and casting quality class
- Weld repair procedure and records
- Heat treatment charts
- Machining allowance and datum targets
Casting defect Pareto after machining
Rejections recorded over three months on ductile iron housings.
Gas porosity: 46; Shrinkage: 28; Sand inclusion: 17; Core shift: 9; Cold shut: 6; Crack: 3
05Standards and requirements
Casting material grades are specified in standards such as EN 1561 (grey iron), EN 1563 (ductile iron), EN 1706 (aluminium alloys) and EN 10213 (steel castings for pressure purposes). Surface and volumetric acceptance often references EN 1369, EN 1371, EN 12680 or ASTM reference radiographs.
06The sector in Turkey
Turkey has a large and diverse foundry sector serving automotive, machinery, valves, pumps and construction markets, with major concentrations around Konya, İzmir, Bursa, Kocaeli, İstanbul and Ankara.
Capability varies widely between foundries, which makes capability audits before sourcing particularly important.