Difference Between Seamless & Welded Stainless Steel Pipes
One of the most versatile alloys used in manufacturing and fabrication is stainless steel. SS pipes are being used in a wide range of industries. Seamless steel pipes and welded steel pipes are the two most common types of stainless steel pipes.
Seamless pipes are made from solid steel sheets or bars that are formed into solid round shapes called “billets,” which are then heated and cast over a form like a piercing rod to form a hollow tube or shell. It’s made out of a steel cylinder. After heating the bar to a high temperature, a probe is inserted into the cylinder to make a hole. It’s a circular pipe with a hollow section and no seams. The seamless steel pipe is made from carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel ingots, or solid tube blanks, and then rolled. These pipes are known as superior to welded pipes as they are built using monolithic steel billets, with intrinsic mechanical strength, without seam welds.
Welded pipe is a type of pipe with a steel pipe joint on the surface that is formed by bending steel belt or steel plate material into round, square, or other shapes. After that, it’s welded into place. A roller or plate bending machine is used to cold form a flat strip, sheet, or plate into a round or circular shape. A high-energy source is then used to weld the pipe with or without filler material. Welded pipes come in a variety of sizes and can be made of length. Stainless Steel 310S Welded Pipes are typically used to transport large amounts of water, oil, or gas.
The difference between Stainless Steel Seamless Pipes & Welded Pipes is: –
- Appearance
Steel billet has been used as a raw material for seamless steel pipe. The hot rolling process cannot remove the outer surface defects of the billet; they must be polished after the product is finished. The defect can only be partially eliminated during the wall reduction process. In contrast, Welded steel pipe is made from a hot rolled coil as raw material, and the surface quality of the coil is identical to that of the pipe, making it simple to control. Hot-rolled coils have a high-quality surface. Welded steel pipe has a much higher surface quality than seamless steel pipe.
- Molding Process
In the rolling process, seamless steel pipes can be created just once. Welded steel pipe is made from steel strip or steel plate and is fabricated through bending and various welding processes.
- Performance and usage
Seamless steel pipe has a higher strength and pressure capacity than ERW welded steel pipe. As a result, it is widely used in the high-pressure equipment and boiler industries. The welding seam of a welded steel pipe is typically the weak point, and its quality has an impact on overall performance.
Welded steel pipes can withstand 20% less working pressure than seamless steel pipes. As Stainless Steel 316 Seamless Steel Pipes are dependable is used in the high range. All industrial pipelines are made of seamless pipes because they are subjected to extreme thermal, chemical, and mechanical loads. Welded pipes are preferred in the aerospace, automobile, and electronics industries, where the budget and work pressure on the pipes are both relatively low.
- Corrosion
Not until it is exposed to a highly corrosive environment seamless steel pipe does not show signs of corrosion, whereas the weld area in welded tubes is much more susceptible to corrosion attacks. Because a welded area is considered homogeneous, it has a different malleability, lower corrosion resistance, and more dimensional variation. Seamless steel pipes eliminate these problems and thus provide excellent corrosion resistance.
Benefits of Seamless Pipes:
- Strength.
- Corrosion resistance.
- Resistance to high pressure.
- Durability.
- Higher Purity of material.
- Can be used for critical applications in harsh environments.
Benefits of Welded Stainless Steel Pipes:
- Cost-efficient
- Faster manufacturing
- Easily customizable
- Consistent concentricity
- Higher tolerance
Welded steel pipes are widely used in boilers, automobiles, shipbuilding, furniture, agricultural machinery, scaffolding, wire conduit, top shelves, containers, and other applications. Whereas Seamless pipes are used in Seawater applications, Gas and fluid transfer, Chemical lines, Oil and gas flow lines, Chemical and heat processing plants.