Camshaft

Camshafts can be made out of several different types of material. These include;

Chilled iron castings: this is a good choice for high volume production. A chilled iron camshaft has a resistance against wear because the camshaft lobes have been chilled, generally making them harder. When making chilled iron castings, other elements are added to the iron before casting to make the material more suitable for its application.

Billet Steel: When a high quality camshaft is required, engine builders and camshaft manufacturers choose to make the camshaft from steel billet. This method is also used for low volume production. This is a much more time consuming process, and is generally more expensive than other methods. However the finished product is far superior. When making the camshaft, cnc lathes, cnc milling machines and cnc camshaft grinders will be used. Different types of steel bar can be used. One example is EN40b. When manufacturing a camshaft from EN40b, the camshaft will also be heat treated. the method of heat treatment is gas nitriding, which changes the micro-structure of the material. It gives a surface hardness of 55-62 on the HRC. These types of camshafts can be used in high performance engines