Why Use A Nitrogen-Based Steel Shrinking Process?
Posted on: 26 April 2022
There might be times when you need to shrink steel as part of your product manufacturing process. For example, you might need to join two parts of different sizes or shrink a piece of steel to fit exactly on another part.
Steel fabrication companies can shrink metals for you in different ways. For example, they can tuck steel, put it through a shrinker machine or use heat to make it contract.
While all these techniques have their place, you can also use nitrogen to change the size of steel. Here, pieces of steel are immersed in a nitrogen solution to shrink them to fit.
What are the advantages of using nitrogen-based steel shrinking techniques?
Get Faster Results
Traditional steel shrinking procedures can take some time. For example, if you use tucking or a shrinker machine, then you have to physically manipulate the metal in increments to change its size until it meets your dimensions. If you use a heat-shrinking procedure, then you have to heat the steel and wait for it to cool.
Nitrogen shrinking is a much faster process. You simply place the steel in a nitrogen solution. Nitrogen has an immediate effect on the size of the metal. The metal also goes back to a normal temperature a lot faster than it would if you had to wait for it to cool down after heating. So, you could reduce the size of your components or parts much more quickly.
Get More Precision
It isn't always easy to shrink steel to exactly the right size. For example, heat shrinkage techniques sometimes have a margin of error. You need experienced workers to shrink steel precisely by tucking or on shrinker machines.
The effects of nitrogen are much more predictable, and the technique gives you more accurate results. This is especially important if you need your steel to be shrunk to an exact specification.
Get Better Finishes
Traditional shrinking techniques don't always produce finished products with high-quality cosmetic finishes. For example, if you heat to shrink, then your steel might be left with some surface discolouration. It might also have some distortion on it. Shrinker machines and tucking can leave marks on the surface.
If you want a high-quality finish, then nitrogen shrinking is a better option. This process won't discolour or damage the steel's surface.
To find out more about the benefits of using nitrogen to shrink steel parts, contact steel fabrication professionals with experience using this process.
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