What Is Steel Processing?
Steel processing refers to all activities performed on steel and encompasses fundamental metal processing.
Steel is a type of metal that falls between “pure iron,” almost 100% pure, and “cast iron,” which has a carbon content of 2.14% or higher.
Further categorizations of steel include “ordinary steel (carbon steel),” containing silicon, manganese, phosphorus, and sulfur other than carbon, and “special steel,” which also contains nonferrous metals (chromium, nickel, molybdenum, etc.).
As a crucial material supporting the industry, steel has undergone continuous improvement, leading to various types of steel processing for different purposes.
Uses of Steel Processing
Steel processing serves as the foundation of metal processing in various ways, with ongoing material optimizations during the processing stage.
Hence, in steel processing, the selection of the most suitable material for processing becomes a critical point.
Currently, ordinary steel products include SS (general structural rolled steel), SR (welded structural rolled steel), and SPC (cold-rolled steel sheet and strip).
Specialty steels include alloy steels (SC, SCr, and SCM materials), tool steels (SK, SKH, SKS, and SKD materials), and special-purpose steels (spring steels, bearing steels, and stainless steels).
The abbreviations used adhere to JIS designations, with the first letter of the alphabet indicating the initial letter of Steel. The next letter indicates the standard or product name: S for Structure, P for Plate, K for Tool, C for Casting, and R for Rolled.
Types of Steel Processing
For small workpieces, “machining” with a fixed workpiece and “turning” with a rotating workpiece are typical types of steel processing.
For large workpieces, steel processing primarily involves welding, sheet-metal working, and press working using large machines.
Classified by processing method, cutting, bending, welding, and cutting are commonly performed, as in various types of metal processing.
In addition, steel processing includes various newly developed processing methods using new technologies.
In the cutting process, besides cutting with a press, “laser processing” with a laser beam is used. In the bending process, three-dimensional bending with the use of a computer is applied.
In welding, the use of laser welding technology, which utilizes laser beams and produces minimal sparks, is steadily increasing.
Similarly, in the cutting process, the revolutionary “metal 3D printer” has moved beyond the development stage and is steadily advancing to the practical stage.