The characteristics of stainless steel round tube technology can be comprehensively analyzed from two categories: seamless tube and welded tube, combined with their processing flow, performance advantages, and economy, as follows:
1、 Characteristics of seamless stainless steel round tube process
The processing flow is complex and the technical threshold is high
Hot rolling process: After heating the steel billet to high temperature, it is rolled into shape by a rolling mill, suitable for large-diameter and thick walled pipes, but with lower dimensional accuracy.
Cold drawing/cold rolling process: At room temperature, the diameter of the pipe is reduced and the wall thickness is reduced through mold drawing or roller extrusion, resulting in higher accuracy. However, multiple processing steps are required, which incurs higher costs.
Extrusion process: The steel billet is extruded into a tube through three roll oblique rolling or continuous rolling, which is suitable for special shaped pipes, but the equipment investment is large.
Significant performance advantage
Strong pressure bearing capacity: The seamless design enables it to withstand high-pressure environments and is suitable for industrial fields such as boilers and petroleum cracking.
Excellent corrosion resistance: The overall material is uniform, with no welding defects, and stable performance in corrosive environments such as chemical and marine environments.
High dimensional accuracy: The cold drawing/rolling process can control the outer diameter and wall thickness errors of the pipe within a very small range, meeting the requirements of precision machinery.
Economic constraints
High production costs: The long processing flow and large equipment investment result in higher unit costs, especially for thick walled pipes, which have lower economic efficiency.
Concentrated application scenarios: mainly used in fields with high pressure, high temperature, or extremely high corrosion resistance requirements, with relatively limited market capacity.
2、 Characteristics of Welding Stainless Steel Round Tube Process
Efficient processing flow and prominent cost advantage
Straight seam welded pipe: Curling stainless steel plates and welding them in straight seams, with high production efficiency and suitable for large-scale production.
Spiral welded pipe: Large diameter pipes can be produced through spiral curling welding, but the weld length is long and requires strict inspection.
High degree of automation: Welding, straightening, cutting and other processes can achieve continuous online production, reducing labor costs.
Distinctive performance characteristics
Accuracy and uniformity: The wall thickness of the welded pipe is uniform, and the inner surface brightness is high (depending on the surface quality of the steel plate), making it suitable for high-precision fluid transportation.
Lightweight advantage: Under the same bending and plastic conditions, welded pipes are lighter in weight, easy to transport and install, and widely used in mechanical parts manufacturing.
Key to weld quality: The welding area needs to undergo heat treatment to relieve stress, and ensure sealing through water pressure testing, non-destructive testing, and other inspections.
Balancing economy and aesthetics
Low cost: high utilization rate of raw materials, short processing flow, significantly lower unit cost than seamless pipes, suitable for low-pressure fluid transportation and decoration fields.
Diverse appearance: The surface can be polished, brushed, plated, and other treatments to meet the decorative needs of stair handrails, railings, etc., combining practicality and aesthetics.
