Segregated stainless production
Stainless steel stays stainless only if it is worked that way.
Stainless steel is used wherever corrosion resistance, high-grade surfaces, hygiene or a lastingly clean appearance is called for. Alongside the grade itself, the way it is processed plays a decisive part.
Iron-bearing particles can reach the surface during storage, cutting, forming, welding or surface finishing. They come from tools, abrasives, work surfaces or contact with unalloyed steels, for example. Later they can turn into rust marks – even though the material itself is corrosion-resistant.
Segregated production runs from the layout of the shop to the discipline of the process.
At stainlesstec the whole shop is set up for working stainless steel and aluminium, and nothing else.
stainlesstec processes stainless steel and aluminium in a segregated environment with no contact with other types of steel. That protects material and surface while the part is still being made.
Tools, workstations and material flow are used strictly for stainless steel and aluminium work. That is a good basis for parts where quality lies not only in the geometry but in the surface as well.
Rust marks often start during processing
When rust marks appear on stainless steel, the cause does not necessarily lie in the steel. Often it is minute iron-bearing particles that reach the surface during processing or handling. They can lodge there and corrode later. Typical causes include:
- contact with unalloyed steel
- unsuitable or shared tools
- abrasives and brushes with iron residues
- contaminated clamping or work surfaces
- improper storage and transport
- residues from machining and welding processes
Segregated production rules out every one of these routes to contamination.
Segregated production as a process
At stainlesstec a high-grade stainless steel surface is preserved across many operations.
Goods inwards and storage
Care is taken from delivery onwards that high-grade surfaces stay protected and that no needless contact with unsuitable materials occurs. On filmed sheet, the protective film stays on the material as long as the operation in hand allows.
Laser cutting, punching and forming
During cutting and forming, workpiece and machine meet at numerous points. Tools, supports, rollers and clamps can therefore affect the eventual surface quality. On high-grade stainless steel parts, this stage already calls for thought about:
- Which surfaces will stay visible?
- Which will be welded later?
- Where is a defined grinding direction required?
- Which areas should be kept free of damage?
These requirements feed into the production plan.
Welding
Welding is about more than joining two parts permanently. Heat input, welding sequence, distortion, seam geometry and the surface treatment that follows all shape the result together. With high-grade visible surfaces, hygienic applications or thin-walled structures in particular, experienced specialist welders are needed. They judge not only the seam itself but also:
- heat input
- distortion
- clamping
- the order of the welds
- weld dressing
- transitions to visible or functional surfaces
Segregated production protects the material. The skill of our specialists protects the result.
The surface is more than appearance
On many stainless steel parts the surface performs a technical function. It can affect:
- corrosion resistance
- cleanability
- hygiene
- product adhesion
- visual quality
- suitability for subsequent surface treatments
On demanding projects, then, the note “ground” is often not enough. Depending on the application, the following have to be settled as well:
- grit or roughness value
- grinding direction
- visible surfaces
- product-contact areas
- permissible machining marks
- post-weld treatment
stainlesstec settles requirements like these with the customer before production begins.
And after welding?
Welding changes the surface. Depending on material, application and the quality required, different operations may then be needed – grinding, cleaning, or further chemical or electrochemical surface treatments, for instance.
Which treatment makes sense depends on the part: a visible part makes different demands from a process vessel, a pharmaceutical product-contact surface different ones from a machine cladding panel. We therefore look at material, weld, surface and application together.
Where segregated production matters most
Pharmaceutical & process technology
Food processing technology
High technology & special applications
Machinery & plant engineering
Segregated production and depth of in-house capability
A further advantage is that at stainlesstec many operations can take place within one coordinated chain. Depending on the part, it runs from laser cutting and punching through bending and forming to welding, straightening, surface finishing and assembly.
A demanding stainless steel part therefore does not have to move between different workshops and different environments after every operation. Fewer handover points also mean fewer risks from extra transport, handling, surface damage or unsuitable working conditions.
From high-grade sheet to finished assembly
Segregated production is therefore at its most effective when more than a single operation is considered. stainlesstec can take on complete process chains:
CAD data and drawing → cutting → forming → welding → straightening → surface finish → assembly → inspection → finished part
Responsibility for material, surface and build quality then stays in one pair of hands across much of the manufacturing process.
Typical parts from our segregated production
Welded assemblies
Process and pressure vessels
Sieves, sieve frames and filter components
Hoppers, cones and transitions
Enclosures, hoods and cladding
Bespoke builds
Segregated production is no substitute for a product specification
Segregated production is neither a material standard in its own right nor a blanket certification for pharmaceutical, food or other regulated applications. Whether a part suits a given application also depends on, for example:
- material grade
- design
- welding process
- surface requirements
- testing
- cleaning
- documentation
- industry-specific requirements
What it does create, though, is an important basis: a controlled environment for high-grade stainless steel and aluminium work.
Which further requirements apply to your project we therefore establish before production begins.
What we should know from you
The more precisely the material and surface requirements are described, the better we can tune the process to them. For a quick project assessment the following help most:
- drawing or CAD data
- material grade
- quantity
- the starting surface
- visible surfaces
- grinding direction
- the grit or Ra value wanted
- welding requirements
- product-contact areas
- the post-treatment wanted
- hygiene or cleanliness requirements
- packaging and protection requirements
- the documentation needed
Not every detail settled yet? Then send us what you have. Together we will work out which requirements really matter for sound production.
Why segregated production at stainlesstec?
Specialisation carried through
Material and surface are thought through together
Specialists master the critical operations
Many operations stay in one pair of hands
For single parts as much as small batches
Stainless steel resists corrosion – when the way it is worked preserves its properties.
Are you planning a part with high requirements for surface, corrosion resistance or cleanliness? Send us the drawing, the material and the surface requirements. We will assess how your part can be taken through our shop under control, from goods inwards to finished component.
Let’s talk about your project.
Send us your drawing or CAD data by email – together with material, batch size and your requirements. We will come back to you with a sound assessment.
or write directly to info@stainlesstec.de – simply attach your drawing, STEP or DXF file.
DIRECT LINE: +49 5121 690 85-0