Machinery

Three questions decide the material: can it be machined, will it assemble accurately, and does it contaminate the product it touches. Food and pharma machinery adds a fourth — cleanability.

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Typical parts and material selection

Part	Grade	Surface / size	Watch out for
Frame / base	304	Plate 8–30 mm, 2B	Flatness, weld distortion
Hopper / conveyor trough	304 / 316L	CR sheet 1–3 mm, 2B	Ground welds, no dead corners
Food contact part	316L	2B / Ra ≤ 0.8 μm	Cleanability, passivation
Shaft / roller	304 / 316L	Bar / seamless tube	Machinability, straightness
Guard / cover	304 / 430	0.8–2 mm, brushed	Fingerprint resistance

These are the usual configurations. Actual selection depends on medium, temperature and welding method — the same part may move from 304 to 316L or 2205. Describing the service conditions is more useful than naming a grade.

Three real constraints in this industry

"Food grade" is a surface, not a grade

316L only guarantees chemistry. What decides cleanability is roughness and weld quality: Ra ≤ 0.8 μm on product-contact faces, full-penetration ground welds, and large radii at corners.

Tell us early if it is machined

Austenitic stainless work-hardens fast and 304 is harder to cut than 316L. For volume parts consider 303 (free-machining) or switch to laser cutting / investment casting to remove turning.

Weld distortion is harder than strength

Thin-wall hoppers bulge after welding. Use balanced sequence welding with fixtures, tack first then run the seam — settle this at drawing review, not on the shop floor.