Stainless steel, a growing sector

Stainless steel is used to provide a solution to a whole series of sectors that consume this material, both to offer a quality product, as well as those that are inevitably obliged to use it by the regulations that govern their sector.

The properties of stainless steel allow it to respond to the most extreme conditions, much better than galvanized wire or iron wire.

It has good processability, weldability, resistance to heat, low temperature, corrosion, and no heat treatment hardening. These characteristics give it a lot of versatility for a multitude of applications, in various sectors such as, for example, the food, medical or chemical industry.

One of the sectors that most consumes stainless material is the food sector, precisely because of these anti-oxidant properties. In this way, possible infections by rust are avoided, both in food and in raw materials. Two representative examples of its application within this sector are the meshes used in the ham drying process, and the protections of packaging lines for food products.

Stainless steel is used more and more, despite its handicap due to the fact that it is more expensive (almost 4 times more than iron wire and 3 or more than the value of galvanized wire).

This makes the final product much more expensive, but obviously, if we look at the performance and the years of usefulness of the material, stainless is much superior.

QUALITY AND VERSATILITY

Its characteristics allow it to be used in a whole series of applications where iron wire and galvanized wire cannot be used.

There are different qualities of stainless steel. The most significant are 304, 310, 316 and refractory.

304 is the one that has the most standardized uses, such as refrigerator racks, ham drying and everything that is in contact with food.

The 316, more resistant to oxidation, is used for everything related to marine environments, such as railings, urban furniture or elements used in the seafront and railings of the roads. In this particular use, stainless has replaced wood with excellent results.

In the case of refractory stainless steel, a common application is in kilns for firing ceramics. The ovens are lined inside with a refractory stainless steel mesh, continuously resisting high temperatures, without suffering deformation or oxidation.

The wine sector is another sector where stainless steel is being used more and more. Due to the quality of the material, the wineries use it for their display containers, in exhibitions, where aesthetics and branding are very important.

IMPACT ON THE SECTOR

From 2009 to the present, the impact of sales of stainless steel in Metalmalla has increased to become a significant percentage of turnover, reflecting constant positive growth.

Prospects indicate that the application of stainless will continue to grow, in line with regulations, which are increasingly directed towards protection. Everything that is corrosion and rust is understood as a risk, of infection, expulsion of particles and this affects the quality of the air, so the regulations will also be adjusted, according to safety.

In the beginning, the use of stainless steel was very residual. Now its consolidation and consumption are increasing, and in Metalmalla we have all the capacity to be able to work and make exactly the same products in stainless steel.

At METALMALLA we want to take solid steps, and we are committed to working with stainless steel, to supply all these sectors that present a booming consumption.

In collaboration with: Albert Carda Commercial department

 

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