Recent investment at Sandvik Española SA, Sandvik Steel’s stainless steel wire and profiles producing plant at Martorelles, near Barcelona, has increased production capacity for profiles used in applications as varied as watch bracelets, blades for food mixtures and orthopaedic implants. The investment, worth more than EUR 850,000, has increased the finishing capacity for profiles which are cold-rolled from round wire at the SESA plant.
Stainless steel profiles represent a niche market in which Sandvik Steel has been particularly successful. As well as watch bracelets and surgical implants, a major market exists with manufacturers of kitchenware in the form of saucepan handles, rotary grill skewers and food processor knives. Other key applications are reinforcements for aluminium windows and conveyors in pulp and paper mills.
Profiles are an effective and potentially cost saving alternative to round and flat wire. Round wire, in particular, is often used as a starting material to manufacture profiled components. Modern production methods and specially designed rolls enable Sandvik Española to produce close tolerance, cold rolled profiles with good surface quality and optimum material properties at near nett sizes. The SESA factory has now produced more than 1000 different profiles. Available in sizes up to 23mm wide and 7mm thick and in a wide range of austenitic stainless steels and special alloys, Sandvik profiles are supplied hard rolled or annealed, in a cold-rolled bright finish and delivered in coils, spools or straight lengths.
