American steel service industry Archives - National Material Company

Steel’s Versatility: Why the Steel Industry Stands the Test of Time

andre2021-02-08T20:20:57+00:00February 8th, 2021|News Blog|

Steel’s broad applicability has made it the world’s sweetheart. It’s a stalwart in everything from modern décor, to structural elements, to specialty parts in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, military, and infrastructure industries. Even landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Gateway Arch shine bright with steel produced by the American steel service industry.

Futurists, such as Elon Musk, have called steel “the best decision they have ever made.” The ancient general Alexander called strong enemies “walls of steel.” All this praise speaks to steel’s remarkable characteristics. In this blog, we will focus our attention specifically on steel’s versatility.

Steel can be used in a broad swath of temperature ranges

Highs

High-temperature grades of stainless steel can be used in temperatures up to 2100° F. This allows them to be used in furnaces, ovens, boilers, valves, and pipes. This also makes them ideal in the aerospace industry.

Lows

In low temperatures, many steel grades tend to become brittle after a certain threshold. A case in point was the steel hull of the Titanic which suffered brittle fracture in the steel bolts. However, modern steel grades have vastly improved on their low temperature range with cryogenic steels that show 100 Joules of toughness at -196 degrees Celsius.

Steel: perfect for exposure to chemicals and the elements

Hygiene

Stainless steel’s resistance to corrosion allows it to withstand many chemical cleaners. This makes it an ideal surface for many industries that require high levels of hygiene, especially in such applications as kitchens and chemistry labs.

Longevity

The Chrysler building’s stainless-steel roof, a pinnacle of Art Deco architecture, has only been cleaned three times since its construction in 1930! This is a strong flex on steel’s longevity and anti-corrosion properties that can resist the most damaging natural elements.

The average life of a steel product? 40 years.

Innovation and Specialization

The secret to steel’s versatility is the process of constant improvement since its discovery more than 4,000 years ago. With so much research, it’s no wonder that steel is such a specialized metal with an intricate grading system to categorize every form of steel.

Specialization

Whatever the job, there is a steel grade for it. Different techniques cause variances in ductility, toughness, machinability, and ability to be welded.

According to the World Steel Association, there are more than 3,500 grades of steel, each with its own unique properties. This includes the grades known as advanced high strength steels.

Innovation

When Hittites were creating steel 3,000 years ago, they probably created it by accident when the carbon from their furnaces mixed with iron. Since then, metalworkers have not only perfected the creation of different steel […]

What is Roll Forming?

Nathalia and Jorge2025-02-24T19:34:21+00:00March 12th, 2020|News Blog|

Get a Custom Quote for Your Roll Forming Needs

Roll forming is a continuous process which converts sheet metal into an engineered shape using consecutive sets of mated rolls, each of which makes only incremental changes in the form. The sum of these small changes in form is a complex profile.

The Forming Process

In conventional stamping the entire part is formed all at the same time. The part shape – and especially how complex it can be is limited when the strains from forming exceed what the metal is capable of achieving before splitting. In roll formed parts, only a small amount of forming strain is put into the part during each station and even here, only a small section is bent at any given time. Because of this, more complex shapes can be achieved with an appropriately designed roll forming process.

In the forming process, a coil or long individual strips are fed through a roll forming line which converts the flat sheet to a contoured cross-sectional profile. The unique aspect of this approach is the use of consecutive forming stations, each of which nudges the metal towards the desired shape. Based on the targeted profile, a computer calculates the optimal placing and shape of the rollers for maximum efficiency and designs the track. The more advanced the desired shape, the more rollers the material goes through. The roll forming line can bend metal, form metal into tubes, create metal maze-like structures, and punch the metal with holes during the process.

The rollers are precision-contoured metal dies that shape the incoming sheet metal. In most cases, they are also the powered drive rolls that pull the strip through the roll forming unit. These rollers can be as simple as the cylindrical rollers used to roll luggage through airport scanners, or they can take on more intricate shapes. After the final forming station, the strip is sheared to the ordered product length. Typically, no additional work is needed before shipment, since the final form has been achieved.

Advantages of the Roll Forming Process

There are a variety of advantages to roll forming. Because of the “assembly line” efficiency of roll forming, long lengths of metal can be produced and cut in large quantities, which reduces cost. Secondary processes such as punching or even welding can be integrated into a single production line. The profiles that can be produced using roll formed sheet steel are similar to what is seen in extruded aluminum.

The roll forming process makes creating lighter-weight steel parts easier compared to other shaping processes, since the wall thickness can be targeted based on the structural needs of the component. Parts can be rolled even if a finish or paint has been applied. While hot forming can produce similarly complex […]