Stainless Steel Recommendation in Food Intensive Applications
Stainless steel is one of the widest used manufacturing materials in the economic and commercial sectors today. It is manufactured by alloying a proportion of chromium to iron molten mass with some other impurities. This type of steel is industrially known as ‘stainless’ as it is resistant to corrosion. These corrosion resistant property is an outcome of chromium alloying to the steel. Alongside with high resistivity to corrosion, it is also highly resistant to toughness. These features make a stainless-steel materials a commonly used option in food processing industries and food preparation applications.
These materials are made in various sizes and forms. They may be employed in high-temperature applications as well as applications where corrosion is an important concern. Type 316 chrome stainless steel tubes is known to be a supreme quality material that’s acceptable for use in a selection of applications even in the toughest application.
ISO 22000 standard for food safety management system has been revised in 2018. An online course with substantial discount on ISO 22000:2018 is available for food sector professionals to learn about the new standard requirements.
Tubes, and other processing equipment made of stainless steel material is utilized for transporting a great range of materials like oil, chemicals, hot water, sulphur, gas and other materials in the processing environment. There are a few high pressure applications whereby the employment of unbroken tubes or piping is needed. An unbroken tube or pipe is where there are no welded joints and no welded seams. These joints or seams can turn out to be vulnerable points particularly in high pressure applications where leaks and bursts can happen.
Types of stainless steel grades used in food processing industries and in food preparation industries are listed as under:
- AISI 316 Stainless Steel
- UNS S31600 Austenite Stainless Steel
- UNS S31603 Austenite Stainless Steel
- SUS304 stainless steel
These are some common applications of tubes made using stainless-steel:
Food and drink processing apparatus
In a food producing factory, a substantial quantity of the raw and processed products must be conveyed through network of equipment made up from stainless steel. The Food and Drug Authority of USA i.e. FDA has laid down several specifications applying to the use of materials that come in contact with food. When food processing material is made according to a particular grade of stainless, these are referred to as safe to use with edibles.
Learn more about FDA regulations in determining the Regulatory Status of Components of a Food Contact Material
Architectural parts: There are many architectural parts like handrails, ladders and railings that need to be robust, and immune to corrosion and should live long. In cases like this, a stainless steel pipe or tube is built and fitted.
Car uses: The handlebars used on motorbikes and the piping systems in a vehicle must be both immune to corrosion, vibration, dust, rain, and other parts of the weather. The use of stainless steel is a perfect choice in such conditions because meets all of the needed parameters.
Moreover, there are many other applications of stainless steel like the manufacturing of health care products, electronics, gymnasium and more.