Sandvik Nanoflex is a precipitation hardening, austenitic stainless steel specifically designed for applications requiring high strength and good ductility. Mechanical strength can be increased substantially by heat treatment (ageing) of the final product, after first taking advantage of a soft 'as-delivered' condition, favourable for forming.

Normally, strip steel in Sandvik Nanoflex is delivered in the cold rolled condition, but there is also a possibility of using the grade in the annealed condition and still reach a comparably high strength, solely by heat treatment.

Sandvik Nanoflex is characterized by:

• Very high tensile strength with comparably good ductility

• Very high ageing effect

• Hardenable by heat treatment from the annealed condition

• No softening after exposure to temperatures up to 450°C (842°F)

• Good weldability

Applications
Sandvik Nanoflex is highly suitable for products requiring good corrosion resistance, high strength and good ductility in the final product, combined with high formability in the 'as delivered' condition. It is especially suitable for complicated designs that still have high requirements on the strength of the final product. It also provides an opportunity for reaching high strength levels in relatively heavy gauge components.

One suitable application is statically loaded springs, especially when a low relaxation at elevated temperatures is required. Sandvik Nanoflex is, however, less suitable for applications exposed to high dynamic stresses, as the same high fatigue strength as in an ordinary stainless spring steel, like Sandvik 12R11 (type ASTM 301), cannot be reached.