A Comprehensive Guide to Custom Stainless Steel Parts
This guide answers every question you need to know about DEK’s custom stainless steel parts manufacturing services, including the types of materials we use, what benefits custom manufacturing provides, and other insights into custom stainless steel manufacturing.
With this FAQ guide, valuable answers that will help you understand custom stainless steel manufacturing will be given to help you make essential manufacturing decisions. Any other questions and queries not covered can be forwarded to our customer service representative or specialist engineers.
What are the benefits of choosing custom stainless steel parts?
With the amount of machine usage in companies and industries, machine parts are subject to damage through wear and tear. Because of this, it is essential to find excellent spare parts that will help your machine run perfectly.
Custom stainless steel parts are perfect for machinery because;
They increase the lifespan and the quality of your spare parts
DEK has over a decade of experience in custom stainless steel manufacturing, which makes it an ideal choice to manufacture high-quality stainless steel products that will increase the lifespan of your machine.
High compatibility
With custom stainless steel parts, your machine spare parts are made with their exact specifications, which have a higher chance of compatibility. Higher compatibility ultimately extends your machinery lifespan.
Saves time and costs on multiple purchases
When using custom stainless steel parts, you can save costs on buying multiple spare parts that are incompatible with your machine. The challenge with accepting what is readily available is that you may have to spend a long time looking for the exact machine spare parts that are compatible with your machine. These parts also come with the risk of low quality and high costs.
Easy to clean and manage
Custom stainless steel parts are the preferred material for industries and companies alike. Stainless steel is easy to clean and manage, making it the preferred choice for manufacturers, factories, pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers, and food manufacturers.
Highly durable
When choosing spare parts for your machine, it is crucial to consider how long you’d like the machine and the spare parts to last. Custom stainless steel parts are made to fit and are a highly durable choice because they last a long time.
Why do many machined parts choose stainless steel as the ideal material?
Though there are many materials that can be used for manufacturing spare parts, such as brass, copper, plastics, metals, aluminum, tool steel, nylon, and many more, stainless steel is the ideal choice for machined parts because it is highly durable, corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and aesthetic.
Stainless steel parts are also the go-to material for machined parts because they are suitable for use in varying industries across the board, e.g., food manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, construction, and others.
Which series of stainless steel is best for machining?
When dealing with stainless steel in machining, what you need to look out for is the stainless steel feed and speed. This refers to the cutting speed and feed rate when machining.
You need to know that though some stainless steel, such as 302 and 303, may be appropriate for other practices and uses, stainless steel for machining needs to have good cutting speed and feed rate so that it can be easily handled during manufacturing.
This is why the 400 series, especially the 430F, is the stainless steel for machining.
Which kinds of stainless steel can be customized?
The austenitic and ferritic stainless steels are the most common types of stainless steels on the market due to their high malleability properties and higher corrosion resistance.
For the austenitic stainless steel, it is most easily found in materials to be used involving salt and other chlorides, and wire basket or high heat uses. Austenitic steels grades include stainless steel 304 and 316.
Ferritic stainless steel has a strong tensile strength which makes it suitable for heavy-duty applications and excellent pitting resistance. Ferritic stainless steel of grades 430 and 434 can be customized.
What machining technologies can be used to machine the Stainless Steel?
For machining stainless steel, the machining technologies needed are;
Mill turning machines for making different shapes, threading machines to create a variety of screw threads, boring machines to make cylinders, pipes, and assemblies, broaching machines for machining holes, teeth, and keyways, and burnishing machines to improve the surface of the metal after completion.
CNC machining VS. Laser cutting, which is best for my customized parts?
Depending on the results you need, either CNC machining or laser cutting can be the best for your customized machine parts.
CNC machining
CNC machining uses a computer-based software program to translate the directions of an expert-created design to the machine, which begins to cut the sheet according to the dimensions relayed. CNC cutting or machining uses less heat and allows the expert to create an excellent design before cutting begins.
CNC machining is suitable for machine parts with larger dimensions and saves more energy than laser cutting.
The drawback of CNC cutting is that it creates jagged edges that need to be smoothened since the metal is cut with a machine.
Laser cutting
Instead of a computer-based software program translating the directions of an already created design to a machine that begins to cut the sheet, laser cutting relies on using a high-energy light beam to burn through the material until the required design is achieved.
Laser cutting creates clean and sealed edges because burning is used. It also creates precision in dimensions. This is because laser cutting can cut up to 0.1mm, while CNC cutting can only go as low as 1mm.
What are the applications of custom stainless steel parts?
Because stainless steel has many properties that make it a desirable material for companies across the board, these industries have found numerous applications for custom stainless steel parts.
These are:
- Automotive: Stainless steel is used in manufacturing automotive parts such as exhaust systems, gills, and rims. They are also featured in other forms of transportation in making shipping containers, road tankers, and refuse vehicles.
- Medical: Stainless steel is the preferred material for cleaning and sterile environments because it does not rust easily. It is also used in the manufacturing of many medical pieces of equipment and surgical implants.
- Aircraft construction: Stainless steel’s ability to withstand extreme temperatures makes it the preferred choice in aircraft construction.
- Food and Catering: Stainless steel is used to manufacture various cookware and is used to finish freezers, refrigerators, and countertops. It is also used in grills, cookers, saucepans, and sinks.
- Marine: Stainless steel is also applicable in tanker and vessel manufacturing and building and construction projects.
What is the reason stainless steel parts rust?
Stainless steel may be able to withstand high heat, easy to clean, durable, and have non-corrosive properties, but after extended periods of use, stainless steel parts may begin to rust.
Here are the reasons why stainless steel parts rust;
- Improper cleaning: When working with different materials on your stainless steel surfaces every day, it becomes vital to ensure that the surface is cleaned thoroughly and dried regularly to ensure that iron is not able to cause a rust-friendly reaction.
- Harsh cleaning materials: Some cleaning materials are made of harsh chemicals that can react to the stainless steel’s chromium oxide layer and slowly eat away at this protective layer. Without this protective layer, rust can quickly begin to form.
- Abrasive cleaning with harsh materials: When materials dry and cake up on stainless steel spare parts, it is important to use soft, non-abrasive materials to clean the stainless steel parts. Simply spraying the surface with water allows debris to soften and makes for easy removal. Avoid using steel wool, steel sponges, or wire brush on your stainless steel parts to avoid scratching the surface, allowing rust.
How to protect custom stainless steel parts from corrosion?
Though custom stainless steel parts are made from high-quality stainless steel with a chromium oxide protective layer, maintenance is a crucial step to improving the lifespan of your spare parts.
When your stainless steel part is used, clean the surface with mild detergent or soap and warm water. Make sure the surface is washed daily, or every time it is used with clean water and wiped with a soft, clean cloth. Ensure that the spare parts are entirely wiped dry.
Stainless steel parts can last for extended periods when appropriately maintained. They also extend your machine lifespan and save your avoidable costs and expenses.
What is the best way to clean stainless steel parts?
The best way to clean stainless steel parts is to use a mild detergent or soap to clean the surface. You can also use warm water and ensure that the surface is wholly wiped dry with a cloth.
It is essential to clean stainless steel parts regularly to ensure that the surface retains its protective layer and that rust does not begin to form.
In the case of medical and pharmaceutical requirements for cleanliness, mild cleaning agents can be used to ensure that you adhere to the rules for cleanliness and hygiene.
What kinds of surface finishing can be chosen for stainless steel parts?
Stainless steel finishes affect the final result and appearance of every finished product. Depending on the desired outcome for your custom stainless steel part, there is a specific stainless steel finish perfectly available to suit your needs.
Stainless steel finishes are grouped into grades in the industry due to the results achieved from each finish.
These grades range from #1 to #8, which provides a rough and uniform appearance, slightly reflective but smooth and uniform, brushed finish, the directional or satin finish used mainly by pharmaceutical industries, shiny and reflective, and bright mirror-like finish.
The finishing processes used to achieve these finish include;
- Mechanical polishing
- Glass beading
- Electroplating
- Electro-polishing
- Powder coating
- Physical vapor disposition (PVD) and more.
Depending on what the custom stainless steel spare parts are to be used for, the finishing process and grade differ to achieve your results and specifications.
How do I choose the best Custom Stainless Steel Parts Machining Supplier in China?
Choosing the best custom stainless steel parts machining supplier in China should be determined by the years of experience and expertise the supplier has, how many materials they can work with, the extensive type of advice they provide for your custom projects, the manufacturing process, and technology used, and their ability and willingness to answer any inquiries you have at any time.
DEK provides an exceptional service that covers every aspect of custom stainless steel machining supplies service in a way that leaves you feeling confident in our skills, the quality of products provided, and our willingness to serve you.
Does DEK offer Custom Stainless Steel Parts Service?
Yes, we do. DEK offers custom stainless steel parts manufacturing to help save time and costs and extend your machine’s lifespan by providing extensive custom stainless steel parts service for various industries worldwide.
We partner with the best to provide high-quality custom stainless steel parts that stand the test of time. Our expert engineers are seasoned in working with specialized materials and machinery to produce excellent stainless steel parts designed and manufactured to your specifications.
DEK also works with other materials such as aluminum, alloy steel, tool steel, brass, invar, copper, mild steel, titanium, Inconel, and other metals. We also work with plastic products such as nylon, PPT, Acrylic, POM, ABS, etc.
We keep abreast of advancing technologies and methods in the industry and are continuously educating ourselves on ways to provide outstanding services to our clients while setting ourselves apart in the industry.
