When we talk about materials with wide applications in the construction business, home, power, and architecture, one material that comes to mind is stainless steel. No doubt, stainless steel has many applications in the modern world. However, there are many things people don’t know about it.Stainless steel is an incredibly versatile metal and is often used for CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Machining and CNC turning in the aerospace, automotive, and marine industries. Stainless steel is known for its corrosion resistance, and with various alloys and grades of stainless steel available, there are a wide variety of applications and use cases.Why Stainless Steel Stainless?
Stainless steel contains Chromium (>11%) which forms an oxide layer (Cr2O3 on the steel. This oxide acts as a passive layer and gives stainless steel its anti-rust property and a surface that does not stain or tarnish.
There are five general categories of stainless steel with different alloying elements and material structures:
- Austenitic Stainless Steel
- Ferritic Stainless Steel
- Martensitic Stainless Steel
- Precipitation Hardened Steel
- Duplex Stainless Steel (austenitic-ferritic)
Factors to consider when choosing a stainless steel grade
There are usually multiple factors that need to be considered when choosing a material for any project. With many different stainless steel grades available, it can be challenging to narrow down your choice. However, if you consider the following factors, you should be in a position to determine which grade is best for you.
1. Strength
Tensile strength is often a critical factor in determining the best material for your project. We recommend developing an understanding of the forces and loads that will be experienced by your parts and comparing this against the various tensile strengths on offer. This will help you eliminate any materials that won’t offer the required strength.
2. Heat treatment
If you have specific hardness requirements for your parts, you may wish to consider heat treatment. Bear in mind that whilst heat treatment improves the hardness of your parts, this may come at the expense of other mechanical properties. Also, note that austenitic stainless steels cannot be heat-treated, thus eliminating this category from your material choice.
3. Magnetism
Whether a part is magnetic or not is an essential factor to consider in specific projects. Remember that austenitic steel is non-magnetic due to its microstructure.
4. Cost
If cost is the most important factor for your project. Bear in mind, however, that the material cost is just one part of the overall cost. Try to reduce costs by reducing the number of machining operations and simplifying your parts as much as possible.
If you need to machine some stainless steel parts, just contact us freely. We're more than pleased to do our best to support you.
