Stainless steel Stainless steel is the most common meta […]
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is the most common metal in daily life. The reason for stainless steel rust prevention is that steel contains chromium and nickel. The metal surface has a very thin protective film that can block external corrosion, so it will not rust. Common stainless steel grades are 304, 316, 201, 202, etc. 316 has better corrosion resistance, but it is generally only used under harsh conditions. In the lock industry, 304 is the best stainless steel material.
Advantages of stainless steel:
1. Good performance, durability, rust resistance, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance.
2. The hardness and rigidity are very good, and the thin material is still very strong.
3. When using precision casting (non-pressure casting), the mold cost is very cheap, far lower than zinc alloy molds, so that outsiders will misjudge it. (Investment casting or lost wax casting: wax melting process, changing molds)
Disadvantages of stainless steel:
1. The price is expensive (mainly nickel).
2. Because of its toughness, machining is quite laborious and the tool wear is serious. In addition, stainless steel stamping has large springback, high punching force, and rapid die wear.
3. The surface treatment is monotonous. In actual use, there are only four types of sanding, bright, placer gold, and bright gold (the latter two are generally achieved by PVD plating), so it is difficult to achieve colorful colors, such as bronze. Electroplating is currently possible, but the cost is high and it is not very cost-effective.
Aluminum alloy
The main feature of aluminum is light, and the weight of the same volume of zinc alloy is more than twice that of aluminum. Therefore, although the price of aluminum raw materials is higher, the same amount of aluminum can produce more finished products, but the price of finished products is lower. Therefore, some companies in the lock industry often use die-cast aluminum die-cast handles, floor buckles, etc.
China's largest aluminum profile production area is in Nanhai, Guangdong, so many lock brands in Guangdong will use aluminum alloy as one of the lock materials.
Advantages of aluminum alloy:
1. The finished product is cheap;
2. Stable in nature, the aluminum is treated by anodizing, the surface of the matrix is turned over like farmland, and then hardened, so it will be further oxidized when exposed to air, and the oxide layer protects the matrix from rust, which is said to never fade
3. Various wood grains can be made;
Disadvantages of aluminum alloy:
1. It can be electroplated, but the electroplating process has certain requirements;
2. The strength and hardness are worse than other metals;
3. The surface treatment process of aluminum material is difficult, the single color process is relatively mature, and the color matching is not stable; the difference between anodizing and electroplating is that electroplating is to attach other metals to the matrix, while anodizing is to directly apply the surface of the aluminum alloy Turn it over and wait until the aluminum and air are combined and oxidized to form a dense oxide film, which has a good protective function on the surface of the alloy.