Facts You Need to Know to Improve the Outcomes of Your Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication Projects |
Posted: January 20, 2021 |
Custom stainless steel fabricationinvolves the use of many different skills and techniques. Oxyacetylene is generally used by fabricators to physically cut stainless steel. Top stainless steel fabrication Brisbane providers use CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machines to cut stainless steel with the help of different tools, such as laser cutting or water jet cutting. The machine allows the fabricators to achieve the desired shape from the metal sheet using automated cutting tools that significantly increase the speed of custom stainless steel fabrication process. Automation ensures that operator harm is minimized and accuracy is increased while the cost is reduced due to reduced labour costs and minimized wastage of material. Most types of stainless steels can be welded. Here are some tips for welding different types of stainless steels: Austenitic Steel: Most grades of Austenitic steel are well-suited for welding purposes. However, this grade is susceptible to sensitization and inter-granular corrosion if used for applications requiring the use of thicker steel sheets. It is also sensitized when heat-treated or used at temperatures in the range of 500 to 850 degrees Celsius. A complete steel component may be affected after service or heat treatment in critical temperature ranges. Martensitic Steel: This steel grade welds easily but may be prone to cracking. To address this issue, this stainless steel grade should be pre-heated and post-heated during the stainless steel fabrication Brisbane process. Duplex Steel: This grade is welding-efficient and works well in custom stainless steel fabrication processes that require the use of low thermal expansion. Some grades of Duplex steel have a higher nickel content that provides it improved ductility, strength, and resistance to corrosion. Ferritic stainless steel: To overcome the issues of low ductility, sensitization and high grain growth, this grade of stainless steel should be used with austenitic steel fillers or by post-heating the welded material. While some grades may be suitable for techniques such as drawing and work hardening when using them for applications involving thin wire, it may become impractical at larger diameters. So, a slower hardening stainless steel grade may be required when working for the applications requiring wider diameters. Stainless steel fabrication Brisbane process is used in a variety of applications such as building structures, high-pressure pumps, kitchen appliances, garden equipment, airplane components, furniture, escalators, fasteners, shafts, high-temper springs and more. Hardfacing for stainless steel A metalworking technique, known as hardfacing may be used in some custom stainless steel fabrication processes to increase the strength and enhance the lifespan of the manufactured products. Also known as cladding, the process involves applying wear-resistant material to a component’s surface. A harder material may be applied to the base metal to increase its durability. As such, the maintenance costs are reduced due to less repair or rebuilding. This leads to increased work efficiency of the fabrication project due to fewer breakdowns. Stainless steel hardfacing offers a range of advantages in fabrication processes. Alloys such as PH15 -7 Mo and 18-8 are often used as a facing material as they can withstand severe stress. Multi-layered hardfacing for stainless steel Some applications may require multi-layered hardfacing of stainless steel. These layers are individually welded to the substrate metal to minimize dilution of surface hardness. Some of the automated multi-layered hardfacing techniques used include flux-cored arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, electron beam welding, and oxyfuel welding. The welding process to use for an application would depend on the deposition rate of the process. For example, shielded metal arc welding has a deposition rate of 3 to 5 lbs/hr while deposition rate of flux-cored arc welding is 8 to 25 lbs/hr. Other considerations for hardfacing Some of the other factors to consider while selecting an appropriate hardfacing material include: • The temperature that the facing material may endure, • The type of base metal that needs to be hardfaced, • The desired level of corrosion resistance to be achieved, • Any machining or finishing requirement, and • The type of friction that will affect the wear of the metal. Although it has relatively high strength and work hardening rates, stainless steel is malleable meaning that it can be easily bent, machined, folded and deep drawn. It can be work-hardened to strengthen the material through deformation. Compared to other varieties of steel, stainless steel can be work- hardened quickly. A steel grade should be work-hardened as per its use. For example, austenitic stainless steel is usually work hardened through cold working while other grades, such as martensitic stainless steel variety could be better work hardened with a thermal treatment process known as cold working. If you want the best quality stainless steel fabrication Brisbane products for your projects, Brisbane Metal Products (BMP) has extensive capabilities, equipment, and skilled technicians to meet all your custom stainless steel fabrication requirements. BMP has over 50 years of experience providing expert service and project management to businesses around Australia. As a highly trusted fabricator, BMP uses the latest tools, equipment and automation techniques to ensure that your costs are minimized while the accuracy and precision of your project specifications is maintained. Besides stainless steel, BMP also offers fabrication services for a wide range of metals, wire, aluminium and a lot more. Visit https://www.brismetal.com.au/ for more details about the services offered by Brisbane Metal Products.
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