When it comes to stainless steel foil, everyone knows that its thickness is less than 0.05mm. So how is it produced? Why can it be so thin? Does thinning affect its product performance and other aspects? What are its main applications? How much more expensive is it than thicker stainless steel? The following is a detailed introduction to our company to help you answer any questions.
If the question you want to know is not mentioned, you can contact us directly. We have more than 10 years of experience in stainless steel manufacturing and export, with very professional product knowledge and advanced stainless steel foil production equipment. Our thinnest stainless steel foil can reach 0.005mm.
What is Stainless Steel Foil?
We call it stainless steel with a thickness of less than 0.05mm foil.
Stainless steel itself is an alloy steel, named for its excellent corrosion resistance. When stainless steel is processed into foil, it not only retains its original corrosion resistance but also has the flexibility and ductility of metal foil. Stainless steel with a thickness of less than 0.05mm is called stainless foil. Because its thickness is very thin, only one-fourth of an A4 paper, it can be easily torn by hand, so it is jokingly called “hand-torn steel”. It is reported that the thickness of stainless steel foil can currently reach 0.005mm.
How is Stainless Steel Foil Made?
The core step in making stainless steel foil is rolling. Through continuous rolling, thick stainless steel is rolled into thin stainless steel. The following are the detailed steps of stainless steel foil production.
1. Raw Material Preparation
Material selection: The raw material of stainless steel foil is mainly stainless steel, usually 304 and 316 grades of stainless steel, which are corrosion-resistant, high-strength and good machinability. We can also make other stainless steel materials.
The raw materials of the mother roll are purchased from well-known manufacturers such as Baosteel, TISCO, Posco, and Jiugang to ensure that each batch of goods is genuine. Each batch of goods has a product quality certificate issued by the manufacturer of origin.
Put the raw materials on 450 rolling mills, twenty-high rolling mills and other rolling mills.
2. Rolling
Initial rolling: Use a rolling mill to perform initial rolling on stainless steel, and through continuous pressure, the stainless steel is gradually thinned and the required precision and smoothness are obtained.
Finishing rolling: In order to obtain thinner and more uniform stainless foil, multiple rolling is required. During the finishing rolling process, the thickness and straightness of the ss foil can be accurately controlled by adjusting the pressure and speed of the rolling mill.
During the rolling process, we can also see what thickness has been rolled at this time through the numbers displayed on the machine. But in order to be more accurate and not to have any problems, we can use a thickness gauge to test.
3. Annealing Treatment
Heating: Heat the rolled stainless steel foil to a high temperature.
Cooling: Slowly cool the heated stainless steel foil. Annealing can eliminate internal stress, improve mechanical properties, and enhance the stability and ductility of the stainless steel foil.
4. Subsequent Treatment
Degreasing and cleaning: Degreasing and cleaning of stainless foil to remove oil and impurities on the surface.
Stretch straightening: Use tension mode to stretch and straighten stainless steel foil to improve its straightness and precision.
Stress relief heat treatment: Stress relief heat treatment of stainless foil to further eliminate residual stress.
Tension coiling: The ss foil is coiled into a roll under tension to facilitate subsequent processing and use.
5. Surface Treatment
If you have requirements for the surface of the stainless steel foil, after annealing, the stainless steel foil is surface treated according to specific needs. Common surface treatment methods include polishing, wire drawing, sandblasting, etching, chemical oxidation coloring, electrochemical oxidation coloring, etc. These treatments can give the stainless steel foil a specific surface texture, gloss and corrosion resistance.
6. Quality Control and Testing
Online testing: During the rolling and annealing process, the thickness, flatness, surface quality, etc. of the stainless steel foil are monitored in real time through online testing equipment.
Offline testing: Offline testing of the stainless steel foil after coiling, including appearance inspection, mechanical property testing, chemical composition analysis, etc., to ensure that the product quality meets customer requirements.
What Specifications of Stainless Steel Foil can we Provide?
Grades: 201/304/316/430, etc.
Thickness: 0.005-0.05mm
Width: 1219mm
Surface: BA, Mirror, Embossed, etc.
Application of Stainless Steel Foil
Ss foil is widely used in electronics, chemical industry, aerospace, automobile, shipbuilding, petrochemical industry, food packaging and other fields. Especially in the electronics industry, stainless steel foil can be used to manufacture circuit boards and electronic components, with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, providing reliable electrical performance and mechanical strength.
In addition, in the field of communications, stainless steel foil can be used to manufacture high-frequency transmission lines, providing good electromagnetic shielding effect and high temperature stability. In the field of aerospace, stainless foil can be used to manufacture parts of aircraft engines and spacecraft, with excellent high temperature resistance and mechanical strength.
Does the Thinning of Stainless Steel Foil affect its Performance?
The thinning of stainless foil will have a certain impact on its product performance, but reasonable production process and quality control can be used to ensure that it meets the needs of specific applications.
Stainless Steel Foil Performance:
● Strength and toughness
● Corrosion resistance
● Electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity
● Processing performance
Due to its ultra-thin and precise characteristics, stainless foil requires a higher level of technology and more sophisticated quality control during the production process, which leads to its relatively high production cost. Under the same material, surface and size, the price of stainless steel foil is definitely higher. So is the price difference big?
The price of stainless steel foil is indeed higher than that of thicker stainless steel products. The specific price difference will be affected by many factors, including production process and cost, market demand and supply, etc. If you want to know the specific price of stainless steel foil, please contact us and send your detailed requirements, we will quote you within 24 hours! Looking forward to becoming one of your stainless steel foil suppliers in China!