Camshafts are used in automobile engines to regulate the opening and closing of the pistons. Production camshafts are cast from steel for assembly-line auto manufacture. Custom camshafts are crafted from steel billets for racing applications.
Production camshafts are cast in a foundry using grade 17 cast iron with 1 percent chrome added. According to Newman Cams, the molten iron and chrome is poured into a mold where it cools quickly and a carbide matrix forms on the surface of the camshaft lobes.
Performance engines and racing engines use custom manufactured camshafts. High-quality steel billets are crafted into camshafts using lathes and milling machinery. These are very time consuming to manufacture and cost more than cast production camshafts.
Camshafts that are made of nitrided steel are extremely hard and durable. A layer of nitrogen molecules are embedded on the surface of the camshaft, which increases the hardness of the metal.
