Stainless Steel Sheet Plates

Stainless Steel Sheet Plates are sheet plates made of stainless steel. These plates are made in different grades of steel and in different sizes. The SS plates are highly durable, corrosion-resistant, and possess strong load bearing capacity. The steel is a strong material used in various applications. Stainless steel plates are generally used in construction, pre-fabricated structures, transportation, textile, marine and chemical industries.

Production of Stainless Steel Sheet Plate

Stainless steel is a ferrous alloy mixed with nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and silicon. These materials are melted together in a furnace. The materials completely melt and form a homogenous mixture.

Proportions of elements like iron, chromium, nickel, molybdenum and carbon establish what kind of steel is obtained. The ratio of iron to materials used in the production process determines how much the final stainless steel grade is resistant to oxidization and also to specific types of corrosive materials. The proportion also determines physical properties, such as melting point, hardness, ductility, tensile strength and shear modulus of stainless steel. Each unique combination of the main elements in the production of stainless steel is referred to as ‘grade’. Stainless steel has different grades, like SS304, SS316, SS316 L, SS420, etc.

Manufacturing process

Once the raw materials are collected, manufacturers can begin the production process. The process entails various steps as follows:

Raw material melting – the different materials are kept in an electric furnace and heated till they melt. The process takes between 8 to 12 hours. Once all the materials are melted, next step is followed.

Removal of excess carbon – excess carbon present in the molten material is removed by placing the mixture in a vacuum oxygen decarburization. In the process, the amount of carbon removed determines standard or low carbon steel variant.

Stirring – for improving quality of the end product, molten steel is stirred in order to remove specific component from or equally distribute in the mixture. This technique is applied to make sure that the end product is of uniform quality. It means that each and every inch of the stainless steel posses the same physical and chemical properties.

Metal Forming – once the mixture of stainless steel starts cooling, it can be put into different forming process. This could begin with hot rolling when the steel is still above the crystallization temperature. Hot rolling forms the steel into a rough shape. This process is used to create billets of metal. However, to form blooms or billets of perfect dimensions, the metal may be cold rolled.

Annealing/Heat Treatment – for relieving the internal stress and change the steels mechanical properties, the alloy could be annealed. Annealing is a process by which the alloy is heated and then cooled in a controlled environment. However, if annealing is done the steel often needs to be de-scaled to keep the protective oxide layer intact.

Cutting and shaping – once annealing is done, stainless steel undergoes cutting and shaping procedure. For making thick stainless steel plates the steel is cut mechanically with large metal shears. For thinner metal sheets, CNC punch or laser cutting machines are employed.

Surface Finish – the final product is applied with different surface finishes which vary on the intended use of steel. One common methods of surface finish is grinding down the surface to eliminate impurities and make the surface smoother.

Stainless Steel Sheet Plates are an important piece of stainless steel product that is used in a variety of applications. The plates are thick and strong which make them ideal for heavy duty applications in marine, chemical, textile, transportation, and construction industries. To fulfil the perennial demands of SS sheet plate, several trusted sellers at Tradeindia are offering seamless quality SS products at unbeatable prices. Buyers can contact us for all their requirements.