Exotic Metals and Specialty Filler Selection

Austenitic stainless steels (304, 316) are widely used in food processing, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. They require lower heat input than carbon steel because they retain heat longer and are prone to distortion. The shielding gas is typically argon or an argon-helium blend—never use CO2, which carburizes the surface and destroys corrosion resistance. Filler metal must match or exceed the base metal alloy: 308L for 304 stainless, 316L for 316 stainless, where the L suffix indicates low carbon content to resist sensitization.