Installation site of cast iron surface panel

Cast iron surface panel is a flat component made of cast iron through casting and processing. With the high strength, rigidity, wear resistance and stability of cast iron material, it is widely used in various precision equipment, fixtures, measuring instruments and other scenarios as a load-bearing, positioning or reference surface. The following provides a detailed introduction from the aspects of material characteristics, processing technology, core advantages, and typical application scenarios:

1、 Core materials and performance characteristics

The main material of cast iron panels is gray cast iron (such as HT200, HT250, HT300), and some high-precision scenarios will use ductile iron (QT400-15, QT500-7). Its performance advantages are reflected in:

High rigidity and load-bearing capacity: Cast iron material has a high density (about 7.2g/cm ³), high compressive strength (HT250 ≥ 250MPa), and can withstand large static or dynamic loads (such as machine tool worktable panels that can carry several tons to tens of tons of weight), and is not easily deformed.

Good wear resistance: Cast iron contains flake graphite (gray cast iron) or spherical graphite (ductile iron) inside, and the graphite layer can provide lubrication, reduce friction loss when the workpiece or equipment comes into contact with the panel, and extend the service life.

Strong stability: After natural aging (storage for 6-12 months or more) or artificial aging (high-temperature tempering) treatment, the internal stress generated during the casting process can be eliminated, avoiding the decrease in flatness caused by stress release after long-term use and ensuring stable dimensional accuracy.

Excellent shock absorption: Graphite tissue has a certain degree of shock absorption ability, which can absorb the vibration generated during equipment operation (such as machine tool cutting and motor operation), reducing the impact of vibration on machining or measurement accuracy.

2、 Processing technology and precision level

The processing of cast iron panels requires multiple processes to ensure surface accuracy and performance:

Casting molding: The blank is made by sand casting or lost foam casting to ensure uniform internal structure and avoid defects such as porosity and shrinkage.

Timeliness treatment: The key process is to eliminate internal stress through natural placement or high-temperature treatment, which is the core step to ensure the long-term stability of the panel.

machining:

Rough machining: milling or planing to remove surface allowance and achieve initial flatness;

Precision machining: Grinding (flatness error ≤ 0.02mm/m) or scraping (contact points ≥ 16-20 points within every 25 × 25mm ² are considered high-precision standards) is carried out according to the precision requirements to control the surface roughness within Ra1.6-Ra0.8 μ m.

Surface treatment: In some scenarios, the surface may undergo rust prevention treatment (such as painting, galvanizing) or special processing (such as milling T-grooves, drilling, threading) to meet the installation requirements of the equipment.

Its accuracy level is usually classified according to GB/T 22095-2008 "Flat Plate", and common levels include:

Level 3: Flatness error ≤ 50 μ m/m, suitable for general load-bearing scenarios (such as material placement platforms);

Level 2: Flatness error ≤ 25 μ m/m, used for ordinary fixture positioning or equipment installation;

Level 1: Flatness error ≤ 12 μ m/m, suitable for precision machining machine workbenches and measurement reference surfaces;

Level 0/00: Flatness error ≤ 6 μ m/m (Level 0) or ≤ 3 μ m/m (Level 00), used for high-precision measuring instruments (such as coordinate measuring machine base panels), precision testing platforms, etc.

3、 Typical application scenarios

The application of cast iron panels covers multiple fields such as industrial production, precision manufacturing, measurement and testing, and specific scenarios include:

Machine tool equipment: As a worktable panel for lathes, milling machines, and grinders, it is used to carry workpieces and achieve positioning with fixtures. Its flatness and rigidity can ensure the stability of workpieces during cutting and reduce machining errors.

Fixture: In welding, assembly and other processes, as a panel of the fixture platform, the workpiece is fixed by T-slots or threaded holes reserved on the surface, achieving rapid positioning and batch processing of multiple workpieces, and improving production efficiency.

Measurement and testing: As a benchmark panel for measurement and testing (such as an inspection plate), it can be used in conjunction with tools such as a dial gauge and a level to calibrate the flatness and perpendicularity of the workpiece, or as a support platform for coordinate measuring machines and image measuring instruments to ensure the stability of the measurement benchmark.

Automation equipment: In assembly lines and robot workstations, as a positioning platform panel, high-precision flatness is used to ensure the action accuracy of automation equipment (such as robotic arms and transplanting mechanisms) and reduce positioning deviation.

Heavy equipment: In metallurgy and mining machinery, as the installation base panel of large equipment, it ensures long-term stable operation of the equipment with high load-bearing capacity and deformation resistance.