What’s the Difference Between Inconel, Monel, and Stainless Steel Wire?
Whether the task at hand involves securing aircraft fasteners, customizing a set of orthodontic braces, or even launching a new line of jewelry, a manufacturer’s choice in wire material determines how effectively the finished product stands up to stress and provides value to the customer.
What is the difference between inconel, monel, and stainless steel wire? While nickel occurs in all three of these wire types, they differ in their elemental compositions and resistance to different forms of stress. See below to find out about the most critical distinctions between the three, the advantages and disadvantages, and some real-world applications.
Why Choose Inconel Wire Products?
The Inconel family includes a variety of nickel-chromium-based alloys. Inconel 625 is notable for its ease of welding, while Inconel 600 has exceptional resistance to heat damage.
Inconel wire products are especially notable for their ability to withstand extreme levels of heat, especially in temperature conditions that would deform stainless steel alternatives. However, Inconel can often cost more than alternative wire materials.
Inconel wire solutions play integral roles across the aviation, medical, and nuclear energy fields. Some examples of Inconel wire products include industrial wire baskets, aircraft lock wire, cable sheathing, and exhaust coupling.
What Should I Know About Monel Wire?
While a nickel-chromium combination characterizes Inconel, Monel is a nickel-copper-based alloy. Monel also has a notable resistance to seawater corrosion. Fabricators often choose Monel when customizing products that resist vibration, are bendable, and reusable; where stainless steel often breaks upon bending, Monel does not. As a softer metal, Monel is particularly easy to manipulate by hand.
Monel 404 is useful for components requiring low levels of permeability, while Monel 401 has an especially low temperature coefficient of resistance.
Manufacturers often implement Monel wire solutions in fuel tank components, seals, water systems, electric parts, screens, chemical processing equipment, and valves.
Is Stainless Steel Wire the Right Choice?
Stainless steel wire products boast the corrosion resistance and the strength that both Inconel and Monel wire solutions do, but are easy to recycle and are biocompatible.
Like both Inconel and Monel, stainless steel alloys contain some amount of nickel. However, stainless steel consists mainly of iron and carbon but can also include small amounts of chromium and other elements. The iron-carbon combination is what gives stainless steel its resistance to rust buildup and makes it easy to maintain.
The material makes an especially effective choice for medical applications, as it resists the accumulation of harmful microbes and is easy to clean. However, stainless steel alloys are susceptible to damage from both chlorides and heat.
Just as different Inconel and Monel alloys are suitable for different tasks, stainless steel grades meet different needs. 316 stainless steel offers exceptionally high levels of resistance to corrosion, while 301 stainless steel is notable for its ductility. Whether you need aviation lock wire or orthodontic solutions, stainless steel can stand up to stress.
Connect With Brookfield Wire Today
Trying to find premier custom stainless steel wire products for your next project? For more than seven decades, companies have looked to Brookfield Wire for wire customization at competitive prices.
The company is a go-to resource for lock wire, mesh wire, hose wire, slickline, fine wire, bar stock, welding wire, cold heading, bobbins, and various custom wire packaging products. Customers count on Brookfield Wire to meet their requirements for flat, round, and custom-shaped wire customizations. With more than 50 standard alloys available for customizations, Brookfield Wire can provide the ideal wire solution for your company.
Where some stainless steel wire manufacturers limit customers with slim material selections, Brookfield Wire offers the one-stop customization solution. Depend on Brookfield Wire for nickel, nickel alloy, and stainless steel wire solutions. Brookfield Wire customers can save significantly when they buy in bulk.
When the task at hand requires top-quality wire, convenient lead times, and competitive prices, count on Brookfield Wire. To find out how you could add the right custom-drawn or shaped wire to your next project, visit https://www.brookfieldwire.com/ today.
