Welding 321 Stainless Steel Pipes Finishes

Mechanically Polished and Brushed Surfaces

Finishes here includes:

• 2G:
  This is a uniform, uni-directional finish with a low reflectivity. It has a coarse finish, restricting its use to internal applications. The visual appearance of the stainless steel surface finish will depend on the both the material and the roughness of the grinding belt.

• 2J:
  Achieved by using brushes or polishing belts, it is a uni-directional surface finish that is non-reflective and suitable for use in internal architectural applications.

• 2K:
  Achieved by using brushes or finger grit belts, a clean cut finish is produced with a maximum roughness of Ra=0.5 microns. Because it has a smooth and reflective surface, it is suitable for use in architectural applications, especially exterior applications where atmospheric performance is important.

• 2P:
  Achieved by polishing and buffing with special polishing compounds and soft cloth mops, the result is a highly reflective, ultra-smooth appearance.

Bead Blasted Finishes

This process is able to provide stainless steel finishes that are uniform, non-directional and low-reflective. These surfaces also contrast visually well with highly polished surfaces. The appearance of the finished surface can be altered by altering the blast material.

Materials used for blasting includes:

• Glass

• Stainless steel particles

• Shredded nut shells

• Aluminum oxide

• Ceramic beads

 

Electropolished Finishes

This stainless steel finishing process is suited for both sheet and intricately shaped components. This process is used in order to enhance reflectivity as well as the smoothness of the surface.

Notes that the end finish here will depend on the finish on the initial stainless steel component. This finishing method facilitates the ease of maintenance as well as enhances the stainless steel's appearance. 

Decorative Finishes

Specialist companies are capable of providing dynamic graphic designs with processes that included shot blasting, coloring, acid etching, photoresist processes, grinding and polishing. Using either one or a combination of these stainless steel finishing processes, specialist companies will use Masking (to protect the surface) during finishing processes.

Photoresist and Silk Screen processes are used in order to transfer a pattern onto the surface of the stainless steel. The surface is then acid etched and reveals the pattern. Acid etching involves the removal of small amounts of surface material and electro-chemical coloring can also be performed before or even after etching.