Many times, project managers will overlook the numerous advantages of stainless steel because of its initial higher cost as compared to other materials. However, if you are looking for a material that can be used in a wide variety of applications and will increase the life of your project, stainless steel is the best value in the long run.
After just over two years of ramping up our stainless steel capabilities, it is now among Daman's largest revenue generators in our new products category. We've placed over $100,000 in stainless steel manifolds into the hydraulic industry including military defense, aerospace, subsea, marine, off-shore, work boats, food and processing, oil and gas, corrosive mining, and breweries.
What is Stainless Steel?
Chromium is added to low carbon steel which forms an invisible chromium oxide film on the surface. The film is a protective barrier that allows steel to "heal" itself simply by exposing it to oxygen. This includes mechanical and chemical damage. Stainless steel's corrosion resistant properties can be enhanced even further by adding other elements, such as nickel, nitrogen and molybdenum during manufacturing.
Advantages of Stainless Steel
Corrosive Resistant Properties - Different grades of stainless have different corrosion resistant properties. An invisible layer of chromium oxide protects stainless steel, making it stain and corrosion resistant.
Strength-to-weight advantage - There is a significant strength-to-weight advantage when using stainless steel as opposed to other materials. Due to its unique ability to resist corrosion, heat damage, and chemical damage, high strength duplex grades provide added strength which allows for a reduced thickness in the material.
Recyclable - Stainless steel is 100 percent recyclable.
Uses of Stainless Steel
Its strength, durability, and excellent corrosion resistance make stainless steel the optimum choice for many applications such as subsea, mining, oil and gas, washdown, semiconductor, and the medical and food industries.
Stainless Steel Capabilities at Daman
At Daman, we can produce most of our standard products in stainless steel, including cavity body applications. To keep up with the growing need for stainless steel in the hydraulic industry, we continue to expand our stainless machining capabilities.
In many cases, Daman can use readily available 17-4h1150 stainless steel in place of ductile iron which is much stronger than its more popular cousins 304 and 316. On the Rockwell C scale, it has a hardness of 28 and a yield strength of 105,000 PSI.
Our stainless steel products are passivated to maximize the natural corrosion resistance of the material. This process removes surface contamination that can potentially form rust or initiate corrosion.
Things to Consider
Before choosing a material, you will need to consider the application of your product, as well as working pressure (in accordance with ISO 4413), and the environment where it will be used. If stainless steel is an option, and you are looking for a material that will increase the life of your project, you might want to consider stainless steel.
Send your Stainless Steel manifold requirements to quotes@daman.com