Wednesday, 15 September 2021 09:30

Why are stainless steel products “stainless”?

B&P Engineering team B&P Engineering team pixabay

Stainless steel is an alloy of iron and other chemical components known to be more resistant to corrosion than plain steel. These chemical raw materials melt together to create an alloy.

Providing the iron with a passive oxide layer, they directly resist the formation of rust while creating a shiny surface. Consequently, being highly difficult to tarnish, the steel has become to be called “stainless”. 
 
Depending on the proportions of these elements, different types of stainless-steel alloys might be produced. Every unique combination is referred to as a “grade” of stainless steel. However, in order to work with various types of stainless steel, we need to know how they are made and how can be modified.

Stainless steel fabrication: How to Make Stainless Steel 

In order to start the process of fabrication, the raw materials need to be gathered and placed in a furnace. Further, they are being heated to their melting point. Subsequently, the molten material is decarbonized. The process can result in a standard or a low-carbon variant of the alloy, which, in turn, influences the hardness of the final product. To improve the steel’s quality, it is stirred to remove or modify stainless steel components.
 
Afterwards, various forming processes are being applied, leading to the next step: the annealing process. The material is heated or cooled under controlled conditions. In effect, the mechanical properties of the steel are modified. Finally, the material can be put through cutting and shaping processes to prepare the product for the final shipment. Yet, before the final delivery, the engineers need to run an analysis on every design produced.

Custom fabrication of stainless steel products

Fabrication of stainless-steel products might be spread into various parties or get done under one roof. However, using complete production lines has been proven to be more effective in providing better quality products customised to specific businesses while removing unnecessary production costs delegated to various parties.
 
Curious about how companies make their stainless steel products of the highest controlling quality? Or maybe you need customised stainless steel without any additional expenses paid to the third-party services? If so, reach out to the B&P Engineering team. This industrial equipment producer will spoil you with a full range of services related to stainless-steel products and will create a design aligning with your needs.