Stainless Steel

Spring Material: Stainless Steel

Corrosion-Resistant Steel

Stainless steel is a material known for its corrosion resistance, the degree of which depends on how much (typically 10 to 20 percent) chromium it contains. Grades also include varying percentages of molybdenum. This helps increase corrosion resistance in applications subjected to chloride solutions.

The stainless-steel wire purchased by MW Components has a lubricant on it to facilitate forming. After the wire is coiled or formed into a spring, it needs to be “stress relieved” by putting it through an oven which bakes the lubricant coating onto the spring. It then needs to be put into an acid bath which removes the lubricant. This process is called “passivation.”

Grades / Attributes

There are a wide range of stainless steel grades available. The selection is driven by which spring attributes are required for the application including, high heat, non-magnetic, high corrosion resistance, etc. One common grade, 316 stainless steel, is characterized by increased corrosion resistance and is most often used in medical devices, chemical handling, and food processing applications.

Spring Applications

Stainless steel grades are used in a wide variety of applications including chemical storage tanks and tanks, cookware/cutlery, medical devices/surgical instruments, appliances and construction. Stainless steels come in wire, bars, tubing, sheets and plates.

Material Benefits

Strong, low maintenance and easy to steam clean/sterilize. Unlike carbon steels, stainless steel’s corrosion resistance attributes mean that there is no need for further surface coating. Unlike carbon springs, no post-plating process is required to prevent rusting. This eliminates tangling and deformation that is associated with the post-plating process.

Considerations

Stainless steel cannot withstand stress as well as carbon steel. Additionally, carbon steel can be more than 50 percent less expensive than stainless. Majority of springs are made out of carbon steel.