Unlike ductile metals like aluminium which can be extruded with relative ease, stainless steel is sometimes thought of as being too hard for the process. However, this is far from being the whole story. In fact, despite being a very strong metal extruding stainless steel is perfectly possible. For some complicated extrusion profiles which have thin sections of metal or where a low energy cost is required for the process, it is fair to say that other metals should be explored as potentially better options than stainless steel.
However, given that stainless steel offers a great look, a tough outer appearance and is suited to being used in all sorts of industrial applications, it is easy to understand why so many people want to extrude it for their projects. What sort of stainless steel extrusions take place?
Applications for Extruded Stainless Steel
Due to the complexity and energy costs involved with extruding stainless steel profiles, the process tends to only be used in high-end applications where rigidity and longevity are paramount considerations. You, therefore, tend to find extruded stainless steel use for marine parts of products that will be exposed to corrosive atmospheres. In some cases, surgical instruments need to be made by extruding them but a very tough metal, such as stainless steel, is called for.
Among the other specialist applications where you might find extruded stainless steel components are in some professional kitchen or food processing products and in the automotive industry – usually for luxury car components. Some firearms manufacturers also rely on extruded stainless steel for their products, as well.
Why Opt for Extruded Stainless Steel?
As well as its well-known corrosion resistance, stainless steel is very durable in situations where it will be knocked and scraped. As such, you don't have to coat the material to protect it like you might do with normal steel, for example. Some grades of stainless steel are extremely good at withstanding exposure to high levels of acid which means that extruded components are often sought after by the chemical processing industry.
Furthermore, stainless steel can be steam cleaned and made sterile from bacteria without any problem, and it is for this reason that the food manufacturing and healthcare industries favour it. Extruded stainless steel also is not a great conductor of heat, unlike aluminium, so it is often preferred in situations where you don't want heat transfer to occur, such as in extruded window frame profiles, for instance.