What is the difference between metal, iron, and steel in parts processing?

In practical part machining, steel, iron and metal are all commonly used machining materials. However, there are some differences between the above materials. what are these?

The importance of metals in today's parts processing industry:

Today's world is unimaginable without metal structures, with applications extending from the automotive industry to building bridges. While concepts like iron, metal and steel are used every day, the question is are there any differences between them? One of the common mistakes that occurs every day is balancing or using the terms iron, metal and steel as synonyms.

However, there are certain differences in the above terminology, from the concept definition itself to the way the steel or iron is obtained in the first place.

Why choose metal for parts processing?

Metallic elements, or metallic elements, are chemical elements that get their name from the metallic links of atoms in the crystal lattice. Seen through a chemical prism, metals found in nature can exist in pure form without any additives. Furthermore, each metal has physical and chemical properties that shape its behavior.

In addition to the above division, metals can be divided into precious metals, semi-precious metals and ordinary metals. Metals are classified based on their corrosion resistance. Therefore, precious metals are resistant to all types of corrosion, while ordinary metals, on the other hand, are subject to corrosive effects.

All metals have glossy surfaces and excellent machining properties. However, laser cutting has problems due to reflective properties. Mainly, in nature, they are most commonly found in the solid state, with the exception of liquid mercury.

Is there a difference between metal and steel?

Have. Due to its chemical properties, stainless steel cannot be classified as a metal, but an alloy. Therefore, the metal in its structure does not have any mixture compared to the metal it has.

However, although steel is not a metal, it has the properties of a metal. For example, steel sheets can have a glossy surface like metal. Viewed through the prism of these properties, steel is a good generator of electricity and heat, like all metals. Nonetheless, because of its composition, it cannot be placed in the metal category, in the periodic system of elements.

So what's the difference between steel?

In addition, another factor that affects the significant differences between steels is their properties. This is why stainless steel (inox) is corrosion resistant, has good thermal conductivity and properties, making it one of the most widely used structural metals.