There are several thousand types of stainless steel in the market. Which type is suitable for the application of food processors? If you are about to set up food processing plant, and aiming to apply Food Safety program such as HACCP, GMP or even MeSTI, you should decide which type of stainless steel tools that suits your business so that you can save money or for easy maintenance in the long run....
Stainless steel, they can all be divided into three broad categories - Austenitic Stainless Steels, Ferritic Stainless Steels and Martensitic Stainless Steels. Austenitic Stainless Steels are the most frequently used types of stainless steels in Food Industries. Austenitic stainless steels tend to have a high chromium content compared to other steel alloys, giving them a higher resistance to corrosion. Another common characteristic of austenitic stainless steel alloys is that they tend to be non-magnetic—though they may become magnetic after cold working. the metal composition in Stainless Steel are Ferrous, Chromium (Tie to Oxygen for anti-corrosion), Nickel (Strength of stainless steel), Carbon (able to bent), Molybdenum (resist sulfuric acid, chlorides, bromides, iodines and fatty acids at high temperature).
Austenitic Stainless Steels is further categorized to 2 types, Grade 304 and 316. Grade 304 stainless steel is noteworthy for its high tensile strength—roughly 621 MPa (90 ksi). Like most stainless steels, grade 304 has a high maximum operating temperature (about 870˚C). This combination of high tensile strength, temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance makes grade 304 stainless steel ideal for a wide variety of applications.
On the other hand, Grade 316 stainless has a high tensile strength of 579 MPa (84 ksi) and a maximum use temperature of around 800˚C (1,472˚F). While having a lower tensile strength and temperature tolerance than grade 304 stainless steel, grade 316 stainless contains Molybdenum and has a better resistance to sulfuric acids, chlorides (like salt), bromides, iodines and fatty acids than 304 alloy does. This makes it a preferred choice for any application involving exposure to Meat production, salt containing products and high acid containing products. Of course, the price is higher compare to grade 304.
With the above said information, you may choose the best stainless steel type for your food processing. It also helps when you are selecting machines for your food processing plant.
Credit: Sir Mohd Khairul Azli, Marlin Steel Wire Products LLC, Louie Brennan Food Machinery Limited.
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