Material Thickness 1

[FrancoisY]

Hello,

I am new to the field of Mechanical Engineering. I was curious in drawings where the material is called for example

.010" 304 Stainless Steel.

What does the .010" exactly represent? is it the raw material thickness used to formed the part? when I measure the part, the thickness of the part is made at .080" and is bigger than .010". I want to understand why .010" is presented and what does it mean. How does it correlate to the part I have? Can someone please help me understand?

Thank you and Respectfully,
Francois

 

[ctopher]

Probably thickness. But, I never call out material size. Dimension the part, call out the material in a note, and material spec if needed. Let the machinists use appropriate material raw stock size.

Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks
ctophers home

 

[mk3223]

No way to respond to the post without more details, such as
what's the 304SS?
where is 0.01" from?
other info ...?

 

[Tmoose]

Is your company making the part, or having it made?
Has the actual fabricator commented on the .01" thickness?

Is the .08" dimension the thickness of a solid portion of the part?
If so, sounds like the .010" thickness was a mistake on the drawing.

Hard to make a part with .08" thickness dimensions from .01" thick material.
Unless it is being corrugated or formed into something like a box or channel.

https://images.thdstatic.com/produc...etal-sales-metal-roofing-hd2141908-c3_600.jpg

More info is needed to understand what is going on.

 

[FrancoisY]

the material for the supplier to make is made from .010" 304 stainless steel. the part that's being made has a thickness of .080". I am trying to understand how the raw material .010" correlates with the actual part at .080" and how it affects it.

 

[3DDave]

What is the requirement on the drawing and, if it is 0.010, why is it made of 0.080.

Note that the alloy doesn't set the thickness tolerance - there should be a material standard, such as ASTM, mentioned.

 

[EdStainless]

Materials are purchased to specifications, usually ASTM.
These specs form the legal basis of purchase.
Even if this 'isn't a big deal' for your company these specs are a great source of information.
These specs also lay out things like tolerances, testing, and options such as surface finishes.
Buy the ASTM specs.
And here is a bit of career advice, join ASTM.
It is a great deal. For your membership you get a free Vol of specs (they are grouped by materials and product forms).
And you will learn what is in the works for future specs (and changes).
You will also meet your peers from around the industry.

If I saw a part print that said 0.010" 304SS it would tell me that I could use any grade of 304, any strength level, any surface finish, and that the thickness is just a nominal 0.010" and I could use whatever gage gets within a reasonable tolerance.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[JStephen]

You haven't addressed it, but several of us are wondering if you mean 0.10" vs 0.08", or 0.010" vs 0.008", instead of 0.01" and 0.08" (ie, they're making it 8 times thicker per your dimensions).
On thicker plate, there are ASTM standards for the materials themselves, then a separate standard that includes plate thickness tolerances.
There may or may not be something like that on the material you're seeing.
If you're calling it 0.010" and it actually measures 0.008", that MIGHT still be within a thickness tolerance for the material.
If you actually mean 0.01" and they're furnishing 0.08", somebody may have misread the drawing, or they may need thicker material for fabricating, or they may just be using what they had on hand, who knows.

 

[kjoiner]

Do you have a picture or sketch of the part in question? If it's a sheet metal part, a material of a given thickness is formed/bent in to the final shape.