STAINLESS STEEL FORGING
Benefits of Forging Stainless Steel
Stainless steel offers exceptional advantages in forging, making it a top choice across demanding industries. Its high strength, excellent corrosion resistance, and superior durability ensure forged components perform reliably even in harsh environments. Stainless steel also maintains its integrity at high temperatures and is easy to clean and maintain, making it ideal for applications in aerospace, automotive, medical, and food processing. Additionally, its aesthetic appeal and recyclability contribute to both functional and environmental value. Choosing stainless steel for forging ensures long-lasting, high-performance parts with reduced maintenance needs.
Stainless steel is naturally corrosion-resistant due to the addition of chromium. The chromium reacts with the atmosphere to create a thin oxide layer on the surface, shielding it from the environment and reducing the risk of stress cracking, deformation, pitting, and other factors that would impact the structural integrity and lifespan of the forged components.
The forging process creates a continuous grain flow throughout the component, which improves the mechanical properties of stainless steel and increases strength, fatigue resistance, and impact resistance in the forged component.
Components designed for high-friction and high-heat applications made from stainless can withstand extreme temperatures without deforming or losing their structural integrity. Specialty stainless grades such as 17-4PH are particularly well-suited to applications that need to resist deformation under such conditions.
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F316/F316L
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F316H
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F304/F304L
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F304H
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F347
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F347H
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F44
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F51
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F60
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F321
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F321H
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F53
- ASTM A182 – 2024 F55
Stainless Steel Grades
300 and 400 series stainless steel are commonly used in forging. 300 series stainless steel is made of austenitic chromium-nickel alloys, while 400 series is made of martensitic and ferritic chromium alloys. Other exotic grades of stainless steel can also be used for critical or specialty applications.
Commonly forged stainless steel grades include:
- 304: 304 is one of the most common stainless steel grades. It has exceptional corrosion resistance and high ductility.
- 316: 316 is similar to 304 but has additional molybdenum for improved corrosion resistance, particularly in chloride environments. It’s commonly used in marine and chemical processing applications.
- 410: 410 is martensitic. With the addition of carbon, 410 can be hardened and is magnetic.
- 17-4PH: 17-4 is a precipitation age-hardening stainless with excellent strength and fatigue resistance. It excels in forging due to its dimensional stability throughout heat cycles.