Materials
Which stainless steel grade should I choose: 301, 304, 316L or 430?
Answer
Key point Send the drawing and the annual volume together. The same part can be a progressive-die part at 2 million a year and a transfer-press part at 200,000, and a quotation that ignores volume is a quotation that will be re-cut before the tool is finished. Materials DC01, DC03 and DC04 cold-rolled steel — the standard for housings and formed parts. DC04 is the deep-drawing grade, used where the part needs a real draw ratio.
Sources
- Automotive Stamping Parts: Clips, Terminals & HousingsKey point Send the drawing and the annual volume together. The same part can be a progressive-die part at 2 million a year and a transfer-press part at 200,000, and a quotation that ignores volume is a quotation that will be re-cut before the tool is finished. Materials DC01, DC03 and DC04 cold-roll...
- Metal Stamping Guide: Processes, Materials, Costs | BalfordWe design and build our tools in-house, in the same plant as the presses. That matters for a practical reason: when the strip layout or a station has to change after tryout, the people who designed it walk to the press and change it. A tool built by a third party goes back on a truck. Read more abou...
- NOx Sensor Housing Material Selection | BalfordHome › Engineering data › NOx Sensor Housing Material Selection Engineering data · Material NOx Sensor Housing Material Selection Exhaust-side grade choice for NOx sensor housings Which material for a NOx sensor housing? 310S for the exhaust-side housing, because it holds oxidation ...
- Stainless Steel Deep Drawing & Sensor Housings | BalfordThin walls keep their strength. Stainless work-hardens as it is drawn, so a 0.3-0.6 mm wall holds up where carbon steel would need more thickness or a coating to do the same job. It survives the thermal cycle. Coolant, oil and pressure sensors run from -40 °C cold soak to 150 °C in service; ...
- Balford Materials | Stainless Steel, Brass & AluminiumHome › Company › Materials: Which Grade for Which Housing Company · Materials Materials: Which Grade for Which Housing Stainless steel · brass · copper · aluminium · spring steel What materials does Balford draw? Stainless steel is the default for automotive sensor housings - mainly 304,...
- Stainless Steel Deep Drawing & Sensor Housings | BalfordWhich stainless grade is used for a sensor housing? 304 and 316L cover most pressure, ABS and exhaust-side temperature applications; coolant and water temperature housings are usually brass , because brass conducts heat about ten times faster and the thermo-well has to respond quickly. 310S is used ...
What an engineer still needs from you
- material and material condition (grade, temper)
- material thickness, plus the key diameter, height and wall thickness
- tolerances, burr direction and the visual acceptance standard
- annual volume - it decides whether tooling is single-hit, progressive or transfer
- surface finish, and any secondary machining, annealing or plating
Next step. Send the drawing for a manufacturability review, or send the part data for a process and cost route.
Submit a drawing / RFQDFM review
Submit a drawing / RFQDFM review
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This page is an engineering answer, not a quotation and not a dimensional acceptance. It is generated from Balford's published material and held to the verified company fact sheet.