TPi January 2008

steel stainless

Stainless steel: still new after all these years

The qualities for which manufacturers choose stainless steel are well known: resistance to surface pitting and corrosion; high and low temperature resistance; strength and ease of fabrication; hygienic properties and long service life; and, not least, aesthetic appeal. Polishing, etching, and embossing will turn this workhorse into a showhorse as if by magic. A century and more after its “discovery”, stainless steel is still endowing a quite astonishing range of products with these qualities. But the sheer variety of its uses can still surprise. This versatile metal is also 100% recyclable. More stainless is recycled than paper or glass — making it as modern as tomorrow in a world in which environmental factors will govern more and more of the materials choices made by specifiers.

Photo – RathGibson, see page 54

It is a fair assumption that no other material in industrial use since 1919 will be staking a similar claim.

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