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📰 Stainless Steel Weekly Insights

 

Stainless Steel's Struggle Amidst Changing Market Dynamics

Recently, the stainless steel market has been abuzz with discussions and speculations. Let's dive into the latest hot topics:

• Qingshan's pan prices have dropped by 100! Agents continue to offer discounts. The competition is getting fierce!
• As soon as the collection of scrap materials was halted, people started to speculate if this was a strategic retreat.

On July 18, 2024, in the Foshan market, a trending topic emerged: A vegetable market in Yantian, Shenzhen, offered free cooking services, causing panic among a group of restaurants!

🏃‍♂️ The competition is fierce! The rapid development of technology, like AI, is causing job displacement, and now even the food and beverage industry seems to be innovating. Milk tea has made its debut, aiming to be the "Light of Hell"; as for us in the stainless steel industry, we are now 'Searching for Light in Hell'...

After a long absence, the author's favorite jester commented on the situation today.

In July, the market lacked excitement, so stainless steel bosses have all started to travel, hoping to bring back a good mood and a good market trend. However, there is a group that is not worried about the market trend but is anxious about something else.

This group refers to the export sector.

📉 There has been a lot of talk about the tax rebate for zero-tax products, with the dividing line being the 20th. During the grace period, the tax rebate is about 2.2%. However, there is a rumor that after July 20th, the normal tax rate will be around 24%, but it is not clear whether this is true. The difference is quite significant. The tax rebate is to be implemented by the actual owner of the goods or the manufacturer, with customs brokers, shipping ports, and freight forwarders assisting in the completion.

Feedback from export merchants:

What I heard is that the 'two highs and one low' will be reviewed and supplemented, not just for stainless steel. It is said that according to the (value-added tax, income tax, and local tax) comprehensive preferential tax rate, a tax of 2.12% will be paid. Those who do not cooperate will bear the subsequent legal responsibilities.

Previously, foreign trade merchants reported:

Every order counts, and all must be supplemented. If there is a special reason for not being able to contact or refuse to supplement, the tax bureau will investigate from the business unit, customs broker, shipping port, freight forwarder, and owner, and if there is a clue interruption, it will be handed over to the economic investigation for handling until the supplement is completed.

Foreign trade merchants said:

It's hard to take orders, the industry is chaotic, so sometimes we hope it can be more standardized, at least the competition will not be so fierce. I feel that the people in our industry are very brave, they will be restrained on the tuyere, and after a while, they will still return to the original state. As for the tax supplement, I don't know if it's the whole industry to do it, or it depends on luck. The bullet has been flying for a while, and everyone should have a bottom in their hearts, just to see when this sword falls...

Regarding the rumors, export merchants said.

Overall, the group that has experienced its high moments is also slowly fading a bit.

BBA said it would collectively withdraw from the price war because the price war has hurt the foundation, and if it can't afford to lose, it won't play. The "shuffle tide" in the stainless steel industry is that those who can't hold on will run first.

In the current environment, which is not prosperous, with operating costs continuing to increase and profits becoming more difficult, people in the stainless steel industry have chosen to "hold on a little longer". As a result, everyone has become like a donkey in the Arabian region: the carrot hanging on the forehead is always there but always can't be eaten, but it gives it the motivation to move forward and the courage to persist.

Americ Energy (CHINA) Co., Ltd. stands as a prominent manufacturer and distributor of a comprehensive range of stainless steel products, designed to cater to the diverse needs of various industries. Their offerings encompass stainless steel tubes, plates, strips, and square tubes, all manufactured to uphold the highest quality benchmarks.

Contact Information:

• Website: https://www.metal-ae.com/www.metal-ae.com
• Email: ae@americenergy.com
• Phone: 13521210668
• WhatsApp: 13521210668
• Address: No.298 Fengwei Road, Xishan Development Zone, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China

 

 

 

Why Tianjin is a Key Battleground for Stainless Steel Foreign Trade

Tianjin Port, located on the eastern coast of Tianjin, China, is the largest comprehensive port and foreign trade port in North China, and also one of the world's highest-level artificial deep-water ports.

Tianjin Port boasts advanced port facilities and a complete transportation system, capable of docking all kinds of large ships in the world, and its cargo throughput has long been among the top in the world.

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With the global economic growth slowing down in 2024, the supply and demand of stainless steel and raw materials are on a collision course full of challenges and opportunities. As the downstream production capacity continues to expand and release, the demand for raw material imports increases. Tianjin Port, as a major transportation hub port for ore and iron, radiates the production capacity of the cargo area, accounting for more than 70% of the national total. Therefore, Mysteel has built a platform for exchange and cooperation for enterprises in the industry's upstream, midstream, and downstream in Tianjin, specially inviting more than 500 decision-makers from the global industry chain to participate in this event, including government chambers of commerce, chromium-nickel mines, chromium-nickel smelters, stainless steel factories, traders, logistics companies, and research institutions, to deeply discuss the differences in domestic and overseas investment environments and help the entire industry chain to develop steadily.

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Americ Energy (CHINA) Co., Ltd. stands as a prominent manufacturer and distributor of a comprehensive range of stainless steel products, designed to cater to the diverse needs of various industries. Their offerings encompass stainless steel tubes, plates, strips, and square tubes, all manufactured to uphold the highest quality benchmarks.

Contact Information:

• Website: www.metal-ae.com
• Email: ae@americenergy.com
• Phone: 13521210668
• whatsapp: 13521210668
• Address: No.298 Fengwei Road, Xishan Development Zone, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China

In order to improve its mechanical properties, tools need to undergo heat treatment such as quenching and hardening.

Quenching:

This is a type of heat treatment that includes heating and subsequent cooling of the steel to reduce internal stress in the material. During the heating process, martensite is generated, which has a very hard structure and high ultimate tensile strength, but low resilience.

Therefore, the material is prone to cracking; To avoid this issue, the steel is then tempered through controlled cooling. The cooling rate during tempering has a significant impact on the residual stress of the steel. The slower the cooling rate, the weaker the residual stress.

The steel grade that can undergo this treatment contains 0.4-0.6% carbon, hence it is called quenched and tempered steel.

Hardening:

The purpose of this treatment is to increase the hardness of the material, which includes heating the steel to a certain temperature and then rapid cooling.

The commonly used method for measuring tool hardness is the Rockwell hardness test, which is performed using a conical (HRC) or spherical (HRB) indenter.

It involves gradually increasing the load on the instrument. The hardness is determined by the depth of penetration of the indenter into the workpiece.

Induction hardening:

This is the most common heat treatment for press brake machine tools, but as it is a surface treatment, it only affects the outer layer of the tool.

This quenching utilizes the principle of electromagnetic induction: a conductive material (coil) is placed in a strong alternating magnetic field, the tool is heated to a high temperature, and then rapidly cooled by a flow of coolant.

Induction quenching can form a very hard surface with wear resistance and fatigue resistance, without affecting the toughness of the core.

Core hardening:

Some press brake machine tool manufacturers use core hardening to achieve consistent hardness throughout the tool, while the surface hardness value is low, and the surface is usually subject to wear.

Length and precision

 

In the past, press brake machine tools were produced as single pieces, and their length was the same as that of the press brake machine or the profile to be bent. These steel tools are planed because hardening and grinding can cause them to deform due to their length. Due to the inability of the cutting tool to process, its accuracy is quite low, approximately 0.1 millimeters per meter.

With the emergence of new technologies, the accuracy of press brake machine tools has significantly improved. Today's tools are parts that are produced, hardened, and machined, ensuring higher accuracy (0.0 millimeters per pallet) and better mechanical performance than before. The length of the press brake machine tool varies depending on the type, for example, the Shinite tool has a length of 835mm.

The segmentation tool has several advantages: standard modular length, so that operators can purchase tools to form the required total length;

Easy to operate, saving time when installing the press brake machine;

Save costs because only worn or damaged parts of the tool need to be replaced, rather than the entire length;

The machine can be set up using different workstations and installation tools with different profiles that are used in sequence.

It is important that the tool dimensions are correct and can be fully interchangeable and aligned to utilize modern press brake machines and ensure high-quality press brake and repeatability.

Thanks to the surface finish generated by grinding machines, modern press brake machine tools can produce molds with radii in V-shaped molds and punch tips.

This allows for uniform press brake without marking the metal sheet and understanding the exact contact points between the tool and the metal sheet. This is important information for the CNC system of the press to automatically set press brake parameters to achieve maximum repeatability.

What is the press brake mold made of?

There are many types of materials available for manufacturing press brake tools, including steel, alloy materials, polymer materials, etc.

At present, steel is the most widely used material for producing press brake molds, including T8 steel, T10 steel, 42CrMo, Cr12MoV, etc.

42CrMo is a high-strength alloy steel that exhibits high strength and toughness after quenching and tempering.

It can work at low temperatures as low as -500 ° C and is known for its high strength, toughness, and wear resistance.

The commonly used materials for press brake molds can be divided into eight categories.

1. Carbon tool steel

T8A and T10A carbon tool steels are often used in the manufacturing of press brake molds due to their excellent machinability and cost-effectiveness.

However, these materials have poor hardenability and red hardness, and significant deformation occurs during heat treatment. In addition, their load-bearing capacity is relatively low.

2. Low alloy tool steel

Adding an appropriate amount of alloying elements to carbon tool steel produces low alloy tool steel, reducing the tendency for deformation and cracking during quenching, and improving the hardenability and wear resistance of the steel.

Some low alloy steels commonly used in the production of press brake molds include CrWMn, 9Mn2V, 7CrSiMnMoV, and 6CrNiSiMnMoV.

3. High carbon and high chromium tool steel

High carbon and high chromium tool steel is famous for its excellent hardenability, toughness, and wear resistance.

During heat treatment, the deformation is minimal, making it a high wear-resistant steel with a load-bearing capacity second only to high-speed steel.

However, due to the obvious segregation of carbides, repeated upsetting and drawing (axial upsetting and radial drawing) are required to reduce the unevenness of carbides and improve their performance.

Some common high carbon and high chromium tool steels include Cr12, Cr12MoV, and Cr12MoV1.

4. High carbon medium chromium tool steel

High carbon medium chromium tool steel used for press brake molds includes Cr4W2MoV, Cr6W, Cr5MoV, etc.

These materials have low chromium content, fewer eutectic carbides, uniform distribution of carbides, minimal heat treatment deformation, good hardenability, and stable size.

Compared with high carbon steel and high chromium steel with obvious carbide segregation, these materials have improved properties.

5. High speed steel

High speed steel is commonly used in the production of press brake molds due to its high hardness, wear resistance, and compressive strength. It also has high load-bearing capacity.

Commonly used are W18Cr4V, W6Mo5, and Cr4V2 to reduce tungsten, as well as 6W6Mo5 and Cr4v high-speed steels developed to enhance toughness.

In order to improve the distribution of carbides, high-speed steel also needs to be forged.

6. Foundation steel

Basic steel is produced by adding a small amount of other elements to high-speed steel and adjusting its carbon content to enhance its performance.

Compared to high-speed steel, this can improve performance, such as increased wear resistance and hardness, as well as better fatigue strength and toughness.

It is a high-strength and high toughness bending die steel, which is more cost-effective than high-speed steel.

The commonly used basic steels for press brake molds include 6Cr4W3Mo2VNb, 7Cr7Mo2V2Si, 5Cr4Mo3SiMnVAL, etc.

7. Hard alloy and steel bonded hard alloy

Hard alloy has the highest hardness and wear resistance in bending die steel, but its strength and toughness during bending are poor.

Tungsten cobalt is used as a hard alloy in press brake molds.

For bending molds that require low impact and high wear resistance, hard alloys with low cobalt content can be selected. For high impact molds, hard alloys with high cobalt content can be used.

Steel bonded hard alloy is made by powder metallurgy using iron powder and a small amount of alloy element powder (such as chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, etc.) as the binder, titanium carbide or tungsten carbide as the hard phase.

The matrix of steel bonded hard alloy is steel, which solves the problems of poor toughness and difficult processing of hard alloy.

This material can be cut, welded, forged, and heat treated. Steel bonded hard alloys contain many carbides, with lower hardness and wear resistance than hard alloys, but still higher than other steel grades.

After quenching and tempering, its hardness can reach 68-73HRC.

8. New materials

The material used for the press brake mold is a cold working mold steel, and its main performance requirements are strength, toughness, and wear resistance.

At present, the development trend of press brake mold steel mainly has two directions, both centered around high alloy steel D2 (Cr12MoV).

(1) Improving the toughness of bending molds, including reducing carbon content and alloy element content, and improving the uniformity of carbide distribution in steel. Examples in this direction include 8CrMo2V2Si and Cr8Mo2SiV.

(2) Improve the wear resistance of press brake molds and adapt to the high-speed, automated, and mass production of powder high-speed steel. An example of this direction is 320CrVMo13.

The cost of press brake molds usually depends on various factors, such as market conditions, customer psychology, competition, and manufacturer's situation.

The press brake mold manufacturer will conduct a comprehensive analysis of these factors to determine the cost of their punch and mold.

They may start with a base price that will increase by 10-30% to consider valuation, but this quotation can be negotiated and reduced based on specific circumstances. The final price shall be agreed upon by both parties and outlined in the contract.

It should be noted that the mold price may be higher or lower than the initial estimate, which only estimates the basic production cost and does not consider additional costs or profits.

It should be noted that the initial quotation for the press brake mold is not the final price, but only serves as an estimate of development costs.

After the product development is successful and profits are generated, the additional value of the mold fee is extracted as compensation to form the final mold price.

This price may be higher than the original estimate, and the return rate is also high, ranging from tens to hundreds of times the normal mold price. However, the return rate may also be zero.

For manufacturers, it is important to prioritize the quality, accuracy, and service life of press brake molds over cost. Pursuing low prices should not compromise the quality of high-tech products.

It is worth noting that due to factors such as equipment technology, personnel concepts, and consumption levels, mold valuation and prices vary among different enterprises, regions, and countries.

In more developed regions or larger and technologically advanced enterprises, the focus may be on high quality and high prices, while in regions with lower consumption levels or smaller enterprises, mold prices are expected to be lower.

It is also worth mentioning that mold prices will change over time, and the direct impact of mold prices may be poor.

Different time requirements and manufacturing cycles result in different mold prices. A pair of molds at different times have different prices, and molds with different manufacturing cycles have different prices.