United Cast Bar Limited
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James Brand talks to Exec Digital Magazine
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Advantages of Unibar
Many of the advantages of Unibar over other materials can be attributed to the two phases present in the structure: an iron metallic one, similar to steel, and a graphitic phase with graphite in flake of sheroidal form.
Therefore the advantages of Unibar, as compared with other materials, are as follows:
Complete Absense of Defects:
This means a reduction in the total manufacturing cost, due to the elimination of reject parts and abortive machining. In addition, the machining tools last longer and there is less machine maintenance required.
High Wear Resistance:
Unibar possesses good wear resistance due to a self-lubricating network of graphite flakes in a matrix of pearlite in the contact surface. This results in a low wear factor and minimal friction between contact surfaces.
Excellent Thermal Conductivity:
Generally, Unibar is highly recommended for applications in which heat dissipation is the priority, since graphite is an excellent conductor of heat.
Excellent Damping Capacity:
Unibar has excellent damping properties, both in it's laminar and it's spheroidal form, since graphite acts as a cushion.
High Availability:
United Cast Bar has service centres located all across Europe to ensure a comprehensive range of bar material stock is always available.
Talk to your Local UCB Service Centre for more information on stock availability and machining services.
Superb Corrosion Resistance:
Unibar offers high resistance to corrosion, much better than that of steel and, in the case of water and oil, almost as good as that of non-ferrous metals.
Low Density:
Today, the weight of machinery and therefore it's components, is a decisive factor, not only due to the energy savings this represents, but due to the reduction in transport and logistics, as well as the actual cost of the material.
The specific weight of Unibar, which is 10% less than that of steel, satisfies these aspects without risking it's physical and mechanical characteristics.
Excellent Surface Finish:
In the case of visible applications, the most suitable Unibar grades are those with small graphite flakes.
Strength and Ductility:
Unibar is comparable in strength and ductility to that of mild and low alloy steels. Unibar also has excellent bearing and oil-retaining properties whilst remaining self-lubricating.
Machinability:
The machinability of Unibar is high, fundamentally due to the prescence of microscopic particles of graphite in the structure, which acts as a lubricant.
In addition to this, the homogeneity of it's structure and the absence of the abrasive inclusions of sand, which are typical in sand casting, improve machinability and therefore prolong the life of tools, drastically cutting your costs.
Elimination of Costly Patterns:
Resulting in lower overall costs and quicker delivery, when compared with alternative casting processes.
Less Machining Allowance:
This is due to the homogeneous fine grain structure of Unibar which allows us to produce sections with dimensions very close to the final measurements of the part. This obviously results in a considerable saving in costs, both in terms of material and machining.
Homogeneous and Close Grained Structure:
This gives excellent machinability, good wear resistance and the ability to withstand hydraulic or pneumatic pressures.
High Fatigue Strength:
Unibar is an ideal material for those applications in which high fatigue strength is being sought due to the absence of inclusions and blisters, as well as better cohesion of it's structure compared with traditional snad castings.
Exceptional Dimensional Stability:
Unibar has high dimensional stability due to the annealing process which relieves the stresses inherent in the process of continuous casting.
Heat Treatment Response:
Within it's range of products, Unibar offers grades which can undergo heat treatment, thus producing ferritic structures. This results in certain physical properties, such as better thermal conductivity or dimensional stability, in addition to improved machining.
Low Residual Stresses:
As the core of Unibar remains liquid, while the periphery is solid at the moment the bar exits the die and cooling system, the bar undergoes a heat treatment, intrinsic to the process, from the inside to the outside of the bar, which releases most of the stresses in Unibar.