Stainless is stainless – right? We thought so too. By 2004 we were beginning to see a few too many machines with corrosion, in some case the corrosion was just becoming apparent and in other cases the corrosion was already severe, to the point of causing a couple of structural failures. We were learning from our experience that 304 just isn’t good enough, certainly not good enough to ensure a 25-year life for the machine. Actually, there is a significant difference in the corrosion resistance of the two metallurgies. Though more expensive to procure and manufacture, since 2005 we’ve standardized on using 316 stainless steel which provides superior corrosion resistance necessary for optimal machine performance and 25-year life expectancy.

Then in 2007 we took the next step and began to ‘pickle’ all stainless steel. The complete machine, all components, is submerged in a vat of special pickling acid for a short period of time. This process furthers the corrosion resistance of the base 316 stainless steel.