Application industries of stainless steel materials in hardware processing
What are the application industries of stainless steel materials in hardware processing, and what are their uses? In fact, stainless steel has a wide range of uses, involving the food and catering industry, hospital and pharmaceutical industry, building and construction industry, automotive industry, aerospace industry, etc.
With the prosperity of the industrial revolution, improvements were made to the design and application of previous inventions. Most noteworthy is the experimentation with steel and the resulting enhancements, which led to the creation of stainless steel. The advantages of stainless steel include excellent corrosion resistance, high strength and beautiful appearance, which is why it is an ideal choice for numerous industrial applications.
Here are five industrial uses of stainless steel:
Food and catering industry
When stainless steel was first invented, it was called “chrome steel” because it mainly used “chromium” as its important alloying agent. It was also called rust-free steel, and its main use was advertised as “particularly suitable for tableware.”
Before the advent of stainless steel, tableware was also called silverware, because spoons, knives, chopsticks and other tableware were mainly made of silver, a non-corrosive metal. But one disadvantage of silverware is that it is more expensive and has a limited user base.
The invention of stainless steel revolutionized the food and restaurant industry, not least because its application range expanded to include pans, knives, kitchen sinks, prep tables, and even cheese graters.
Hospital and Pharmaceutical Industries
In the decades before the invention and mass production of stainless steel, advances in medicine had reached a critical point where awareness and importance became the norm when it came to hygiene and sterilization.
The advent of stainless steel was revolutionary in the industrial and medical fields. For doctors, especially surgeons, utensils made of stainless steel are easier to sterilize, stronger, and more durable. When it comes to bone implants to repair or replace completely broken bones, stainless steel is the choice of most due to its strength and corrosion resistance. For other medical applications, all disposable hypodermic needles (also known as syringes) are made of stainless steel.
In these industries, stainless steel is widely used in the medical industry because of its cost-effective, hygienic, and durable characteristics.
Architectural and Construction Industries
Stainless steel plays an important role in modern architectural design. It is highly aesthetic and its reflective qualities add a modern touch to any structure. In addition to its aesthetic properties, stainless steel is also widely used in the architectural and construction industries, with obvious advantages.
Stainless steel’s corrosion resistance allows designers to place stainless steel units outdoors without having to worry about degradation from environmental factors – whether it’s from heat, rain, or snow. Another feature that makes stainless steel an ideal material for the building and construction industry is its ease of cleaning. Using common cleaning products is sufficient to maintain stainless steel parts.
Automotive Industry
Stainless steel is widely used in vehicles, primarily due to its ability to maintain its structural integrity despite the extreme temperatures and vibrations that vehicles are often exposed to. Additionally, stainless steel’s excellent corrosion resistance makes it ideal for use in automotive components such as fuel tanks and catalytic converters. Exterior automotive components such as mufflers and exhaust pipes are often made of stainless steel because of the metal’s unique sheen.
Aerospace Industry
While aluminum has long been a popular metal for aircraft due to its lightweight properties, stainless steel has also found widespread use in the aerospace industry. Compared to aluminum, stainless steel is stronger and more wear-resistant, and scratches, dents, and other forms of damage are not a problem for aircraft components made of stainless steel.
For many years, stainless steel components have been used in aircraft vehicles when it comes to high-impact and load-bearing components such as landing gear. While light weight is an important part of the aerospace industry, a strong landing gear is also very important to ensure that the aircraft lands safely on the ground.
Stainless steel has always been a valuable metal in various industries due to its strength, excellent corrosion resistance, and beautiful appearance. In the hardware processing industry, stainless steel is equally important.