The producer must first decide what type of stainless steel wire they wish to produce. This is significant because the grade of stainless steel they choose will influence the ratio of stainless steel ingredients present in the mixture, such as iron, carbon, nickel, and so on. Because of the inherent danger of volatility in the purity of each element in the mix, these ratios aren’t always exact—they’re occasionally on a range.
Manufacturing Process
Melting the Raw Materials-
The various stainless steel components are heated to their melting point in a furnace (usually an electric furnace for modern stainless steel manufacturing applications). According to metalsupermarkets.com and other sources, this process can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. Stainless steel manufacture can move on to the following step after the metal is molten.
Removal of Excess Carbon-
To remove excess carbon, the molten material is placed in a vacuum oxygen decarburization (VOD) or argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) system. This technique can produce a regular or low-carbon form of the alloy, such as 304 vs 304L stainless steel, depending on how much carbon is removed. This can have an impact on the end product’s tensile strength and hardness.
Tuning or Stirring-
The molten steel may be churned to help distribute and/or remove certain stainless steel components from the mixture to assist fine-tune the quality of the final product. This ensures that the stainless steel is of consistent quality and will meet the requirements of end-users (like Marlin Steel).
Forming the Metal-
As the stainless steel cools, it undergoes a series of shaping procedures, beginning with hot rolling while it is still above its crystallization temperature. Hot rolling is a method of forming steel into a rough shape, and it is commonly used to make billets or metal blooms. Cold rolling stainless steel can be used to make metal blooms or billets with precise specifications.
Cutting and Shaping-
Following the annealing process, stainless steel is subjected to a number of cutting and shaping procedures in order to produce an ideal end product for the application. Depending on the size and shape of the billet/bloom, as well as the desired final result, the particular procedures utilized to cut the stainless steel will vary.
Surface Finishes-
Before delivering stainless steel billets, blooms, or wires to other manufacturers, the stainless steel maker may add multiple surface treatments to them. The type of finish given depends on the steel’s intended usage, but one of the most popular is simply sanding down the surface to eliminate impurities and smooth it out.
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