Ultra-Thin Precision Alloy Strip (±0.005 mm Tolerance)

Specification

Manufacturing process — Cluster rolling to ±0.005 mm

Cluster rolling to ±0.005 mm: precision strip process

1. Narrow slit coil or hot-rolled feed, surface inspection and edge conditioning
2. Multi-high cluster mill cold rolling with online gauge feedback (X-ray thickness control)
3. Continuous bright annealing in hydrogen atmosphere for oxide-free, dead-soft temper
4. Tension levelling for flatness below 2 I-units; tension annealing for shape-critical applications
5. Precision slitting to width with burr control; edging options: round, square, deburred
6. Coil winding with interleaving, strip thickness and hardness lot verification

Every stage is heat-number traceable; furnace charts, NDT records and test data are retained and issued with the mill certificate.

Which Hastelloy grades are supplied as precision strip?

Hastelloy strip is what you order when a thin section has to survive something austenitic stainless cannot — hot combustion gas, wet chlorine, or a reducing acid. The Hastelloy flat-product specifications cover strip as well as plate and sheet, so a strip order is a normal standard order rather than a special: ASTM B575 for Hastelloy C-276 and ASTM B435 for Hastelloy X.

The reason to buy it as strip rather than cut it from plate is surface and tolerance. Cluster rolling holds thickness to ±0.005 mm with a bright finish that needs no further machining, which matters most for the thin-wall parts that would otherwise be expensive to make and easy to scrap.

Temper is the specification, not an afterthought. Strip is supplied annealed and bright, or in quarter-hard, half-hard and full-hard tempers; for springs, contacts and diaphragms the temper and the flatness tolerance decide whether the part forms cleanly, and neither is implied by naming a standard.

Can titanium be supplied as precision strip?

Yes. Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V, UNS R56400) is rolled to strip and foil under ASTM B265, the specification covering titanium strip, sheet and plate. It is the route taken when a part needs Grade 5 strength in a thin section — springs, bellows, diaphragms, shims and honeycomb core — where the alternative would be machining down from plate at far higher cost.

On titanium strip the two items that decide the quotation are temper and edge condition. Annealed Grade 5 strip forms readily; full-hard temper is used for springs of simple geometry. Slit edges arrive with a burr that usually has to be removed before forming, so specify deburred or rounded edges when the part is fatigue-loaded.

Grades available as precision strips (24)

Grade data sheets

Quality and documentation

• Heat-specific chemical analysis and mechanical testing on every batch
• EN 10204 3.1 mill test certificate, third-party inspection on request
• Non-destructive testing: ultrasonic, eddy current, hydrostatic and positive material identification
• Full traceability from finished item back to melt heat number

Frequently asked questions