Specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material | Ductile iron EN-GJS-500-7 / ASTM A536 65-45-12; low-alloy steel AISI 4140 on request |
| Process | Silica sol or water glass lost wax investment casting + CNC milling, boring and drilling |
| Tolerance | ISO 8062 CT6 as-cast; machined datums and bores to +/- 0.03 mm, ISO 2768-f |
| Surface finish | As-cast Ra 6.3 um, machined Ra 1.6-3.2 um, e-coat, zinc flake or phosphate optional |
| Weight range | 1.4 – 4.6 kg per part |
| Heat treatment | Normalise and temper, or quench and temper to 220-280 HB |
| Inspection | CMM dimensional report, Brinell hardness mapping, magnetic particle inspection, ultrasonic testing, tensile per ASTM E8 |
Key features
- Ductile iron matrix delivers high damping capacity and fatigue strength under repeated braking torque reversals.
- Investment cast bridge and slide pin bosses remove weld joints, giving a continuous grain flow through the load path.
- CNC bored slide pin holes hold H8 tolerance with 1.6 um Ra, ensuring smooth caliper slide motion and even pad wear.
- Machined mounting faces controlled flat within 0.05 mm to prevent caliper tilt and tapered pad wear.
- Wall thickness optimised by finite element analysis to cut unsprung mass while keeping stiffness above target.
- Corrosion protection options including zinc flake and e-coat validated to 480 hours neutral salt spray.
- Non-destructive testing coverage agreed with the customer for this safety-critical brake application.
Applications
- Passenger car front and rear disc brake caliper mounting
- Light commercial vehicle brake anchor brackets
- Performance and motorsport big brake kit carriers
- Electric vehicle regenerative brake caliper supports
- Trailer and off-highway axle disc brake assemblies
- Aftermarket brake upgrade and service programmes
Quality & compliance
Production runs under our IATF 16949 certified system with process capability studies on all critical brake characteristics. PPAP level 3 documentation is available, covering DFMEA and PFMEA, control plan, MSA, dimensional reports, material certification, heat treat charts and PSW. IMDS entries are submitted on request, and heat lot traceability is maintained from melt through heat treatment to final inspection.
FAQ
Q1. Which material do you recommend for a caliper anchor bracket?
EN-GJS-500-7 ductile iron is the default choice for its strength, damping and machinability. Where a programme needs higher tensile strength or a welded interface, we offer quenched and tempered AISI 4140 low-alloy steel.
Q2. How do you verify the bracket is free from casting defects?
Each part is visually and dimensionally inspected, with magnetic particle inspection and ultrasonic testing applied per the agreed control plan. Internal shrinkage and porosity are screened during development using sectioning and radiography.
Q3. Can you hold the slide pin bore alignment?
Yes. Both slide pin bores are finish bored in one setup on a CNC machining centre, and parallelism to the mounting datum is verified on a CMM for every inspection lot.
Q4. Do you support coating and corrosion testing?
We coordinate e-coat, zinc flake and phosphate coatings with qualified partners and can supply salt spray test reports to ASTM B117 alongside your PPAP package.
Q5. What volumes can you support?
We run both low-volume performance programmes and high-volume series production, with dedicated tooling and fixture sets retained for the life of the programme.
Q6. Can you work from a sample bracket?
We can. Send a production sample and we will 3D scan it, generate a drawing for approval, then build tooling to reproduce or improve the original geometry.
