Stainless steel in Automotive manufacturing

There is an ever increasing demand for safety in combination with strength, efficiency, performance, and light weight. Due to meeting these requirements, stainless steel came to the forefront of automotive design. More and more when it comes to safety features, we are finding that this material becomes the central focus due to its compelling properties for durable, efficient, cost effective structural vehicle design. Stainless for decorative trim is one of the unsung, but lauded uses of this corrosion resistant material. So stainless steel applications are the proven, cost effective, and durable choice. Due to the material’s outstanding resistance to corrosion, the ever present problem of corroded, rotting exhaust systems and catalytic converters is resolved with the use of stainless steel . In the automotive industry, this material comprises 45 to 50 percent of all exhaust systems. Other applications include uses as the primary lightweight structural material for integral components like fuel tanks, bumpers or chassis. Internal structural framework for doors, trunk lids, and hoods are other practical uses. The very composition of the duplex variety of stainless makes it almost twice as strong as the regular versions, like ferritic and austenitic stainless steel.