Continued growth of the precision casting industry is related to its ability to produce difficult, complex net or near-net-shape castings of increasingly larger dimensions. For technical as well as competitive reasons, it is essential that the casting engineer understand the relationship of an alloy’s solidification temperature range as it affects gating style, fluidity and hot tear/crack resistance.

In this paper, a new method of obtaining this data is discussed and current alloy data presented. The conclusion indicates that alloy solidification ranges, and the range within an alloy from heat to heat, play a significant role in the satisfactory filling and soundness of resultant castings. A case for including this information in an alloy certification is made.