How Are Stainless Steel Grates Made?
Our Stainless steel grates are handmade, but the process is machine orientated for its initial grillage. The grates are then formed or cut into the shape, length, or width required and then they’re processed further to put a trim, a border, around each grate so they’re not sharp and have greater structural integrity. These two parts are welded together to make a grate.
Are All Stainless Steel Grates Made the Same Way?
Fundamentally speaking, yes.
Wedgewire Grate Manufacture
Wedgewire grates are predominantly manufactured, within reason, all the same way. This is because they all carry the same ingredients – they have grillage and they have a trim, a surround drain, that’s welded on. There’s no other way but to simply weld it on, there’s no magic process that anyone else has found.
Perforated Grate (Punched Grate) Manufacture
Stainless Steel sheet metal grates may be punched or laser cut to create slots or square shapes (or whatever shape you want) for drainage. It is then pressed, folded. into a U form that sits into a receiving channel. Alike the wedgewire grate, this is a universal process. There’s no other way to make a flat punch grate.
Does This Mean That All Grates Are Created Equally?
No. there are a number of other factors that contribute to the quality (and qualities) of the finished product.
The Grade of Stainless Steel
Most commonly, stainless steel grates are fabricated from 304 grade stainless steel, but also 316.
When it comes to 304 grade stainless steel, even though there are recognised standards for material composition, some imported stainless steel may not meet these standards for element percentages. While undetectable to the naked eye, effects to material durability may become evident over time.
Product Design
When it comes to wedgewire grates, what is essentially just bar grating can vary wildly. For example, the aperture between the grills, the distance between the supporting cross members and the shape of the bars (or wires) themselves, may vary.
Our wedgewire heelguard grates feature a narrow aperture between the grills categorising them as “heelguard” (aperture under 8 mm, thus preventing toe and heel entrapment). Not all stainless steel grates are heelguard.
Secondarily, our stainless steel grating feature support members at 25mm centres underneath it. This is integral to the grate, its strength. Some imported grates may have support rod centres at 50mm for example. They may be cheaper, but they’re using less stainless steel to produce the same grate, with inferior results.
Finally, If you were to look at the grates in cross-section, you would see that the wires are broader at the top than the bottom. They feature a relief angle ensuring that any debris on the surface of the grate the same size of the gaps would more easily go through the grate and not be as liable to clog the grate.
Looking For Great Grates?
Our stainless steel grates offer the pinnacle of quality in grating. Made here in Australia, we offer a range of solutions from domestic to civil applications. Contact our helpful team to discuss your grating needs for drainage and beyond!
