Machining 4140 Steel for Oil & Gas Industries
Oil and gas and petrochemical industries require accurately machined products made from the right materials for the job.
Jeanerette, Louisiana and the greater Acadian Gulf Coast region are home to a highly skilled workforce using sophisticated machine tools and stringent design and quality standards. We are prepared and able to deliver precision machining and engineering of performance-critical parts to our customers.
CNC milling 4140 steel components for the oil and gas industry is an example of an area of expertise and specialization in this region. Specialized milling, grinding and CNC machining equipment is required to produce 4140 steel finished machined components. It also takes experienced machinists to create these components.
Let’s take a closer look at 4140 annealed, hot or cold-rolled steel and see why it’s such a valuable material for oil and gas applications from wellhead to downhole.
First, some facts:
- 4140 cold finished annealed is a chromium-molybdenum alloy steel
- 4140 can be “oil hardened”
- 4140 has self-scaling properties
- 4140 responds readily to heat treatment and is comparatively easy to machine in the heat-treated condition
- 4140 resists creep in temperatures up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and maintains its properties even after long exposure at these high working temperatures
- The chromium content provides good hardness penetration
- The molybdenum content imparts uniformity of hardness and high strength
- 4140 has a machinability rating at 66%
- 4140 is difficult to weld, but this can be done if the section is preheated, and stress relieved after welding
Through variations in the method of heat-treating 4140, a wide range of useful properties can be achieved. This makes it useful as stock for forging. Other desirable properties include good wear resistance, excellent toughness and good ductility in the quenched and tempered condition.
4140 cold finished annealed is available in rounds, squares, rectangles and hexagons. 4140 cold rolled rounds are also available with an addition of .15-.35 lead (41L40), which improves machinability without sacrificing other desirable properties (the exception being that the use of 41L40 is not recommended for applications above 400 degrees Fahrenheit, since at elevated temperatures, ductility in 41L40 is low. Also, welding 41L40 not recommended due to the fumes produced with the addition of lead).
4140 can be used for as wide variety of applications where geater toughness and wear resistance is needed over lower carbon grades. Typical applications for machined 4140 steel for oil and gas industrial uses include:
- axles
- back up and support tooling
- bolsters
- bolts
- boring bars
- brake dies
- cams
- chain links
- couplings
- drill collars
- ejectors
- fixtures
- forming dies
- gear racks
- gears
- guides
- holder blocks
- hydraulic machinery shafts
- jigs
- machinery parts and components
- mold bases
- molds
- piston rods
- rams
- reamer bodies
- shafting
- slides
- spindles
- sprockets
- strippers
- stubs
- tie rods
- tool bodies
- tool holders
- tracks
- trim dies
- valves
- ways
- wear strips or parts
Streamline Industries CNC mills 4140 steel for oil and gas companies in Louisiana and beyond. Get in touch with us so we can find out what your needs are. We want to work with you, whatever your project requirements.