are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.
Stainless steel wire mesh is a versatile material that delivers durability that countless industries rely on. Stainless steel in itself has dozens of classifications and specifications that can sometimes make it hard for lab technicians and floor engineers to pinpoint the best solution.
Of all the stainless steel classifications, type 304 and type 316 stand as the most popular. So what’s the difference?
W.S. Tyler has worked with woven wire mesh of various alloys for over 140 years and is here to ensure you apply the right one to your operation.
In this article, we establish what stainless steel is, what low carbon alloy is, how 304 and 316 stainless steel mesh compare, and which alloy you should use.
What Is Stainless Steel Alloy?
Stainless steel has become one of the most widely used materials throughout the world. There are centuries of research standing behind its manufacturing processes.
Now, no matter which type of steel you are working with, it is most likely classified by the quality of the alloy. That said, a stainless steel alloy must consist of a certain level of carbon and chromium to be considered stainless.
To put this into perspective, this article will compare 304 stainless steel to 316 stainless steel.
Low Carbon Alloy Steel
As stated above, most steel classifications are dictated by the level of carbon that they contain. When an alloy contains less than .03% carbon, it then carries the classification of a low carbon steel, or L-grade.
Having such a limited amount of carbon in the alloy reduces the amount of carbide precipitation. This heightens the alloy’s resistance to corrosion.
This is particularly beneficial for applications in which the stainless steel wire mesh is exposed to moisture. In other words, the more carbon that is present in the alloy, the more likely it is to rust and corrode when water is present.
How Do 304 and 316 Stainless Steel Compare?
The main differences between 304 and 316 stainless steel mesh come down to their corrosion resistance, durability, heat resistance, and formability.
Now, 304 stainless steel mesh is an alloy that contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. On the other hand, 316 stainless steel mesh is an alloy that contains 16% chromium, 10% nickel, and 2% molybdenum.
Because 316 has more nickel and contains molybdenum, it is higher quality than 304. These added benefits allow it to be more resistant to corrosive environments, more stable and durable, and more resistant to extreme temperatures.
That said, there are little to no differences between the two alloys visually. They also carry the same ability to be welded and customized during fabrication.
When it comes to cost, 316 stainless steel wire mesh stands as the most expensive of the two. But these margins are not that significant.
To put this into perspective, if a piece of 304 stainless steel mesh costs $1.00 per square foot then 316 stainless steel mesh would cost somewhere around $1.15 per square foot.
This remains the same regardless if you are using 304/316 regular or L-grade 304/316.
Which Alloy Should I Use?
The alloy that should be used depends on the application. If the mesh is going to be subjected to harsh conditions that introduce corrosive substances, 316 should be applied.
This is because the molybdenum that is added to 316 stainless steel wire mesh, allows it to withstand more corrosive applications.
With that, if you are simply using it to sift non-corrosive materials, such as food particles or aggregates, then a 304 stainless steel mesh will get the job done.
Low carbon steel, whether its 304 or 316, should be applied when welding is needed during fabrication. This is because carbon naturally absorbs heat and may hinder any sort of welding or heat treating process.
So, the higher the carbon content of the alloy the harder it is to be fabricated.
An Effective Operation Starts With Selecting The Right Alloy
The durability of stainless steel wire mesh has made it one of the most versatile materials available. 304 and 316 stainless steel may be the most widely used of the dozens of stainless steel specifications.
As with all alloys, 304 and 316 stainless steel mesh are classified by the quality of the steel as well as the amount of carbon and chromium it contains. That said, the alloy you choose is only one of the many specifications that go into selecting the right woven wire mesh.
If welding is required, stainless steel that contains less than .03% carbon is ideal.
Having worked with woven wire mesh for over 140 years, W.S. Tyler has the expertise needed to guide towards the perfect mesh specifications.
For more information about which mesh specifications work best for you, refer to our article: How to Pick the Right Woven Wire Mesh (Mesh Count, Wire Diameter, and Micron Rating).
At W.S. Tyler, we pride ourselves on the quality and versatility of our stainless steel woven wire mesh. As a company that has been weaving and working with stainless steel wire for over 50 years, we have seen an endless amount of uses and industries use our mesh.
Some of those uses are more current, or new, and some of those industries have been around forever.
One of those industries that have been around for a long time the screen printing industry. There are many kinds of media that can be used for the screen printing industry, but stainless steel mesh has proven to be one of the most efficient and cost effective options.
In this article, we are going to dive into what makes stainless steel wire mesh such a great solution for the screen printing world in terms of benefits, cost and finding the best fit for your needs.
We are also going to cover the situations where stainless steel mesh may not be the right fit for your screen printing needs.
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses mesh to transfer ink onto a substrate. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the openings in the mesh with ink/paste. A stencil will block parts of the openings in the mesh to create a design on the surface being printed on.
When screen printing originated, back in the 1600’s, silk screens were used to transfer the designs. The problem with using silk as a screening media is that over time, it doesn’t hold up because it will swell up and tear.
Today, the most common media for screen printing are polyester, nylon, and stainless steel.
At W.S. Tyler, we supply stainless steel woven wire mesh as screening media for this industry.
When it comes to screen printing there are quite a few reasons why stainless steel wire mesh is ideal.
Those benefits are:
- Tension
- Stability and Durability
- Heating Capabilities
- Cost Savings
- Calendaring for precise printing
Tension is very important to the screen printing industry. The media serving as the screen is stretched tightly before the squeegee with ink is run over the screen.
Stainless steel has less than 1% elongation, while other materials, like nylon or polyester, have more than 5%.
If you were to try to stretch nylon or other synthetic materials at certain tension levels, it will create rectangular openings which could tear and cause inconsistencies in your printing. This means that stainless steel woven wire is able to be tensioned, or stretched, at very high rates without changing the shape of each individual opening.
Stainless steel wires are also more stable than polyester or nylon.
Stainless steel woven wire can withstand hard conditions, even at the smaller opening sizes and thinner wire diameters.
With nylon or polyester, there is a limit to how fine or thin, you can get your individual threads to be because they cannot withstand the tension and stretch that is needed.
Stainless steel woven wire can get down to a very small diameter of each wire and still be able to be stretched and tensioned without suffering any alterations to the mesh itself or your process.
There are two main ways we have seen stainless steel wire mesh reduce cost in this industry.
The first is the available options with wire mesh in terms of weaves. These different patterns and weaves can
allow for more ink to be deposited in one pass, eliminating the need for multiple passes for each print.
Each time a pass is needed, you risk not having it line up precisely with the last pass and are also spending more in time and ink/paste.
The second cost saving benefit to stainless steel wire is if you are using very expensive ink or pastes.
The wire diameter is critical to reducing costs in terms of paste or ink needed. Stainless steel wire mesh is able to use a very limited amount of paste to transfer.
Stainless steel can be made with very thin individual wires that still offer a very high connectivity.
When the amount of paste needed can be reduced to a such an exact amount, this can save companies using expensive paste, like silver in the solar industry, significant money.
One of the biggest challenges with the screen printing process is movement within the screen.
When the squeegee passes over the mesh during the screen printing process, it can push the wires forward. This can create discrepancies in each print. If you were to compare print number 1 to print number 1000, you will see that they do not line up.
Calendaring the wire mesh before it goes into production, can help reduce this movement that happens during the printing process.
Calendaring is the process of placing the wire mesh between rollers and reduced to a predetermined thickness. This process stabilizes the mesh and also creates a smooth and uniform surface.
Calendaring crushes the knuckles together on the wire mesh which eliminates the amount of movement you get from the wires during your process.
By calendaring the mesh before using it, you can see a major improvement in repeatability in your prints by eliminating that movement during each pass.
When it comes to buying stainless steel wire mesh for screen printing, cost will differ depending on your exact needs, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $3 -$15 sq/ft.
Here are some of the questions you should ask yourself when thinking about cost:
- What mesh count do I need?
- Do I need my mesh calendared?
- Do I need it cut to a certain size or on a roll?
If you know the answers to these questions you should have no issues getting an exact quote for your woven wire.
When it comes to choosing the right media for your screen printing needs, it is always dependent on your specific needs and your application.
Although stainless steel woven wire can be a great solution for so many screen printing applications, there are situations where other types of media may be a better fit.
Woven wire mesh provides the tensioning capabilities, durability, cost effectiveness, and accuracy needed to thrive in the screen printing. The benefits are what allow woven wire screen printing mesh to accurately disperse inks of all varieties.
From logos on product packaging to precise solder masks on circuit boards, woven wire screen printing mesh can be used to accurately depict the desired design. That said, the effectiveness of screen printing operation relies on the use of the right mesh count for the job.
With over 140 year of woven wire mesh experience, W.S. Tyler has the expertise needed to help you pinpoint the right mesh specifications and implement high-quality mesh solutions.
To gain better understanding of which mesh count is right for you, check out our article: What Is the Best Mesh Count for Screen Printing?
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.
Want more information on diamond tools price? Feel free to contact us.
View Details wet strength labels sublimation paper suppliers Read more science flask types transfer paper for polyester more information big shampoo bottles factory biological consumables best protective paper for sublimation Pre Cleaner Machine cat litter cat litter water cooled condensing unit water cooled condensing unit water cooled condensing unit