A stainless steel tube is a stainless steel product known to be resistant to many forms of corrosion and different sterilization processes. It is more esthetically appealing compared to other tube materials and is presented with considerable strength.
They can come in different forms. A stainless steel tube may be made into steel square, round or perhaps rectangular sections and they may also follow hot or cold drawing processes, spiral welding process or the longitudinal welding type of process.
Depending on the need or the requirement, a stainless steel tube can be finished in several ways. An unpolished tube will have a 2B mill finish, a standard polished tube will be graded as finely grit polished, and a finer buff finish will be extremely polished and appear mirror like.
There are two types of forming tubes. A tube can be welded (or joined together) to add rigidity and its construction process and it can be annealed to be able to cause the steel to bend or expand.
1.As welded tube (AW)
This type of tubing is done inside the welding mill using cold rolled stainless steel strips. Compared to annealed tubes, AW tubes are used more for decorative purposes or any purposes that will cause a very mild type of corrosion.
2.As welded annealed tube (AWA)
This type of tubing goes through the same process as the As welded tube but to be able to render it more flexible and ductile it is annealed inside a controlled atmosphere furnace. This process softens the steel and permits bending and expansion.
More types of tube manufacturing:
a.Cold worked anneal tube (CWA)
This type of tubing is done in the same method as the AWA but the internal bead is rolled flush first on the inner surface before it is annealed.
Cold drawing renders the tube to withstand greater dimensional changes. Tubes that underwent this type of processing achieve complete uniformity in terms of thickness and concentricity, as well as hardness and grain structure.
c.Cold drawn seamless tube (CDS)
Cold drawn seamless tubes follow a very complicated processing method. It can be supplied in both the annealed and pickled condition and it is usually preferred if the tubing needs to be highly corrosive and pressure resistant while still having exemplary surface finish.
d.Spiral welded tube
You produce this type of tubing by using a continuous strip of stainless steel.
Whichever type of tubing you are using, it follows a quite general method of installation. Stainless steel square tubing is usually used for step ladders, railings and display racks. Among all these, a foot railing is usually the easiest to do. Here is a step by step procedure to guide you with this simple process:
• Mark the areas on the bar where the combination brackets will be fitted into.
• Place the end brackets first and then make sure that it positioned well before you permanently screw it. It is very important for these brackets to be positioned straight, so measure them and make adjustments if any faults have been detected.
• Install the satin finish onto the two end brackets.
• Check if both ends of the tubing sit equally on the bracket. If not, make adjustments.