Storage and Protection of Stainless Steel Forgings

Stainless steel forgings are widely used in various industrial and construction applications. This paper will elaborate on the best practices of stainless steel parts in various aspects of storage, lifting, transportation, processing, surface treatment, etc., to help enterprises and production personnel better maintain the high-quality state of stainless steel forgings in their daily work.

Storage and Protection of Stainless Steel Forgings

Storage Requirement

Stainless steel forgings should use special storage racks during storage, these shelves are recommended to use carbon steel brackets made of wooden materials or painted on the surface, and rubber pads are laid on the shelves to ensure that stainless steel parts are isolated from carbon steel or other metal materials. This prevents surface contamination of stainless steel parts due to direct contact between metals. The storage location should be selected to facilitate lifting, and should be relatively isolated from the storage area of other materials to avoid cross-contamination. Protective measures should be set up in the storage area, such as cover or air filter, to prevent dust, oil and rust from polluting the stainless steel parts.

Hoisting Precautions

When lifting stainless steel forgings, special spares must be used, such as lifting belts, special clamps, etc., and the use of wire rope is strictly prohibited, because the wire rope may scratch the surface of the stainless steel parts. During the lifting process, it should be kept stable and avoid violent shaking or impact to prevent damage to the surface of stainless steel parts. When placing stainless steel parts, care should also be taken to ensure that they fall smoothly and avoid scratches or dents caused by impact.

Transport Requirement

The transportation of stainless steel forgings should use special means of transport, such as cars, battery cars or cranes, and these tools should be kept clean, and have the necessary isolation and protection measures to prevent dust, oil, rust and other pollution. It is strictly prohibited to drag stainless steel parts during transportation to avoid scratches and bumps caused by dragging. During loading and unloading, it is necessary to ensure that the stainless steel parts are firmly fixed to prevent damage caused by movement or tilt during transportation.

Processing area Management

The processing area of stainless steel parts should be fixed as much as possible to avoid unnecessary movement and interference. The processing platform should take isolation measures, such as laying rubber pads, to prevent damage to the surface of stainless steel parts. In the processing area, the positioning management should be strengthened to ensure the neat placement of tools and materials and keep the environment clean to reduce potential pollution and damage to stainless steel parts.

Blanking Process

The cutting of stainless steel forgings can be done by cutting, plasma cutting or sawing. Different blanking methods have different precautions:

Cutting

During the cutting process, it should be ensured that there are isolation measures between the cutting equipment and the feeding bracket to prevent the cutting edge from scratching the surface of the stainless steel parts. At the same time, the hopper should be laid with rubber pads to reduce the impact on stainless steel parts.

Plasma Cutting

After plasma cutting, the slag should be cleaned in time to avoid contamination on the surface of stainless steel parts. In batch cutting, the site should be cleaned immediately after the completion of each batch of parts to prevent the pollution of the surrounding workpiece.

Sawing

During sawing, the clamping device should be protected by rubber to reduce the damage to stainless steel parts. After the sawing is completed, the oil, residue and chips on the workpiece should be thoroughly cleaned to ensure the cleanliness of the workpiece.

Machining

In the turning, milling and other mechanical processing, special attention needs to be paid to the protection of stainless steel parts. After the processing is completed, the oil, iron filings and other debris on the surface of the workpiece should be cleaned immediately to prevent these debris from causing long-term damage to the stainless steel parts.

Forming Process

In the process of rolling and bending, effective measures should be taken to avoid scratches and creases on the surface of stainless steel parts. Soft padding can be used to protect the surface of the stainless steel parts to ensure that no physical damage is caused during the forming process.

Riveting Operation

In the riveting operation, avoid the use of strong tools for forced assembly, especially to avoid flame calibration so as to avoid thermal damage to stainless steel forgings. If plasma cutting is required temporarily, ensure that isolation measures are in place to prevent slag contamination of other stainless steel forgings. After cutting, the slag on the surface of the workpiece should be cleaned in time to keep the surface clean.

Welding Requirement

Oil, rust and dust on the surface of stainless steel forgings must be thoroughly removed before welding. When welding, argon arc welding is recommended to provide more stable and high-quality welding results. If manual arc welding is used, it is recommended to use a small current and quickly complete the welding to avoid unnecessary defects caused by swing during the welding process. Do not start an arc in a non-welded area. Ensure that the ground cable is firmly connected and correctly positioned to avoid arc scratches. During the welding process, anti-splash measures should be taken, such as brushing white ash around the welding area to reduce the impact of splashing on the environment and the workpiece. After welding is complete, use stainless steel flat shovel (do not use carbon steel tools) to thoroughly clean the slag and spatter, and keep the welding area clean.

Multilayer Welding

In the multi-layer welding, the slag between each layer must be completely removed to avoid the influence of the slag between layers on the subsequent welding. Controlling the temperature of each layer of welding is the key, and generally should not exceed 60 ° C to ensure the quality of welding. The weld joint needs to be finely polished, the weld surface should be free of slag, porosity, edge biting, splashing, cracking, non-fusion or non-penetration defects, and there should be a smooth transition between the weld and the base material.

Orthopaedic Operation

The use of flame heating should be avoided as far as possible during the orthopedic process, especially to avoid repeated heating of the same area to prevent thermal damage. It is recommended to use mechanical devices for orthosis, or to use wooden mallets (rubber mallets) or rubber pads for tapping. The use of a hammer is prohibited to avoid additional damage to stainless steel parts.

Handling Requirement

When handling stainless steel forgings during processing, special transport vehicles such as cars, battery cars or cranes should be used to ensure that these tools are clean and have isolation and protection measures. During the handling process, direct dragging of stainless steel parts should be avoided, and bump and scratch are strictly prohibited to maintain the intact state of stainless steel parts.

Surface Treatment

The surface treatment stage includes steps such as cleaning, sanding, degreasing, dusting, pickling, passivation and protection. In particular, for scratches, splashes and damage caused by cutting slag, it must be thoroughly polished. Before pickling passivation, the surface oil, oxide and dust must be removed according to the process requirements to ensure that the pickling passivation effect is uniform and thorough. In the pickling passivation process, the passivation paste coating should be uniform, and the passivation time should be carried out in strict accordance with the process requirements. After pickling passivation, it should be wiped, rinsed and dried according to the process requirements to ensure that the pickling passivation cream and acid are completely removed.

Protective Measure

After the surface treatment is completed, the stainless steel forgings should be properly protected to avoid the touch of personnel and the pollution of oil, dust and other debris. After the treatment is completed, try to avoid reprocessing of stainless steel parts to maintain its high-quality surface state after treatment.

Conclusion

By following the above guidelines, companies can not only reduce the loss and pollution of stainless steel forgings, but also improve the overall quality and reliability of their products. For every step of the operation of stainless steel parts, we need to strive for excellence to ensure that the final product can play the best performance in various applications, bringing more value and satisfaction to customers.