Metal fabrication is the process of building machines and structures from raw materials. Therefore, using high-quality steel is essential in producing the best results. Hardox® wear plate is abrasion-resistant steel desired for its exceptional strength and durability.
Developed in 1974 by the Swedish steel company SSAB, the material is mainly used to fabricate metal components for a range of applications and industries—including agriculture, mining, construction, energy, and metalworking. Hardox® is superior to traditional steel plates in ensuring durability and long-lasting properties. But aside from the material’s quality, why is it a better option for modern metal fabrication?
1. Durability
Hardox® exhibits exceptional hardness and toughness. The material endures extreme pressure more common in heavy industrial environments. Because of its durability, it is better at absorbing impact and withstanding wear and abrasion without cracking, denting, bending, or warping.
2. Precision
If you’re looking for a good material to maintain and retain its shape even after getting exposed to harsh environments, then Hardox® is the material for you. It provides users with predictable and reliable performance while facilitating severely tight tolerances for thickness, flatness, and bending.
3. Longevity
Hardox® is built for a lifetime—it was designed to bear heavy loads, reducing the pressure on other machine components and improving equipment performance. Using it on fabricated components relieves wear and tear on equipment. In effect, the equipment lasts longer than ten times the standard in some applications. It is also easy to repair and maintain, saving people time and money in the long run.
4. Efficiency
Hardox®, although a material that is built to last, is highly machinable. It is ideal for the creation of thin, light components which resist wear and abrasion. The material’s unique qualities ensure that it retains its shape, hardness, and durability while significantly reducing the overall weight of the equipment. In effect, pieces of equipment made out of Hardox® is easier to use because of being lightweight, making work more efficient.
5. Malleable
Again, despite being the leading material for metal fabrication due to its hardness and durability, Hardox® can be easily formed and finished than traditional plates. Processing metals has never been more accessible—even painting the sheets to match the coating of other pieces of equipment is a breeze.
The Future of Metal Fabrication
The industry is adapting and finding new ways to build support for the inherent variability of customer demands. As machinery becomes more complex and sophisticated, crafted equipment requires the ability to maintain capital and profit.
Although forecasting is challenging in a business, metal fabrication needs to keep pace with the changes and rapidly catch up with the demands of clients while still maintaining a high-quality capacity to maximize profits. Therefore, using the best materials, such as Hardox®, is a power move that every business can make to leverage themselves in the industry.
Conclusion
There are standard raw materials used in metal fabrication. Plate metals, fittings, castings, formed and expanded metals, sectional metals, flat metal, and welding wire are materials that are still in demand. However, Hardox® is a newer, fresher approach to crafting quality products people can trust.
Tricon Wear Solutions has become one of the world’s leading suppliers of custom fabrication, custom processing, propriety abrasion-resistant plate materials, and specialty steel. As a company, we are determined to continue providing a wide range of products to a wide range of industries. Visit our website to learn more about Hardox® steel and other products.
