Quality Fabrications
We specialise in stainless steel fabrications, our fabricators manufacture stainless steel fabrications in the following stainless steel grades:
1.4301 & 1.4307
Also known as 304, 304L & 18/8 (18% Chromium / 8% Nickel) this is an austenitic grade the most widely used stainless steel due to its excellent corrosion resistance in most general environments and gives good welding performance. Used in food processing areas, kitchen sinks worktops & splashbacks.
1.4404
Also known as 316L it an austenitic grade and includes an addition of Molybdenum this gives the material improved corrosion resistances over 1.4301 stainless steel. Due to its resistance to chemical erosion it is widely used in laboratory equipment, chemical & petrochemical equipment and marine / coastal fittings.
UNS S310008
Also known as 310 stainless steel an austenitic grade has excellent high temperature properties with good ductility. This is due to its high content of Chromium and Nickel. It is superior to grade 1.4301 stainless steel in most environments, however due to its superior strength in high temperatures (up to 1100ᵒC) it is generally used for furnace parts, heat exchangers and burner parts.
1.4003
This is a ferritic stainless steel often used in place of mild steel. It has similar properties to Cromweld. Due to its low cost compared to stainless steel but still been 250 times more corrosion resistant then mild steel it is used extensively in industry. It is generally used for applications that require strength and some corrosion resistance such as vehicle frames, material handling machines, hoppers or chimneys.
Stainless steel is supplied as sheet, plate, sections, tube and bar. All forms can be fabricated into finished products using a wide range of processes.
Stainless steel can be cut by many different methods depending on the shape and form. Stainless steel sheet & plate material we can cut by laser cutting, plasma cutting or guillotine. Stainless steel sections and bar we cut by circular saw.
Most grades of stainless steel can be formed easily we form sheet, plate & tube with our CNC press brake, hydro form bender, bending rolls both hand and NC controlled and hydraulic tube bender.
Joining stainless steel products is usually done by TIG or MIG welding. Care must be taken when assembling stainless steel parts to avoid cross contamination from steel tables, tools, clamps etc. all these items must be clean thoroughly before use. Stainless steel has good welding properties but is very difficult to keep flat its linier expansion is 1.7 times that of mild steel. The best way to minimise distortion is to keep heat input down to a minimum and clamp all parts down to a flat table prior to welding. Heat sinks can be used to absorb the heat especially on thin materials.
Stainless steel can also be joined very successfully using resistance welding or mechanical fixings e.g. riveting or bolts.
Stainless steel fabrications are not usually coated due to their high resistance to corrosion. Stainless steel fabrications can be finished to a polished specification or just pickled and passivated with a mill finish.
Polished finishes can be produced from a standard 240 grit finish right up to a mirror polish. After welding the heat affected zone will have caused a Chromium depletion leaving an iron rich zone around the weld. If this area is not cleaned correctly it will corrode very easily. The area is chemically cleaned to remove the iron oxides (discoloured area) this area then needs to be passivated to accelerate the forming of the Chromium oxide layer.