In the end, "all things being equal"
...may not be a valid statement.
FRANTZ Manufacturing proudly introduces Sterling Armor
® — the alternative to stainless steel.
In a direct response to customer requests, FRANTZ engineers have developed a low carbon steel ball that has the best attributes of stainless steel.
With surface hardness near 70Rc, Sterling Armor
® is not a plating. Using FRANTZ' patented* manufacturing process, and control of time, temperature and gaseous composition, a ball surface is created that has higher scuff and wear resistance than 300 stainless.
Tested for over 1200 hours in salt fog, Sterling Armor
® just keeps on rolling — which makes Sterling Armor
® ideal in caustic environments.
With a wide variety of sizes available, Sterling Armor
® has almost endless applications. Corrosion resistance, magnetic, "no pit" or even aesthetic (Sterling Armor
® results in a pleasing gloss black finish), Sterling Armor
® is the solution.
Best of all, Sterling Armor
® offers a price advantage over stainless steel balls — we dare say a significant advantage. Call us for a quote on your application. We think you'll be delighted.
Corrosion Resistance Properties (Typical)
Ball
Material | Hydraulic Oils
(Petroleum) | Fresh
Water | Salt
Water | Alcohol | HCL-40% | Sulfuric
Acid-
40% | Phosphoric
Acid-
40% | Nitric
Acid-
50% | Citric
Acid | Ammonia |
| 52100 Chrome | E | P | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | F | G |
| 440C Stainless | -- | -- | -- | E | P | P | E | E | E | E |
| 302 Stainless | E | E | -- | -- | -- | -- | E | -- | -- | -- |
| 316 Stainless | E | E | E | E | P | P | E | E | E | E |
| Sterling Armor® | E | E | E | E | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | E |
E = Excellent • G = Good • F = Fair • P = Poor • -- = Will not withstand conditions
Grades and Tolerances - Inches (Typical)
Grade | Size Range
in Inches | Deviation from
Spherical Form
in Inches | Lot Diameter
Variation in
Inches | Maximum Surface
Roughness* in
Micro-inches "Ra" |
| 400 | 1/8" - 1" | .0004 | ± .0004 | 8.0 |
| 500 | 1/8" - 1" | .0005 | ± .0005 | 8.0 |
| 1000 | 1/8" - 1" | .001 | ± .001 | 10.0 |
| 2000 | 1/8" - 1" | .002 | ± .002 | 12.0 |
Grades and Tolerances - Metric (Typical)
Grade | Size Range
in
Millimeters | Deviation from
Spherical
Form in
Millimeters | Lot Diameter
Variation in
Millimeters | Maximum Surface
Roughness* in
Micro-meters "Ra" |
| 400 | 4 - 25.4 | .0102 | ± .0102 | .203 |
| 500 | 4 - 25.4 | .0127 | ± .0127 | .203 |
| 1000 | 4 - 25.4 | .025 | ± .025 | .254 |
| 2000 | 4 - 25.4 | .051 | ± .051 | .305 |
* Maximum surface roughness visual comparison
Properties
The FRANTZ
® Sterling Armor
® Process is a patented manufacturing process that controls time, temperature and gaseous composition creating a surface with superior scuff and wear resistance. Sterling Armor
® provides a complete and uniform barrier, imparting a tough, hard diffusion layer capable of withstanding thousands of hours in salt fog testing.
Load Bearing Sterling Armor®
This process is designed for light-loading applications such as light roller conveyors, polymer bearing applications, and applications involving abrasion or wear characteristics.
Non-load Sterling Armor®
This process is well-suited for inertia type systems, such as inertia shut-off switches, seat belt inertia systems, etc. This may also be used for polymer-bearing applications if loading allows.