TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT CLAD PLATE PRODUCTS.

In many types of vessels ordered by the chemical and refining industries, a stainless steel with a high chromium content was used until now. However, chromium's rising costs and uncertain availability have prompted many U. S. metallurgists to turn to the use of clad stainless plate in lieu of solid stainless vessels. One U. S. steel company claims the shift to a clad product can result in material savings ranging anywhere from about 80 to 600 per ton. In certain cases fabricators are even considering titanium-clad steel as a substitute for solid stainless. Various cladding techniques are examined, including explosive bonding, roll bonding and the relatively new ″powder jet″ cutting process from Japan.