Product Description
The 316L stainless steel round tube is an austenitic metal, meaning that it doesn’t hold or attract magnets. This makes it a popular choice for moving parts and instruments. This product is widely used in food, chemical, paper, dye, marine and pharmaceutical industries. It is made with high amounts of chromium, molybdenum and nickel, which makes it much tougher and more resistant to corrosion than 304 steelers. It is known as marine grade steel because it doesn’t corrode when used for parts that are placed in warm sea waters. This is why it’s commonly used for boat fittings and valves. 316L stainless steel can also be used in chloride environments and high heat.
316L alloys have great weldability, machinability and formability. It can’t be made hardenable using heat treatment. Annealing can be done after forging and cold working this metal, which should be done at temperatures between 1900 and 2100 degrees F. Afterward, it should be rapidly quenched. This grade of metal can be deep drawn. Other methods of cold working can be used as well, such as swaging, roll forming, bending and cold heading. In order to relieve stresses caused by severe cold forming, annealing should be used.
Welding this metal can be performed using all standard fusion methods. Filler metals can be used for welding 316L metal. Post-weld annealing isn’t needed for the heavy welded sections, like with the 316 grade of steel. When annealing this metal, it’s important to watch for distortion and warping. Forging can be done at temperatures between 2100 and 2300 degrees F, but no lower than 1700 degrees F. A final anneal should be done to maintain high corrosion resistance after forging is complete.
