You may already know the properties of different stainless steel types. For example, grade 304 of stainless steel has excellent corrosion resistance or grade 430 of stainless steel has extremely high hardness. However, a standard query in most people’s minds is, how is stainless steel manufactured? In this article, you will come to know the details of the manufacturing process of stainless steel. If you want to get steel fabrication work done, check out marine engineering Malaysia.
The process of making stainless steel
When stainless steel is made, the manufacturer has to determine which steel type and grade they plan to make. This decision is crucial since it will affect the number and quantity of the different materials that would be required.
The process of manufacturing stainless steel
The first step in manufacturing stainless steel is gathering all the raw materials. Once all the raw materials have been gathered, manufacturing can begin.
Melting of the raw materials
The first step in making stainless steel is to put all the different materials used to make stainless steel in a furnace. Most often, an electrical furnace is used. The materials are heated till the temperature reaches the melting point of metals. This process takes around 8 to 12 hours, depending on the metals used. Once the metal has completely melted, the following procedure can be started.
Excess carbon removal
The raw materials, after melting, are put in an argon oxygen decarbonization (AOD) or vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) system for the purpose of removing any excess carbon that is present. Depending on the level of carbon that gets removed during this process, the alloy may be referred to as either the standard or low carbon versions. This step also affects the hardness and tensile strength of the product. IN Malaysia steel fabrication is done by Stainless Steel Fabrication Malaysia.
Stirring or tuning
This step is done to fine-tune the final product quality. In this step, the molten steel is constantly stirred to help either distribute or cause the removal of specific stainless steel components from the mixture. This step is crucial. It ensures that the steel has a uniform quality. Another reason tuning is done is to make sure that the steel will meet the specification that has been put forth by the user.
Formation of the metal
Once the steel cools, it is passed through different forming processes. The forming process is started with hot rolling. Hot rolling is done when the steel is above crystallization temperature. The task of hot rolling allows the steel to get into a rough confirmation.
Annealing or heat treatment
This treatment is done to relieve any of the internal stressors. This also changes the mechanical properties of stainless steel.
Shaping and cutting
Once the annealing process is complete, the steel is run through a variety of shaping and cutting techniques to create the final product. For example, for making metal plates, the steel may be cut with large shears.
Finally, the surface finish is applied before it is shipped off to the buyer.
