{"id":2938,"date":"2021-06-18T12:06:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T19:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/?p=2938"},"modified":"2021-07-01T15:23:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T22:23:39","slug":"what-is-graining-in-metal-fabrication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/what-is-graining-in-metal-fabrication\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Graining in Metal Fabrication?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Graining in Sheet Metal Processing\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aoAdqGwIbj0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve done any kind of home improvement project or worked closely with wood in any capacity, you\u2019ve surely heard about graining.\u00a0 The grain in some woods is more uniform than others and working \u201cagainst the grain\u201d can be a real challenge.<\/p>\n<p>But what about grain in metal fabrication?\u00a0 Even if you\u2019ve heard the term, maybe you\u2019re not quite sure what it means or how the process works.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019re going to take a closer look at what grain in metal is, why it\u2019s so important, and what the process of graining looks like.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Understanding Grain in Metal Composition<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Most metals are polycrystalline.\u00a0 That simply means that they\u2019re solid and composed of differing crystallites.\u00a0 Collectively, these crystallites are referred to as the metal\u2019s grain.\u00a0 Individually, they\u2019re microscopic but collectively, they form the grain of the metal.<\/p>\n<p>As metal is processed, the alignment and direction of crystallites are altered causing the metal to have a preferred grain orientation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2959 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/AdobeStock_49499003-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Grained metal pattern\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why is Grain So Important?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Understanding and determining grain direction in the fabricating process is essential to understanding how the metal will behave and what the effects will be on its strength and structural integrity.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>A Closer Look at the Graining Process<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Graining involves the use of coated abrasives to remove a top layer from metal blanks.\u00a0 Typically done with a sanding belt, grits are normally 120, 180, or 220.\u00a0 Once the initial sanding process is complete, some metals may need to be softened with a surface sander to achieve the desired appearance and grain orientation.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #740e51;\">If you&#8217;d like Meta Fab to quote your next metal project, please submit your RFQ <span style=\"color: #76a9cd;\"><a style=\"color: #76a9cd;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/get-a-quote\/\">here<\/a><\/span>!<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Why Graining is So Important<\/h2>\n<p>Determining grain size in metal is extremely important.\u00a0 Generally speaking, the smaller the grain size, the stronger the metal will be.<\/p>\n<p>Getting this part of the process correct is critical if metals are going to be bent in a tight radius.<\/p>\n<p>Metals with larger grain sizes can\u2019t be bent in tight radiuses and are much more susceptible to failure.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2939\" src=\"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series-700x700.png\" alt=\"Metal Graining Machine\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series-700x700.png 700w, https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series-250x250.png 250w, https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/12-Series.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Working With Grain<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The direction in which you work with the grain is another important factor in the process.<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re working with aluminum, for example, it\u2019s vital to know whether you\u2019re working with the grain (longitudinal) or across it (transverse).<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the case may be, the grain will always move in the direction the metal was milled.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>When is the Graining Process Most Applicable?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Like virtually all applications of metal fabrication, graining is common across a wide variety of industries.\u00a0 The most common ones include the military, aerospace, audio, telecommunications, and medical devices to name a few.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The process of the graining isn\u2019t inherently complicated.\u00a0 However, if it\u2019s overlooked it can lead to structural failure of the metal involved.<\/p>\n<p>If you have additional questions about graining and how it might be useful in your next metal fabrication endeavor, reach out to the friendly folks at Meta Fab.\u00a0 Our seasoned metal fabrication experts are standing by, ready to assist you however they can.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve done any kind of home improvement project or worked closely with wood in any capacity, you\u2019ve surely heard about graining.\u00a0 The grain in some woods is more uniform than others and working \u201cagainst the grain\u201d can be a real challenge. But what about grain in metal fabrication?\u00a0 Even if you\u2019ve heard the term,&#8230; <span class=\"view-article\">Read more &rsaquo;<\/span>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[36,35],"tags":[225,53,157,52,29],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2938"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metafab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}