Most business owners of small-scale manufacturing operations would love to use premium materials in all their products, but they have to consider costs, manufacturing timelines, material performance, and countless other factors. High-spec materials may be ideal, but small-scale manufacturers must balance the perfect choice with the practical one.

Products need to be affordable to manufacture, but they also need to be durable. Potential customers must see those products as high-quality and worthy of purchasing. They might base that decision on an attractive appearance, impressive product claims, or advanced materials.

It’s important to understand both the product requirements and the end user’s priorities as well as manufacturability when you choose materials for your product. Quality raw materials can be easier to process and create less scrap. You may save money in the long run by using more premium materials.

High-Spec Steel and Aluminum for Small-Scale Manufacturing

Steel and aluminum are the most common metals used in small-scale manufacturing, but sometimes you need something more advanced than the standard alloys. There is a steel or aluminum alloy for almost every application, whether you need strength, corrosion resistance, or improved machinability.

Below are some examples of high-spec grades of steel and aluminum used in small-scale manufacturing.

Properties

Uses

316 Stainless Steel

  • Superior corrosion resistance
  • Known as “marine grade” stainless steel for its resistance to saltwater corrosion
  • Standard for marine applications
  • Equipment in the chemical, paper, mining, food, medical, pharmaceutical, and petroleum industries

7075 Aluminum

  • Strongest commercial grade of aluminum
  • Good ductility, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance
  • High-stress structural applications
  • Rock climbing equipment, bicycle components, inline-skating frames, and hang glider airframes

Mic-6 Aluminum

  • Designed for dimensional stability, surface finish, and precision machining
  • Resists distortion during machining and temperature changes
  • Machining applications that require precise control of tolerances and dimensions
  • Measurement equipment

Other High-Spec Materials for Small-Scale Manufacturing

Beyond steel and aluminum, there are other metals with high specifications for any application. These materials have advantageous properties like low weight, high strength, or resistance to temperature changes.

A few of these exotic metals and superalloys are detailed below.

Properties

Uses

Titanium

  • Excellent strength-to-weight ratio
  • Resistant to heat, water, chemicals, and corrosion
  • Biocompatible
  • Mechanical components that require high strength with minimal weight
  • Jewelry, eyeglass frames, and implanted medical devices

Monel

  • Highly acid- and corrosion-resistant
  • Some alloys are ideal in extremely low-temperature applications
  • Oil and refinery operations
  • Some high-end musical instrument hardware like guitar strings and woodwind valves

Hastelloy

  • Resistant to oxidation
  • Unlike most exotic nickel-based alloys, it is forgeable, cold workable, and weldable
  • Used in chemical processing applications
  • It’s becoming common in the geothermal and solar energy industries

Invar

  • Retains its dimensions despite temperature changes
  • Ideal for minimizing thermal expansion in variable temperatures
  • Electrical components, circuits, timepieces, and sensors

Inconel

  • Heat- and corrosion-resistant
  • Can maintain its tensile strength in temperatures as high as 2,000°F
  • Jet engine exhaust systems, turbine blades, rotors, seals, and combustors that operate in extreme environments
  • Natural gas processing
  • Exhaust systems in high-performance vehicles in the auto industry

Cupronickel

  • Corrosion-resistant, especially in seawater
  • Durable
  • Good electrical conductor
  • Marine engineering
  • Coinage

Cost-Effective, Local Supply of High-Spec Materials

High-spec metals are in demand by small-scale manufacturing shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, it’s not always easy to find these metals at affordable prices, especially if you need a small quantity or a one-time purchase. Manufacturers can source these alloys at low costs through a local metal recycler and supplier specializing in verified metal remnants.

Industrial Metal Service specializes in the “ultimate recycling” of high-quality metal remnants. The recycled metals are verified using x-ray fluorescence technology to supply shops with the materials they need without sourcing expensive new metals directly from a mill. For more than two decades, we’ve built a reputation as a reliable local supplier of high-spec aluminum, steel, copper, titanium, and exotic alloys for small-scale manufacturing operations in the Bay Area.

Our extensive inventory of high-spec metals can ensure you get the materials you need at a price you can afford. Contact us today to discuss your needs. We welcome the opportunity to become a value-added partner in your business.
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IMS Team

IMS Team

Industrial Metal Service has decades of experience and over 1.1 billion pounds of metal sold and recycled. Our founder, Jeff, has spent his life in the industry and prides himself on offering fair, efficient, trustworthy, knowledgeable, outstanding customer service. We offer metal salesmetal recycling pickup service, and other associated services, such as precise metal sawing, machinery teardown, and warehouse cleanupGive us a call and we’ll get it done.