Our team members are specialists in a variety of tubing alteration methods. Tube reduction is one of these. This is similar to tube tapering, where we lower the size of tubes near the end. If you require exterior and interior flush joints, then this can help.

Stainless steel has existed for years, and as a result we’ve used it in many ways. The longevity, luster, and lure of the material beg us to use it in tubing. We don’t simply use it in the aircraft or exotic markets anymore. High calibre grades have found their way into high-volume as well as mainstream projects.

It’s true that you can obtain several types stainless steel. However, alloy 304 accounts for around 50% of all of it. Grades 316 and 409 are the next most common. The former is marine grade whereas the latter is one most common in the automotive industry.

300 series steels

Experts are using those alloys existing in the 300 series for high-volume needs. This includes automotive exhausts. This is largely because of their strength, corrosion resistance, and appearance. In the meantime, we are using ferritic grades like 439 more due to their ability to withstand corrosion as well as the great heat resistance.

Stainless challenges

Substituting a carbon steel with stainless has its tradeoffs. Bending difficulty is one of them. The material is considerably smoother. Therefore it leaves you with smaller and fewer pockets for lubricant when bending. More substrate-to-tool surface contact as well as less lubricant normally means more friction, tears, and heat. As a result of this, higher-tier lubricants possessing extreme-pressure and decent barrier protection can aid you in bending stainless steel.

At Multiform Tubes, we employ hydraulic end formers and rotary reducing machines in our tube reduction work. In addition to circular, we convert oval, square, and round tubes as well. That way we can deliver products to meet the broadest array of applications.

If you would like our help with something, please get in touch.