The Process of Metalworking

Not all of us are familiar with the process of metalworking. Some people may have heard it a couple of times from random people or may have read about it online or in books, but they are not aware of what exactly it is and what role it plays in our lives.

Metalworking is a very important process that is used in working with different kinds of metals. It is essential in many industries because it plays a significant role in the whole production process of certain goods. It has been around for millions of years and has undergone a lot of modifications and improvements over the years.

A long, long time ago, the ancient men were not aware of the existence of metal. They used to utilize stones and wood for cutting or hunting for their food. When they discovered metals, they began to replace their tools and weapons. Those that were made of metals turned out to be more durable and long lasting than those that were made out of wood or bones. That was when metalworking was born.

The process started out as something simple. No sophisticated equipment or technology was available at that time yet, so it was up to the men to learn how to make their lives easier and more comfortable. They used metals to hunt and cook for food. They also used them to make weapons. As time went on, metals were made into decorative ornaments for their homes and bodies. Religious artifacts, memorabilia and jewelry have started popping up. Metalworking has become a process that covers a very broad area.

In no time, several types of tools and machineries were invented to keep up with the continuous progress of metalworking. Manual labor was not enough to meet the demands anymore, so the addition of more modern innovations became apparent. Simple machineries such as presses, rollers and benders came out and proved to be extremely useful in metalworking. They made everything faster and more efficient.

Nowadays, metalworking is not only treated as a science. It is also a job and a hobby. More and more people have become interested in learning this process because of the different kind of fulfillment it gives once you see the end products of your hard work. Metalworking has indeed contributed a lot not only to the people in this industry but to the rest of the society as well.

3 Types of Plastic Molding Process

Commonly, there are two main types of plastic molding, such as thermosets and thermoplastics. The main difference between those two types of plastics is that the thermoplastics are meltable at high temperature while thermosets will harden at high temperature.

The difference above is mainly caused by the polymers which form those two plastics. Thermoplastics have polymer which look like a chain of atom in one dimensional string. Since they are melted at high temperature, it can be reshaped. On the other hand, thermosets are formed from a polymer with three-dimensional chains so that they are able to keep their shape. There are a lot of processes which are used for shaping or molding plastic using either thermopastics or thermosets. It is also possible to use the combination of those two types.

There are a lot of types of molding process such as extrusion, injection molding, and the combination of the two processes which is known as blowing molding.

Extrusion molding process starts with raw plastics like powder, pellets, and beads. Firstly, the plastic will be fed to a revolving chamber. The chamber which is also known as the extruder will turn and melt the plastic. The melted plastic can be formed to the shape you want. Then, the finished product is dropped on the conveyer belt to be cooled with water. The next step is cutting and finishing touch. The items which are commonly made through extrusion are films, sheets, and also pipes.

Injection molding is another process of molding. The principle used for this process is typically the same as the extrusion. The raw plastic will be fed into the melting chamber through a hopper. The difference is that the melted plastic is put into cold mold with high pressure. If the mold is cool, the product will be cleaned and finished. The items which are commonly made through injection molding are bottle caps, butter containers, lawn furniture, and also toys.

Blow molding is another type of plastic molding process which uses a blowing method after the extrusion or injection molding. The melted plastic in the extrusion process uses a die to create the heated plastic tube with the cool mold around it. In the extrusion blowing, the compressed air will be blown through the tube so that it will force the plastic to make a hallow shape inside. With this method, the manufacturer does not need to attach different injection-molded parts. On the other hand, injection blowing method blows the melted mold into the final shape in different cold.

4 Different Types of Steel

Steel is a catch-all phrase use to describe a group of iron alloys. These alloys all have one thing in common: malleability. Steels can all be melted down and used in the injection moulding process to create everyday items. Steels can be cast directly into moulds, or can be made into other forms which allow them to be heat-treated and worked on at a later stage. Here are four different types of steel:

• Standard Steels.
  • Carbon steel. A carbon steel only requires carbon to create a successful alloy. Other alloys will have minimum requirements for materials such as chromium, nickel, tungsten and a handful of other elements. Carbon steel can range from low-carbon to ultra-high carbon (1.0-2.0%) content. Generally, the greater the carbon content, the more the alloy can be hardened, increasing strength, wear and impact resistance.
  • Alloy steel. Steel is alloyed with other elements in order to improve its mechanical properties. The mixture of other elements can be anywhere from 1% to 50%, dividing alloys into two camps: low alloy steels and high alloy steels. The most common alloy steel is low alloy steel. Alloy steels are used to improve harden-ability and corrosion resistance. Often a low-alloy steel will have less carbon in it, as the low non-carbon alloy materials in combination with high carbon content can make it difficult to weld.
  • Stainless steel. This is the stuff kitchen benches are made out of. Also known as inox steel or corrosion-resistant steel (usually in the aviation industry), it is an alloy containing a large amount of chromium by mass (a minimum of 10.5%-11%). Stainless steel does not stain, rust or corrode as easily as ordinary steel (it is a myth that it will not corrode at all). The main difference between stainless steel and other types of steel alloy is the amount of chromium present. The chromium in the alloy acts as a film against the rust which usually plagues steel by forming a film of chromium oxide, which acts as a barrier, not allowing corrosion to spread from the surface inwards. Its resistance to corrosion and staining make it an ideal candidate for commercial applications, and there are over 150 different varieties in use, each with specific and differing properties.
  
  
• Tool steels. These are a collection of steels and alloys, collectively grouped because their particular properties make them ideal for use in making tools. They are commonly resistant to abrasion or corrosion, are hard, impact resistant and are able to hold a cutting edge. There are a number of different grades of tool steel, each with one or more of its properties enhanced for use in its industry. Tool steels are used in the creation of moulds for injection moulding, as they are able to withstand the production of thousands of parts without showing signs of abrasion.

Steel has thousands of applications, and each application has its own particular makeup of compounds. Steel's amazing properties mean that its makeup can be specifically targeted for the needs of the designer or engineer.

Welding Stainless Steel Tubing Boatrails - Tips for Welding and Fabrication

Welding stainless steel tubing boat rails can be a gravy job but can also be extremely challenging.

Boat owners can be very picky.

Welds not only need to be strong, but they need to look nice too. In fact many boat owners have come to expect welds on boat rails to be pretty much invisible.

And why not? Welds do not have to be ugly in order to be strong.

316 stainless steel is often used for marine hardware like boat rails and Stanchion feet fittings because 316 stainless steel is more corrosion resistant to salt water than most other grades of stainless like 304 for instance. But retaining the corrosion resistance all the way through the welding process requires some attention to detail. For welding stainless steel tubing for marine applications, follow these guidelines:

• always use a stainless steel wire brush that has never been used for anything else
• use the right filler metal - if the stainless tubing to be welded is 316L, then use 316L filler metal
• Pay attention to the fitup - a tight fit, with no gap results in a better joint
• back purge with argon or use a split sleeve backing ring
• use the right amperage - just enough to achieve desired penetration, but non enough to turn the metal gray
• for welds that will be subjected to salt air, a polish followed by a pickling paste helps increase corrosion resistance

In addition to the tips above, use a tig welding technique that lets you minimize heat input - like pulsing the current if your tig welding machine has pulse capability.