It is sometimes referred to as A2 stainless. Common Uses for Stainless Steel. Posted by: Dani Weinhandl on May 27, Common Stainless Steel Products and Applications Most often, stainless steel is used for applications requiring the unique properties of steel along with resistance to corrosion. It is most often made into: Culinary uses Kitchen sinks Cutlery Cookware Surgical tools and medical equipment Hemostats Surgical implants Temporary crowns dentistry Architecture pictured above: Chrysler Building Bridges Monuments and sculptures Airport roofs Automotive and aerospace applications Auto bodies Rail cars Aircraft Stainless Steel Corrosion Resistance Stainless steel in the series is resistant to weaker bases like ammonium hydroxide - even in high concentrations and at high temperatures.
Topics: Metal Products Stainless Steel. Subscribe to Our Blog. Recent Posts. More Posts Like This. What is Stainless Steel? Raw Materials Stainless steel metal is formed when the raw materials of nickel, iron ore, chromium, silicon, molybdenum, and others, are melted together. The Manufacturing Process: How to Make Stainless Steel Once the raw materials are gathered, the rest of the stainless steel manufacturing process can begin.
Here are the basic steps: Melting the Raw Materials. The different stainless steel materials are placed in a furnace typically an electric furnace for modern stainless steel manufacturing applications and heated to their melting point. This process can take anywhere between 8 and 12 hours, according to metalsupermarkets.
Once the metal is molten, stainless steel manufacturing can proceed to the next step. Removal of Excess Carbon. The molten material placed into a vacuum oxygen decarburization VOD or argon oxygen decarburization AOD system to remove excess carbon.
Depending on how much carbon is removed, this process could result in a standard or a low-carbon variant of the alloy—for example, versus L stainless steel. This can affect the tensile strength and hardness of the final product. Tuning or Stirring. This helps to ensure that the stainless steel is of uniform quality and will meet the specifications required by end users like Marlin Steel. Forming the Metal. As the stainless steel begins to cool, it is put through a variety of forming processes—starting with hot rolling while the steel is still above its crystallization temperature.
Hot rolling helps get the steel into a rough shape, and is often used to create billets or blooms of metal. To create metal blooms or billets of precise dimensions, the stainless steel may be cold rolled. Cutting and Shaping. After the annealing process, stainless steel is put through a variety of cutting and shaping processes to create an ideal final product for the application. Depending on the grade or format ordered, a steel might go through some of these steps multiple times to create the desired appearance or characteristics.
Performed at temperatures higher than the recrystallization temperature of the steel, this step helps to set the rough physical dimensions of the steel. Precise temperature control throughout the process keeps the steel soft enough to work without altering the structure.
The process uses repeated passes to adjust the dimensions of the steel slowly. In most cases, this will involve rolling through multiple mills over time to achieve the desired thickness. Often used when precision is required, cold rolling occurs below the recrystallization temperature of the steel. Multiple supported rollers are used to shape the steel. This process creates a more attractive, uniform finish.
After rolling, most steel undergoes an annealing process. This involves controlled heating and cooling cycles. These cycles help to soften steel and relieve internal stress. The exact temperatures and times involved will depend on the grade of steel, with both heating and cooling rates impacting the final product. It can also impact the stain-resistance, durability and weldability of the steel. Descaling or pickling removes this scale using either acid baths known as acid pickling or through controlled heating and cooling in an oxygen free environment.
Depending on the final product, the metal might return to rolling or extruding for further processing. This is followed by repeated annealing phases until achieving the desired properties. The most common methods are mechanical methods, such as cutting with guillotine knives, circular knives, high-speed blades or punching with dies.
The best option will depend on both the grade of steel requested and the desired shape of the delivered product. Stainless steel is available in a variety of finishes from matte to mirror. Finishing is one of the last steps involved in the manufacturing process. Common techniques include acid or sand etching, sand blasting, belt grinding, belt buffing and belt polishing. At this point, the steel is gathered in its final form and readied for shipping to the customer.
Rolls and coils are common ways to both store and ship large quantities of stainless for use in other manufacturing processes.
However, the final form will depend on the type of steel required and other factors specific to the order. Understanding the proper stainless steel grades and types for specific uses and environments is an essential part of ensuring long-lasting results and optimizing costs. As a leading source of stainless steel throughout Canada for more than 40 years, we have the knowledge and resources to help you find the ideal product for your requirements.
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