Steel is a hugely important material both here in the United States as well as on a global scale. After all, the year of 2017 saw more than one and a half billion tons of it produced. And this was even considerably increased from the year prior – and an impressive increase, one of very nearly 4%, it was. In the years that are ahead of us, the overall amount of steel being produced is likely to remain impressive – if not even creep ever higher.
Here in the United States, steel is particularly valued. After all, the United States alone imports more steel than any other country in the rest of the world. In that same year of 2017, more than $25 billion in steel alone was imported. This steel comes from a number of places, including our neighbor to the north, the country of Canada. We get more than 15% of our steel from this country but, to show just how much steel the United States utilizes, that makes up around 88% of the steel that Canada will ultimately end up exporting.
But what, exactly, is all of this steel used for? As a matter of fact, the uses for steel, especially here in the United States, are quite many and varied indeed. For instance, the automotive industry alone uses up around 13% of all steel produced on a yearly basis. This steel is utilized not just in the building of cars, but for the creation and construction of other motor vehicles as well. Steel can help to make cars and other such motor vehicles safe in the event of a crash, something that can keep countless people safe all throughout the country and beyond it as well.
The creation of mechanical equipment for manufacturing as well as robotics makes up around 16% of the world’s total steel usage as well. Manufacturing alone is hugely essential in this country, bolstering the economy and providing jobs to millions in this country as well as even beyond it. Without the industry of manufacturing, we would have far fewer of the modern conveniences that we have come to expect as well. For many people, manufacturing provides them a livelihood, but just about all of us benefit from the manufacturing industry in some way. In fact, the world benefits from it.
And the creation of buildings and various elements of infrastructure rely on steel as well. After all, it is for good reason that up to half of the steel produced globally is utilized for these purposes. Steel has an incredibly high melting point – around 2500 degrees Fahrenheit (1370 degrees Celsius) – and is hugely durable indeed, something that makes it ideal for the creation of everything from bridges to skyscrapers (and, of course, beyond them as well). Without steel, many elements of infrastructure – as well as many different buildings, both commercial and residential alike – would simply not be able to exist or, at the very least, would not be nearly as safe or long lasting.
Therefore, the machinery and tools used to process steel are very important indeed, of this there is just no doubt. Induction hardening is an important point of steel production, as induction hardening allows us to utilize steel in the way that we must. Induction hardening often goes hand in hand with steel melting as well, and the steel melting induction furnace is a critical fixture in the world of steel production. Without induction hardening and steel melting alike, the ways in which we utilize steel would not be nearly as diverse and all encompassing.
But steel melting and induction hardening can both be expensive. For this reason, the use of refurbished equipment for the purposes of induction hardening and steel melting (and all other elements of steel production, for that matter) can be hugely beneficial. From the used induction furnace for sale to used equipment for induction hardening, used equipment is often still very high in quality but often far less expensive indeed than what you’d see being asked for brand new equipment. Ultimately, it is an investment worth making in the United States and beyond.