0.8MM Thick Stainless Steel Metal Pipe Punching SS316L 6.8M

The history of stainless steel

When people use the term “stainless steel,” they often use it as a “catchall” term, but in reality, there are several different types of stainless steel with a variety of uses.

Stainless steel is an alloy that is produced by combining a variety of different base metals to create a new material. Like with other alloys, the final product is considerably stronger than each of the source materials would be on their own.

The History Of Stainless Steel

People have been experimenting with metal alloys for thousands of years. While examples of iron smelting can be found as far back as 1800 B.C., the introduction of crucible steel goes as far back as 300 B.C.

Before casting molten stainless steel, calibration and reduction of carbon content to the proper level is essential.

There are two ways foundries control carbon content.

The first is through Argon Oxygen Decarburization (AOD). Injecting an argon gas mixture into the molten steel reduces carbon content with minimal loss of other essential elements.

The other method used is Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization (VOD). In this method, molten steel is transferred to another chamber where oxygen is injected into the steel while heat is applied. A vacuum then removes vented gases from the chamber, further reducing carbon content.

Both methods offer precise control of carbon content to ensure a proper mixture and exact characteristics in the final stainless steel product.

Stainless Steel Metal Pipe Specification

Elemental comparison of the different materials