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Sign In Precision Ground Flat Stock - Regular and oversized steel
Precision Ground Flat Stock (GFS) is a precision-ground flat bar made of alloyed or unalloyed steel and is also referred to as Gauge Stock or simply Flats.
The precision grinding ensures that all sides of the workpiece have a smooth surface and strictly controlled dimensional tolerances, and are free from surface defects and decarburization.
Additional designations for Precision Ground Flat Steel also include Key Stock, Shim Stock, Sheets, Strips, Squares, or Plates.
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WHAT IS PRECISION GROUND FLAT STOCK USED FOR?
Precision-ground flat stock steel is used in the manufacturing of precision tools for metalworking and is applied in many industries due to its exceptionally flat and precisely defined surface quality.
Here are some of the main areas of application:
• Toolmaking
• Mechanical Engineering
• Automotive Industry
• Electrical Industry
• Medical Engineering
• Aviation and aerospace
• Measurement and Control Technology
Precision Ground Flat Stock in Toolmaking:
In toolmaking, precision-ground steel is often essential. For instance, molds, punches, and dies are frequently made from this material because it has accurate dimensions and a very smooth surface, which is necessary for high-quality end products.
Precision Ground Flat Stock in Mechanical Engineering:
In mechanical engineering, precision-ground flat materials are used, for example, for guide rails and as components in precision machines to ensure high accuracy and minimal wear.
Precision Ground Flat Stock in the Automotive Industry:
Precision-ground steel is often utilized for components like pistons, valves, or certain parts of injection systems, which require high precision and durability.
Precision Ground Flat Stock in the Electrical Industry:
In the electrical industry, precisely ground steel parts are used for components in electrical circuits, contacts, or even in electric motors, where exact fit and low surface roughness are crucial.
Precision Ground Flat Stock in Medical Engineering:
In medical technology, precision-ground flat materials are utilized for surgical instruments and implants, where utmost accuracy and reliability are paramount.
Precision Ground Flat Stock in Aviation and aerospace:
In aerospace technology, where lightweight construction and precision are vital, precision-ground steel is used, for example, in engine components or structural elements.
Precision Ground Flat Stock in Measurement and Control Technology:
In this area, precision-ground parts are often used for measuring instruments to ensure the highest possible measuring accuracy.
HOW IS PRECISION GROUND FLAT STOCK (PGFS) MADE?
To produce precision-ground flat steel, a piece of the needed material is cut to a specific length from a machined semi-finished material. Subsequently, the workpiece is surface ground to the required tolerances. Precise grinding of the surface ensures that there are no defects or carburization on the material.
To ensure that the specified tolerances and the surface quality of the precision-ground flat steel are achieved, PGFS undergoes several production and finishing steps.
- • Raw Material Selection
- • Rolling Process
- • Heat Treatment
- • Precision Grinding
- • Surface Grinding
- • Quality Control
Raw Material Selection for Precision-Ground Flat Steel
Choice of starting material: Typically, a steel with suitable properties concerning desired hardness, toughness, and wear resistance is chosen for precision-ground flat steel.
Rolling Process for Precision-Ground Flat Steel
The selected raw material is formed into flat plates or strips by hot or cold rolling. During rolling, the steel is pressed through two rolls to achieve the desired thickness and shape.
Heat Treatment for Precision-Ground Flat Steel
The steel can undergo a heat treatment process to modify certain mechanical properties, such as hardness or toughness. This can be done by normalizing, hardening, tempering, etc.
Precision Grinding for Precision-Ground Flat Steel
After the steel has the correct shape and the necessary mechanical properties, it is precision-ground. In precision grinding, the steel's surface is ground with high accuracies to achieve a very smooth and exactly defined surface.
Surface Grinding for Precision-Ground Flat Steel
Here, the steel is processed by an abrasive (e.g., a grinding wheel) to achieve the desired surface roughness and plane-parallelism. If necessary, another grinding technique, deep grinding, can be applied to work precisely and economically even with large amounts of material removal.
Quality Control for Precision-Ground Flat Steel
The precision-ground flat steel undergoes strict quality control to ensure it meets the specified tolerances and surface specifications.
PRECISION GROUND FLAT STOCK REGULAR VS. OVERSIZE
The differences between GFS Regular and GFS Oversize refer to the manufacturing process and the specific tolerances for the thickness and width of these materials.
- • Precision Ground Flat Stock Regular - tight tolerances.
- • Precision Ground Flat Stock Oversize - intentionally larger than final dimensions.
Precision Ground Flat Stock Regular (PGFS Regular)
PGFS Regular is ground to precise dimensions and is typically available in standard sizes. These sizes are closely toleranced and require less post-processing or machining. It is well-suited when precision and dimensional accuracy are crucial. This material is used where tight tolerances are required.
Precision Ground Flat Stock Oversize (PGFS Oversize)
PGFS Oversize is intentionally manufactured slightly larger than the final dimensions. This allows the user to machine the material down to the desired end measurements. This is helpful when specific requirements or dimensions are needed that do not align with the standard sizes of Regular PGFS. You can cut and process the Oversize material as needed.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRECISION GROUND FLAT STEEL AND FLAT BAR
Precision ground flat steel and conventional flat steel primarily differ in their surface finish and tolerances.
In summary, precision ground flat steel is a high-quality option needed in applications where a smooth surface and tight tolerances are required. Conventional flat steel can be a more cost-effective option, but it may require more effort to meet the desired specifications.