STAINLESS STEEL STAMPING  

Stainless steel is a strong and dependable alloy that is made from a min of 10.5% chromium alloy, which is what causes the steel to become stainless. There are many different variations of stainless steel, however the most common type used to create stainless steel metal stamping is 300 and 400 series. Whether it’s 300/400 series or other specialized stainless steel, Fortuna have the experience to work with one your stainless steel stamping parts needs

Some of the advantages of using stainless steel:

•Stainless steel is essentially immune to rust, oxidation and corrision.

•Stainless steel is extremely durable and has a high strength to weight ratio

•Stainless steel requires no plating and can be polished to many different finishes

• Some types of stainless steel can be heat treated after forming to add additional strength

With over 40 years experience in the metal stamping field business, Fortuna have supplied various stainless steel metal stamping parts and deep drawn parts to multi industries, such as automotive, hardware, electronic equipment and so on.

What is the Stainless Steel used for?

Stainless steel has thousands of applications, for everything from kitchen sinks to pocket knife blondes to screw used in the marine industry. One of the more familiar items made of stainless stele is flatware, sometimes called “good”, “better”, or “best” in retail stores. What separates these grades is the amount of nickel added to the stainless to give it luster and brilliance. For example, the “good” stainless is usually 18-0 stainless steel. This means that the steel has 18 percent chrome and no nickel. In comparison, the “best” grade is 18-10, which means it has 18 percent and 10 percent nickel.

Stainless steel that is used for items such as pocket knives and surgical tool s has much more carbon in it. Carbon allows the steel to be hardened using a heat-treating process. Other types of stainless steel, such as the type used for forming a kitchen sink, have low carbon content, resulting in a softer, more stretchable material.

Stainless steel also is used commonly in the automotive industry. The exhaust of an automobile is mostly made up of a high-temperature grade of stainless steel.

Characteristics of stainless steel stamping components:

•Fire and heat resistance: Stainless steel is especially resistant to thermal stress.

•Aesthetics: The clean and modern look of stainless steel can satisfy the consumers.

•Long-term cost effective: Stainless steel endures for long time without a breakdown in quality and appearance.

•Sustainability: Stainless steel is considered one of the most sustainable alloy choices

Three Basic Types

Three basic types of steel are used in the stamping industry: austenitic, ferritic, and martensitic.

Austenitic . The austenitic grade usually is chosen for deep drawing. Austenitic grades typically contain lower carbon, which makes them highly suitable for making items such as kitchen sinks, deep fat fryers, and other deep formed parts .

Austenitic grades cannot be hardened with her treating, but instead by cold working the metal. They contain chromium and nickel, as well as other small amounts of alloys. Austenitic stainless steel has the greatest formability of any of the grades.

Two very common types of austenitic stainless steel are 304 and 304L (usually very low carbon content) and 316 and 316L (marine grades). This type of stainless is it annealed state.

Ferritic . The ferric grade is popular in the automotive industry, which requires resistance to both corrosion and heat. Depending on the amount of carbon and other alloys in the steel, ferritic grades also can have decent formability.

Unlike austenitic grades, ferritic grades do not contain nickel, and they are magnetic. They also are suitable for drawing. Typical applications include automobile exhaust systems, dishwashers, and dryers

Three typical types of ferritic stainless steel are 409, 439, and 430.

Martensitic  . Martensitic stainless steel is very similar to ferritic stainless steel, but with one main difference: Martensitic stainless steel has a greater amount of carbon. This allows the steel to be heat-treated. Heat treating the stainless increases its hardness, resulting in steel that is ideal for making cutting tools, knives, and surgical tools .

Unlike ferritic and austenitic grades, martensitic stainless steel is not suitable of drawing and stretching. It is strong and hard but brittle and difficult to form and weld. Typical applications include razor blades, pocket knives, tweezers, ball bearings, and plastic injection methods.

The most common type of this magnetic material is 420.

Three tempers: Each grade of stainless steel can be eight cold-worked or heat-treated to give it a specific strength. Most stainless steel provides designate the stainless steel’s hardness in one of five ways:

1. Half hard-Greater hardness achieved by further cold working or heat treating, and great toughness and strength

2. Full hard-Fully hardened, borderline brittle, with poor formability.

3. Quarter hard_Partially cold worked or heat-treated, with a slight increase in toughness and strength.

4. Three quarter hard-Almost fully hardened, but with some minor malleability left, and very tough

5. Dead soft- Fully annealed condition, as soft as possible.