Stainless Sheet Metal Fabrication for the Food Service Industry

Blog | February 25th, 2021

Businesses that are part of the food service industry utilise different products and appliances just to make sure that they can serve customers with high-quality and delicious meals. Restaurants and cafeterias are only a few of the businesses that are under the food service industry.

One thing that these establishments have in common is their use of stainless steel products. While they have the option to choose from a wide variety of materials, stainless steel is truly acknowledged for its excellent features and qualities that are compatible with the industry. From its physical appearance to its interior properties, stainless steel can surely help these businesses obtain a huge amount of profit.

Main Properties and Qualities of Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a family of iron-based alloys that is primarily comprised of chromium, which is an element that prevents it from corroding. Other elements that can be normally found on stainless steel are carbon, nitrogen, aluminium, silicon, sulphur, titanium, nickel, and molybdenum.

One of the known properties of stainless steel is corrosion resistance. The presence of chromium allows the material to resist elements that can cause corrosion. Additionally, stainless steel can last for a long time due to its known durability and heat resistance. Products made from stainless steel can also be cleaned and maintained easily thanks to their pitting resistance and quality surface finish.

The increased formability and ease of fabrication of stainless steel allow it to be fabricated into different products that can be useful for the food service industry. And given that stainless steel can be recycled again, the supply of stainless sheet metals will remain high in volume.

Stainless Steel for the Food Service Industry

Aside from all the previously stated qualities, another quality that makes stainless steel great for the food service industry is that it can stay neutral to the elements of food products. Even with prolonged exposure to stainless steel surfaces, all food products are expected to retain their colour, taste, and odour.

In terms of fabricating products for the food service industry, there are three types of stainless steel that can be maximised.

  • 304 Stainless Steel Alloy: This type of stainless steel has 18% chromium and 8% nickel and is mostly used in the food service industry today. Products made from 304 stainless steel alloy can be easily cleaned and resist corrosion and oxidation. However, they can be weak against salt exposure.
  • 316 Stainless Steel Alloy: 316 stainless steel alloy, on the other hand, has 10% nickel and 2% molybdenum. The combination of these elements allows the alloy to gain high resistance to corrosion, heat, acids, alkalis, and chlorides.
  • 430 Stainless Steel Alloy: 430 stainless steel alloy can be similar to 316 stainless steel. However, it possesses a lower amount of nickel compared to the 316 stainless steel. What is great about 430 stainless steel is that it can resist stress corrosion cracking and the effects of nitric and organic acids.

These stainless steel alloys can be used for fabricating appliances, storage spaces, and kitchen surfaces. They can also be maximised for creating food tanks, ventilation systems, and food conveyor belts. To know more about stainless sheet metal fabrication, just contact us at McKean’s Sheetmetal Fabricators.

 

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