AK Steel, Westchester, Ohio, has introduced ChromeShield 22, a new nickel-free stainless steel alloy with enhanced properties and stable pricing. It was developed by AK Steel at its Research Center in Middletown, Ohio, principally for manufacturers of appliance and food service equipment, tubing, cookware, automotive exhaust components, and heat exchangers. After rigorous testing and customer trials, ChromeShield 22 has proven to be a lower-cost material solution with many manufacturing benefits across several of the most demanding applications.
Similar to nickel-bearing stainless steels, it is rust and stain resistant with excellent corrosion properties. In numerous applications, the corrosion resistance of ChromeShield 22 will meet or exceed the performance of conventional nickel-bearing stainless steels. This breakthrough in technology will better maintain both the integrity and appearance of the product versus many higher priced stainless steels.
In addition, it withstands extreme changes in temperature better than nickel-bearing grades of stainless steel used for comparable applications. This is particularly important to manufacturers of automotive exhaust components, cookware and heat exchangers, as it offers enhanced protection against both oxidation and temperature-related stress and fatigue fractures.
ChromeShield 22 also has been approved by NSF International, a leading health and public safety organization, as safe for food contact. This is a critical benefit for the food service equipment market.
Since it does not contain nickel, pricing is more predictable than the extremely volatile fluctuations of nickel-bearing steels, whose costs are driven by nickel trading on the London Metal Exchange.
