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Stainless Steel Fork Casting with a Shot-Blasted Finish

YTD produced this stainless steel fork through silica sol investment casting, forming the curved arms, connecting bridge and rear body as one component. The finished parts were delivered with a shot-blasted matte surface.
Stainless steel fork casting with curved arms, a connecting bridge and a transverse hole in the rear body.
Material
Stainless Steel
Casting Process
Silica Sol Investment Casting
Construction
Integral Fork Arms, Bridge and Rear Body
Delivery Condition
Shot-Blasted Finished Component

Project Focus

The fork combines open spaces with heavier connecting sections, requiring attention to metal flow, feeding and access during surface finishing.
Inner view of the stainless steel fork showing the broadened arm ends, connecting bridge and rear window.

Forming the Fork Arms and Openings in One Casting

The fork has two curved arms with broadened ends, a bridge joining the arms and a rear body with a transverse hole. The bridge separates the open fork gap from the window behind it. YTD cast the arms, bridge and rear body together as a single stainless steel component.

Silica sol investment casting reproduced the curved profiles through a wax pattern and ceramic shell. The mould followed the outer contours and the inward-facing surfaces around the fork gap and rear window. These spaces were built into the casting geometry alongside the solid sections surrounding them.

Filling the Arms and Feeding the Heavier Sections

The curved arms meet a thicker rear body, while the bridge creates another junction between the two sides. These changes in section thickness affect how the stainless steel fills the mould and solidifies.

For this geometry, the casting layout has two jobs: carry metal into both fork arms and maintain a supply of liquid metal to the heavier sections as they solidify and contract. That continued supply is called feeding. If the supply path freezes too early, shrinkage can leave voids in the thicker regions.

Side view showing the curved fork arms joining the thicker rear body around the bridge and window.
Close view of the shot-blasted matte surface on the stainless steel fork arm and connecting bridge.

Delivered with a Shot-Blasted Matte Finish

After casting and cleanup, YTD shot-blasted the component and supplied it in its finished delivery condition. The surface has a matte texture across the curved cast profiles.

Shot blasting uses repeated abrasive impacts to clean and texture the surface. On this fork, the inward-facing arm surfaces and the recesses beside the bridge need exposure to the blast as well as the outer faces. Coverage matters because the surrounding geometry can shield recessed areas from direct impact.

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Need a Custom Fork Casting?

Send your drawing or 3D model, stainless steel grade and expected quantity. Include the required fork spacing, hole dimensions and surface finish so YTD can review the casting and finishing scope for your part.