Industrial & Manufacturing Blog
Stainless steel, without a doubt, is one of the most commonly used metals in the fabrication process. This material can be found in a vast range of industries ranging from aeronautical projects, construction projects and so on. The reason behind the popularity of stainless steel is the multiple benefits that it offers. Firstly, it is non-corrosive, making it one of the top choices for applications that will encounter water. Secondly, it is easy to work with, so it can be formed into a wide array of shapes.
Nonetheless, despite the popularity of stainless steel, some people may not know that this is a manufactured product rather than a natural element. Furthermore, you may not be aware of what goes into stainless steel manufacturing to create this alloy. This article looks at the main steps that go into stainless steel manufacturing.
Creation of the alloy
For stainless steel to be formed, various metals and elements need to be mixed. The first step in the stainless steel manufacturing process is putting iron into a furnace with a percentage of chromium. These two materials are heated together until they melt and form an amalgamation. When the materials are still in the molten state, additional elements can be added to the heated mixture depending on the primary properties required from the stainless steel.
A few of the common elements that are added to the iron and chromium mixture include silicon, nickel, titanium and manganese. Once the molten metals have been processed, the mixture is placed inside an AOD (Argon Oxygen Decarburization) converter to eliminate the excess carbon in the mix. After the carbon is extracted, the mixture is stirred until the right consistency is reached.
The casting of the stainless steel
When the right consistency of molten metal is reached, the stainless steel is then poured into casts to create tubes or rectangles. The shapes that are formed undergo rolling, which is a process of putting the shapes through several rolls to flatten the stainless steel into sheets that can be easily fabricated. The ambient temperatures during the tolling process will influence the finish of the stainless steel sheets, with cold rolling providing a superior finish when compared to hot rolling.
Annealing of the stainless steel
The last step in stainless steel manufacturing is annealing of the fabricated sheets. Annealing involves putting the steel through alternating hot and cold conditions so that the flexibility of the material is enhanced. During the annealing process, scale can accumulate on the surface of the metal, and this will have to be eliminated once the annealing process is concluded. Once the annealing process is complete, the stainless steel is cut and is ready to be employed for different applications.
For more information, contact your local stainless manufacturing company.
Share12 October 2018
If you work in or run an industrial or manufacturing facility, safety is key. In this blog, we are going to talk a lot about safety. However, we are also going to veer into other aspects of these industries as well. There will be posts directed toward consumers, business owners, workers and many others. Before you start reading, let me introduce myself. My name is Steve. I used to volunteer at an animal refuge where I put together a lot of buildings and frequently visited sheet metal processing facilities, fence manufacturing companies and similar businesses. I was incredibly interested in what they did so I decided to create this blog. Thank you for reading.
