Outokumpu’s Prodec range of stainless steel products is optimized for improved machinability with longer tool life and enhanced quality. Prodec lowers the total cost of machined parts by offering faster machining, longer tool life and superior quality when it comes to dimensional tolerances and final surface. Decades of extensive product development from steelmaking to cold drawing has enabled Outokumpu to develop products with vastly superior machinability compared to their counterparts, while retaining the same level of corrosion resistance, yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, hardness and toughness.
The Prodec range includes both martensitic precipitation hardening and austenitic stainless steels, offering customers the best material for their need. In a typical example of Prodec’s cost-saving potential, higher speeds were achieved with Prodec 316L/4404 in cutting speed and RPM, as compared to the standard 316L. Total time per component was also reduced, resulting in higher productivity and a reduction in machining cost per component.
According to Todd Rhodes, President of Plus Ten Stainless Inc., a fabricator based outside San Francisco, California, with a long-standing relationship with Outokumpu: “Our customers require very close tolerances, and I’m always looking for ways to control our production process. They (customers) regularly achieve 25-30% faster machining speeds without any heat-affected zone around the perimeter when they use Prodec products. They also see their tools lasting longer – sometimes up to twice as long.”