Stainless steel is the most common type of metal used in manufacturing projects; its different forms of alloys and grades are available to choose from. High strength, durability, formability, machinability, and competitive prices are the key reasons why stainless steel is so popular, including for customized parts and products.
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CNC machining, laser cutting, fabrication, and other various technologies are prevalent for custom stainless steel parts, offering flexibility in customization of shape, size, features, surface, and performance.
Moving on, we will discuss manufacturing methods, stainless steel selection, cost minimization, and reliable ordering of custom stainless items.
Before delving into a detailed discussion, first, let’s look at real-world examples of custom stainless steel parts across multiple industries;
Industry
Examples of Custom Parts
Why Stainless Steel?
Automotive
Exhaust systems, fuel tanks, engine parts, decorative trim, suspension items
Heat resistance, corrosion resistance, strength, lightweight
Medical and Surgical
Surgical instruments, implants, medical devices, sterilization trays, dental tools
Biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, sterilization, precision
Aerospace
Aircraft engine parts, structural components, fuel systems, hydraulic systems, satellite parts
Strength-to-weight ratio, heat & corrosion resistance, durability
Food & Beverage
Processing equipment, piping systems, valves and fittings, storage tanks, utensils and tools
Hygienic, corrosion resistance, ease of cleaning, durability
The table is just an overview to give you ideas about possible uses of custom stainless parts & products. Besides this, several other industries and research projects require them.
The Upcoming Sections will go through manufacturing methods, material considerations, cost factors, and other various aspects.
Several different manufacturing processes can be applied for custom stainless steel parts, including CNC machining, metal casting, sheet metal fabrication, and 3D printing. Meanwhile, the choice depends on the design complexity, stainless alloy type, production volume, etc.
Let’s elaborate on common processes in brief;
CNC machining of stainless steel rod
The CNC machining process crafts the stainless material into the desired shape with material removal. Machining operations like milling, turning, drilling, threading, and tapping are used with corresponding tooling and equipment. Milling is for complex contours, stainless steel turned parts for cylindrical parts, drilling for precise holes, and tapping for internal threads.
Based on the CAD models, stainless steel machining can quickly produce complex stainless parts and products.
Stainless steel fabrication
Another way to produce custom parts is sheet metal fabrication, where blank sheets are converted into custom shapes through cutting, forming, joining, stamping, and other necessary techniques. Typically, stainless sheets ranging from 0.5 to 6mm in thickness can be used for fabrication operations.
With die and punch tooling, the custom parts can be fabricated in large volumes, maintaining consistent quality. Some examples of custom parts include tanks, vessels, and components for the food and medical industries.
Stainless steel casting
Casting involves shaping the molten form of stainless steel by solidifying it in pre-determined cavity shapes (molds or dies). Primarily, sand casting is used for stainless steel due to high melting temperatures. In the process, a “pattern,” a replica of the desired custom part, is either machined or 3D printed, and then the pattern is used to make the cavity and die. Following that, the molten charge is poured/injected and solidified. This method is particularly suitable for mass production.
Stainless Steel 3D Printing
3D printing is mainly used for stainless steel prototypes and small scale production of custom parts. Metal 3D printing techniques Selective Laser Melting(SLM), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), and binder jetting can build the stainless steel parts.
3D printing techniques allow you to work on intricate designs that are difficult or impossible to achieve with machining and casting. E.g., auto fuel nozzles, engine parts, industrial tooling, and custom fixtures.
We have discussed a few popular types and grades of stainless in the first section of the article. However, more than 150 stainless steel grades are used in manufacturing. Their variations in alloy composition offer unique properties, advantages, application preferences, and manufacturability.
The following are the key considerations you can follow in choosing the right alloy grade for your custom stainless parts;
First, consider the desired properties for required functionality and performance. For example, how much strength it requires, corrosion-resistance level, elasticity, thermal characteristics, etc. For this, first, identify the application scenario, like whether parts will be subjected to high stress or not, whether conductivity matters, and what the expected lifespan is.
Next, define the environment where custom parts will be used. For analysis, you can use the following questionnaire;
After examining these questions, look for stainless steel that can withstand the environment they will be exposed to.
Based on which technique you are using to manufacture the custom stainless steel parts, consider stainless steel machinability and cold-forming capabilities. Some alloy grades ( 303, 416, and 430F ) have better machinability than others, and some have high formability (304 and 316).
Analyze the market prices of different stainless steel types that can fulfill desired properties and manufacturability criteria. Try to balance the cost and the value material offers for your custom parts.
Check whether your parts need specific industry standards in material selection or not. For instance, you need to choose FDA-approved grades for food processing and medical applications.
Austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, and duplex, all types of stainless steel are compatible with custom manufacturing techniques. Meanwhile, 304, 316, 430, 17-H, and Duplex are the frequently used grades.
Type
Grade
Strength
Hardness
Machinability
Formability
Thermal Conductivity
Cost
Austenitic
304, 316, 303, 321, 347
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Ferritic
430, 409, 434, 439
★★★
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Martensitic
410, 420, 440A, 440C
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Duplex
, ,
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★★★
Precipitation-Hardening
17-4 PH, 15-5 PH, 13-8 Mo
★★★★
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★★★★
(If you are more interested in a comparison of alloy grades, read “304 vs 316 stainless steel and alloy steel vs stainless steel” for a detailed comparative discussion.)
Below are some engineering design tips for custom stainless parts you can follow to ensure high durability. With the right surface finish and periodic maintenance, stainless parts can efficiently perform for more than 30 years.
Stress concentration
For high-stress applications, minimize the stress concentrations by using fillets on edges, keeping wall thickness uniform, and reinforcing the high-stress sections with ribs and gussets.
Metal workpiece for milling
It is essential to choose the right type of stainless steel according to the manufacturing method so you can ensure strong build-up. For example, low-carbon stainless steel is best used for welding, whereas free-machining grades are ideal for CNC production.
Powder coating finish
You can treat the stainless parts with passivation, powder coating, electroplating, painting, hardening, or other surface processing methods to enhance corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and surface hardness.
FEA analysis
Use FEA to simulate real-case scenarios of stress, strain, and thermal behavior for custom stainless steel parts. Then, optimize the design based on the simulation findings. You can either use extensions of design software or dedicated FEA softwares like ANSYS for simulation.
Consider design elements for easy inspection, cleaning, and maintenance to prolong their lifespan. You can use modular designs to facilitate easy removal and replacement in case parts are worn or damaged.
Custom stainless steel components
Nowadays, a lot of industrial companies, suppliers, and even small-scale manufacturers order parts from the company machining stainless steel parts online instead of putting in heavy investment in equipment and factory setup. Getting custom parts with the utmost quality at the lowest possible cost requires consideration of different cost factors before ordering them. Let’s discuss these factors;
Manufacturing costs of custom stainless parts are heavily dependent on factors like how complex the designed features are, how precise tolerances are needed, and whether custom tools and fixtures are required. Therefore, try to optimize the complexity of the design without compromising the intended performance.
Prototypes and small batches are expensive in terms of per/part prices as significantly high tooling and setup costs are distributed over only a few parts. On the other hand, high-volume orders cost way less.
Next, consider the experience of the manufacturer you are ordering parts from and the overall network of manufacturing infrastructure in the location where the company is located. An experienced company machining stainless steel parts in China and Vietnam can offer highly competitive prices to Western companies because they have a strong network of material supply and manufacturing infrastructure along with relatively low-cost human resources involved in production.
The best practical way to find out which company can make your custom stainless steel parts at the best prices is by requesting quotes from multiple manufacturers. You can browse the online portals of service providers and send your design and end requirements, asking for detailed quotes with clear price structures and lead times.
Stainless investment casting is a way to make metal parts.
It is also called precision investment casting.
It helps make parts that are small and strong.
Many factories use this method to save time and cost.
First, a wax shape is made.
This wax shape looks like the final part.
The wax is covered with a ceramic shell.
After drying, the wax is melted away.
The empty shell is now ready for metal.
Next, hot metal is poured into the shell.
This step is called investment casting casting.
The metal cools and becomes hard.
The shell is broken off, and the part is finished.
This whole process makes investment castings very exact.
That is why it is called precision investment casting.
Stainless investment casting uses stainless steel as the metal.
Stainless steel is strong and does not rust.
It is good for tools, machines, and auto parts.
It also looks nice and lasts a long time.
Many industries use investment castings.
They are used in planes, cars, and ships.
They are also used in medical tools and kitchen parts.
The parts are smooth and need little fixing.
There is a big difference between forging and casting.
Forging presses hot metal into shape.
Casting pours hot metal into a mold.
Forged parts are often stronger.
Cast parts are better for complex shapes.
Investment casting is a type of casting, not forging.
Now, there is 3D printing investment casting.
3D printers make wax or plastic shapes.
These shapes replace old wax models.
It is faster and makes new designs easier.
This is good for testing new parts.
3D printing investment casting is popular in many new factories.
It saves material and time.
It makes parts with no cracks or holes.
It is good for small or complex shapes.
It helps factories make better products.
Many Chinese factories use this method.
China has many investment casting factories.
They offer stainless investment casting at good prices.
You can find suppliers in Zhejiang and Shandong.
They ship parts to many countries.
The cost of investment casting depends on the size and shape.
Simple parts cost less.
More complex parts cost more.
Ask the factory for a free quote.
Investment castings are useful in many ways.
They are strong, smooth, and save time.
New methods like 3D printing investment casting make work faster.
Know the difference between forging and casting before you buy.
Choose precision investment casting if you need clean and exact parts.
Investment_Castings_Simple_Guide
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