When using stainless steel to produce components or parts, it is important to consider the metal alloy surcharges when calculating the final cost per piece/unit; see Graph 1.
Being that Nickel is traded on the Open Market, the price for Nickel moves up and down. In Graph 2, please note the price fluctuations of 304/304L and 316/316L which have Nickel as compared to 410 which does not have any Nickel.
Martensitic 410 stainless steel removes pricing volatility from the pricing equation, alloying for more stable price projections per component or part.
Martensitic stainless steels can be used cost effectively to achieve any or all of the following:
When used in the place of more expensive engineering materials, such as titanium, KVA STAINLESS™ processed martensitic stainless steel can result in substantial cost savings. The compounded effect of low alloy prices per ton and ultra high strength (necessitating lower material usage) can reduce material costs upwards of 85%!
MSS used in place of lower strength commodity materials (such as low carbon steels) will result in unheard of performance, yet pose no radical changes in manufacturability. This change will usually come at a modest cost increase, or be very nearly cost-neutral – as compared to the significant material and manufacturing expense required to implement other lightweight, high performance alloys.
As shown on the chart, when a strength-driven part is optimized for various material types, KVA STAINLESS™ MSS is the lowest cost, high strength alternative. Implementing martensitic stainless into structural designs is the clear winner – giving the lowest cost per kg mass saved in lightweighting applications.