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Stainless steel is known for its excellent overall performance, aesthetic appeal, and surface properties, making it a popular material across various industries. Stainless steel pipes, as an important product, share these attributes. These pipes, characterized by their hollow section, are typically classified into two main types based on the manufacturing process: stainless steel seamless pipes and stainless steel welded pipes. Their production methods and properties differ in several key ways. Below, we will outline these differences as explained by a stainless steel pipe manufacturer.
Stainless Steel Welded Pipe:
Stainless steel welded pipes (SS welded pipes) are produced through a welding process. The manufacturing process involves bending steel plates into the desired shape, welding the edges together, and then processing and adjusting the pipe to meet standard specifications. These pipes are known for their smooth appearance, precise dimensions, and polished surface. Stainless steel welded pipes are commonly used in low-pressure fluid transportation systems, such as water supply, gas distribution, and food processing industries.
Stainless Steel Seamless Pipe:
Stainless steel seamless pipes (SS seamless pipes) are manufactured by perforating stainless steel billets and processing them through techniques like cold drawing and cold rolling. These pipes offer high strength and reliability, making them ideal for applications involving high pressure and temperature, such as in petrochemical plants, aerospace, shipbuilding, and nuclear power construction.
Comparison of Stainless Steel Welded Pipe and Stainless Steel Seamless Pipe:
- Production Process:
Stainless steel welded pipes are produced by welding steel plates or strips that have been curled and formed with the help of molds and equipment. These pipes typically have a visible weld seam along the interior.
On the other hand, seamless pipes are created by perforating round billets and further processed through cold rolling, cold drawing, or hot extrusion methods. Unlike welded pipes, seamless pipes do not have any weld seams, making the production process more complex and costly.
- Dimensional Accuracy:
Welded pipes are known for their high precision, with uniform wall thickness and smooth, bright surfaces. They can be cut to any length, and thin-walled varieties are readily available.
In contrast, seamless pipes have lower dimensional accuracy, with uneven wall thickness and less bright surfaces both internally and externally. Removing imperfections such as pitting and black spots on seamless pipes can be difficult, and they are typically produced with thicker walls.
- Strength and Reliability:
Stainless steel seamless pipes are subjected to cold working processes that enhance their strength and reliability, making them well-suited for high-pressure, high-temperature applications. The presence of welds in welded pipes, however, slightly reduces their strength and reliability compared to seamless pipes.
- Performance and Price:
Seamless pipes offer superior corrosion resistance, as well as better resistance to pressure and high temperatures. While advances in welded pipe manufacturing have improved their mechanical properties, they still lag behind seamless pipes in extreme conditions. Due to the complexity of the seamless pipe production process, they are generally more expensive than welded pipes.