Custom stainless steel parts, cut, bent and welded to drawing
Stainless is unforgiving: it marks, it work hardens, it discolours at the weld and it moves when you heat it. We cut it on fiber lasers, bend it with laser angle control and weld it with pulse TIG, then finish it the way your application needs.
Axinar manufactures custom stainless steel parts and assemblies in AISI 304 and 316. Sheets are cut with nitrogen for an oxide-free edge, bent at ±0.1° with laser angle measurement, and welded with pulse TIG or 3 kW fiber laser. Stainless is handled separately from carbon steel to prevent contamination and rust spotting.
304 or 316, and what it costs you to get it wrong
AISI 304 is the default austenitic stainless, cheaper and widely stocked, and it is the right choice for indoor equipment, food contact away from salt and chlorides, and general industrial work. AISI 316 adds molybdenum, which buys resistance to chlorides: seawater, coastal air, swimming pools, de-icing salt, and cleaning regimes based on chlorinated agents.
The mistake we see most often is specifying 304 for a part that lives outdoors near the sea, or specifying 316 for the whole assembly when only the exposed bracket needs it. Both cost money. Send us the environment along with the drawing and we will say which grade the part actually needs, and where a mixed specification is cheaper.
Grade is not the only variable that decides whether a stainless part survives. Surface condition matters as much: an unpickled weld, embedded carbon steel particles from a shared tool, or a coarse grind that traps dirt will rust a 316 part in a place where a clean 304 part would not.
How stainless runs through the plant
| Stage | Capability | Stainless-specific notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laser cutting | Sheets to 4,000 × 2,000 mm, ±0.1 mm, Glory Star 20 kW and 2 × GWEIKE 3 kW | Nitrogen cutting for an oxide-free, weld-ready edge; film kept on for visible surfaces |
| Bending | Up to 4,000 mm, up to 350 t, ±0.1° with laser angle measurement | Springback is higher than in mild steel, which is exactly what the angle measurement compensates |
| Welding | Pulse TIG, pulse MIG, 3 kW handheld fiber laser | Back purging where the root side is visible or in contact with product; laser welding where distortion is the risk |
| Machining | Haas VF-2 milling and ST-15Y turning with live tooling | Dedicated tooling and controlled feeds to avoid work hardening and edge glazing |
| Rolling | DAVI 4-roll to 12 mm and 2,200 mm wide, cylinders and cones from Ø200 mm | Protective film on the outer surface through the rolls |
| Finishing | Deburring, brushing to a defined grain, pickling and passivation on request | Segregated handling to avoid carbon steel contamination |
Stainless work we do most
Food and beverage equipment
Frames, guards, tanks and covers with cleanable welds and brushed finishes to a specified grain direction.
Marine and coastal
316 brackets, fittings and enclosures for equipment that lives in salt air, with fasteners specified to match.
Industrial refrigeration
Panels, housings and structures for one of the sectors we already supply in series.
Medical and fitness equipment
Visible stainless parts where the seam quality is part of the product, not just of the structure.
Chemical and water treatment
Welded vessels, rolled shells and support structures where the environment decides the grade.
Architectural and visible parts
Cut and folded panels, cladding and trim where grain direction and edge quality are the specification.
What decides a stainless quotation
- Grade and surface, for example 304 2B, 304 brushed one side, 316L mill finish
- Environment, indoor, outdoor, coastal, chlorinated, food contact or chemical
- Weld requirement, structural, sealed, hygienic, ground flush or left as welded
- Grain direction on visible parts, since it decides how panels are nested
- Finish after welding, brushed, pickled and passivated, or electropolished through a partner
- Protective film, whether it stays on until your assembly line removes it
AISI 304 versus AISI 316, side by side
| Criterion | AISI 304 | AISI 316 |
|---|---|---|
| Key difference | Chromium and nickel, no molybdenum | Adds 2 to 3 percent molybdenum |
| Chloride resistance | Limited; pitting in salt air, pools and chlorinated cleaning | High; the reason 316 exists |
| Typical environment | Indoor equipment, general industry, food away from chlorides | Coastal and marine, pools, chemical, de-icing salt |
| Relative material cost | Lower, and more widely stocked in more thicknesses | Higher, and availability varies by thickness |
| Weldability | Good; use 304L for heavily welded assemblies | Good; 316L preferred where corrosion at the weld matters |
| Formability | Good, springback higher than mild steel | Comparable to 304 |
| When it is the wrong choice | Anything living in salt air or chlorinated water | Indoor parts where the extra cost buys nothing |
A common economical answer is a mixed specification: 316 only on the exposed parts, 304 on everything the environment never reaches.
Frequently asked questions
Do you keep stainless separate from carbon steel?
Yes, in handling, tooling and finishing. Cross contamination from carbon steel particles is the most common cause of rust spots on a correctly specified stainless part, so brushes, belts and work surfaces used for stainless are not shared with mild steel work.
Can you pickle and passivate?
Pickling and passivation are available on request for welded stainless assemblies. Tell us at RFQ stage, because it changes both the routing and the price, and for some parts a clean nitrogen-cut edge plus brushing is enough.
What thickness of stainless can you cut?
The 20 kW fiber laser covers the normal stainless range comfortably, with maximum thickness depending on grade and on the edge quality you need. Send the drawing with thickness and edge requirement and we confirm the achievable result rather than quoting a headline number.
Can you weld stainless without discolouration?
With pulse TIG and back purging the heat tint is controlled, and handheld fiber laser welding produces a narrow seam with very little tint and almost no grinding. Where a completely clean surface is required, we pickle and passivate afterwards.
Do you supply 316 and 316L?
Both are available through our suppliers. 316L, with lower carbon, is the usual choice for welded assemblies where corrosion at the heat-affected zone matters. Tell us the environment and we will confirm which of the two your part needs.
Can you mix stainless and mild steel in one assembly?
Yes, and it is often the economical answer, for example a painted mild steel frame with stainless exposed panels. Galvanic contact has to be handled in the design, with isolation or fastener choice, and we will raise it in the DFM review if the drawing does not address it.
Where to go next
Send your files, get a real quotation
Upload STEP or DXF files, tell us material, thickness, finish and quantity, and our engineers return a quotation with manufacturability notes. If a small change to a bend radius or a hole position saves you money, we tell you before you order.
Every enquiry is covered by an NDA from the first file.
- sales@axinar.com
- Phone
- +30 2310 808 159
- Files we accept
- STEP, DXF, DWG, IGES, SLDPRT, PDF
- Factory
- Bi.Pa. Oraiokastrou 1055, 57013 Thessaloniki, Greece