Stainless steel is one of the most used metals in every Industry from automobiles, aerospace, construction, medical Industry, food industry, and making machining tools.
Stainless steel is highly corrosion-resistant metal. In terms of strength, some industries like aerospace, Military, and automobiles, it is used as an alternative to titanium, which shows the durability and strength of this metal.
If you are not sure in selecting stainless steel for your machining needs, don’t worry, this guide will help you through the all process of choosing the right grade or give you a clear view for selecting the right one.
Mainly stainless steel has a five-category, and each category has a grade.
| Category | Properties | Popular Grades | Applications |
| Ferritic | Magnetic, low corrosion and heat resistance compared to Austenitic steel. | 430, 446 | Automotive parts making and kitchen appliances. |
| Martensitic | Magnetic, moderate corrosion resistance | 416, 420, 440 | Knives, firearms, surgical instruments, hand tools. |
| Austenitic | Non-magnetic, highly corrosion and heat resistance. | 304, 316 | Food processing equipment, bolts, nuts, and other fasteners. |
| Precipitation Hardened (PH) | Strongest grade, heat treatable, corrosion resistant. | 17-4 PH, 15-5 PH | Aerospace. |
| Duplex | A stronger mixture of both Austenitic and Ferritic. | 244, 2304, 2507 | Water treatment plants, and pressure vessels. |
By adding other alloys stainless steel can be made harder, weldable, heat resistant, formable, non-reactive to acids, and chemicals. While there are so many grades available in stainless steel, it’s hard to choose one for machining. Wrong grade selectin can affect final product and production, creating a delay, and affecting profitability.
If you are not sure in selecting stainless steel for your machining needs, don’t worry, this guide will help you through the all process of choosing the right grade or give you a clear view for selecting the right one. if you have the question like.
What grade of stainless steel is best for machining?
Here is a list of stainless steel grades that are best for machining and majorly used in many Industries.
- 302
- 303
- 430F
Grade 302
Grade 302 contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel austenitic. It has more carbon compared to grade 304 that high tensile strength for machining and excellent corrosion resistant.
Stainless steel grade 302 is a higher version of grade 304 manufactured with high heat working and cold working for increasing hardness of stainless steel. Non-magnetic and hand enable manufactured with heat treatment makes it a perfect choice for making machining parts.
Grade 303
Grade 303 contains 18% chromium and 8% nickels alloy. It is non-magnetic and corrosion-resistant used in industrial machining parts. sulphur is added to improve the machinability and can be easily modified for any machining parts making it the best choice for making machining parts.
Grade 430F
Grade 430F performs very well in feed, and speed makes it the most popular in the machining industry. It is Ferritic stainless steel the same as grade 430 with added extra sulfur while manufacturing that improves machinability.
430F is used majorly in to produce shafts, fasteners, gears, solenoids, pinions, and various other types of equipment.
Stainless steel has a number of other grades. you can read more details of stainless steel grade and chemical comparison.
Some Tips for Machining Stainless Steel
- Machining equipment must be sturdy and hard compared to other machining equipment used for mild steel machining.
- Make sure that the workspace doesn’t vibrate and chatter while machining.
- Keep you cutting tools always sharp in a regular interval that improves productivity.
- Use lubricants when slow and heavy cuts are performed that helps to reduce the heat, keep other tools cool and cleans the cutout material.
- Make sure you finish the machining task in one shot.
- Clean the leftover after the process, if a small part of leftover enters in the machining process it can affect the final result.
Vishwa Stainless Pvt. Ltd. manufactures and exports a range of stainless steel bright bars in European countries like Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Malta, etc. Our SS Bright Bars are manufactured using precision technology to fulfill the exact requirements of machining applications of European industries.
Some of our Best Selling Products
For more details contact us or drop a mail at sales@vishwastainless.com
