Stainless Steel is made from elements found on the earth's surface. The two most prominent elements found in stainless steel are iron and carbon. Other elements include nickel, chromium, silicon, nitrogen, and magnesium.
Stainless Steel is corrosion-resistant, durable, long-lasting, and temperature resistant. Meaning this material can be used for a wide variety of components for medical, fiber-optic, aerospace, or automotive industries.
With over 57 types of stainless steel, the most common types seen in machining are :
303, 304, 316, 347, 416, 420, 430, 440C
Where can you find stainless steel components?
Surgical implants
Medical equipment
Automotive parts
Aerospace components
Aircrafts
Dentistry equipment
Why use stainless steel as your component material?
Stainless Steel is very easy to fabricate (forming & shaping methods), and environmentally friendly. Stainless steel is 100% recyclable, old/scrap stainless steel can be remelted into new stainless steel and does not produce toxic runoff (www.ulbrich.com).
Holds long-term value due to being maintenance-free and non-corrosive, unlike other metals that may not hold up long-term. The high initial cost is worth it.
Rust resistant
Hygienic/Sanitary, stainless steel is great to use if it will be in pharmaceutical labs, kitchens, and other sanitary spaces that need to be kept sterile.
Drawbacks of using Stainless Steel as a manufacturer:
In machining, there aren't many drawbacks to using this metal. Stainless steel can heat up quickly when manipulated. Through processes like welding or machining, overheating steel can lead to the potential risk of changing the chemical composition of the material.
Working with Swiss Technologies of New England
Choosing the right metal for your project can sometimes feel like a daunting task when you need to be fully aware of what each has to offer with its strengths and weaknesses. Here at Swiss Technologies, we provide a material chart on our website that highlights the characteristics and usage of the elements of each metal type. As we are not a metal fabricator, we do work with various grades of metals every day, machining components. But we will help guide you to the best metal fabricators that work with us to get you what you need.
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