Ball Transfer Units
Ball transfer units let cartons and parts roll in any direction across a transfer table.
View product →Parts Catalog
Industrial Parts Catalog
Open a product page for sizes and grades, or send a drawing for a part not listed.
Roller Conveyors
Conveyor rollers, frames, and short sections are made to your drawing.
View product →
Sprockets
Sprockets are cut to your chain pitch and shaft size. Roller chain is also available.
View product →
Universal Joints
Single, double, and telescopic universal joints carry torque through a bend in a machine shaft.
View product →
Rod Ends
Rod ends and heim joints join cylinders and linkages. Each joint then swings through its own angle.
View product →
Spherical Bearings
Spherical bearings sit in cylinder mounts and pivots where a link swings through an arc.
View product →
Spacers
Spacers position sensors and guide rails. They also set the gap at bolted joints.
View product →
Tube Fittings
Tube adapters and weld-in bungs are turned to your drawing for air, fluid, and breather lines.
View product →
Flanges
Mounting and adapter flanges are machined to your bore, face, and bolt pattern.
View product →
Clamps
T-bolt and V-band clamps join air and process piping. Sizes follow your drawing.
View product →
Custom CNC Parts
Custom CNC parts are made to your drawing when no listed product fits.
View product →
Material Decision
Choosing the Grade by Duty
Match the grade to the chemicals, the wash, the wear, and the load the part sees.
Standard grade
304 Stainless
Grade 304 suits conveyor hardware, spacers, and brackets in dry or mildly wet service. It costs less than 316L, so it fits whenever no chloride cleaner or acid reaches the part.
Conveyor hardware · brackets
Wet and chemical grade
316L
Molybdenum gives 316L better pitting and crevice resistance than 304. That makes it the safer pick for washdown with chlorinated cleaners and for parts near process chemicals. Choose 316L when the part is welded after machining.
Washdown · process chemicals
High-strength grade
17-4PH
Heat treatment hardens 17-4PH, so it carries far more load than 304 or 316L in a small part. Its pitting resistance is lower than 316L. That limits it to pins, shafts, and link parts, away from wet chloride duty.
Pins · shafts
On request
Duplex 2205
Duplex 2205 has more than twice the yield strength of 316L and better resistance to chloride stress corrosion cracking. It is available on request for stressed parts in chloride duty.
Stressed parts · chloride duty
| Grade | Minimum yield strength | Pitting resistance (PREN, typical) | Typical industrial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 304 | 205 MPa | 18 to 20 | Conveyor hardware, spacers, and brackets in dry or mild wet service |
| 316L | 170 MPa | 24 to 26 | Washdown, process chemicals, and welded assemblies |
| 17-4PH (H900) | 1170 MPa | Lower than 316L | Pins, shafts, and link parts away from wet chloride duty |
| Duplex 2205 (on request) | 450 MPa | 34 to 36 | Stressed parts in chloride duty |
Values are typical for annealed 304, 316L, and 2205 plate and for 17-4PH in the H900 condition, given for comparison. The final grade depends on your drawing and operating conditions.
Design Notes
Where Industrial Stainless Parts Fail
Most failures start in a wet crevice, a worn pin, a dissimilar metal, or a loose thread.
Chemicals
Chemicals and Washdown
Cleaners and process fluids leave chlorides under washers, in thread roots, and at flange faces. Pitting starts in those crevices, so a shape that drains and rinses clean helps. 316L also resists that pitting better than 304.
Washers · thread roots · flange faces
Wear
Wear and Galling
A soft bore wears around a hard pin, while two stainless threads can seize when tightened dry. The drawing should name the bushing material and the thread lubricant, with different grades for bolt and nut.
Pins · bores · threads
Contact
Galvanic Contact
In a wet joint, stainless steel is the more noble metal, so the aluminum or carbon steel beside it corrodes faster. A small carbon steel part beside a large stainless one corrodes fastest.
Carbon steel frames · aluminum housings · fasteners
Heat
Heat and Vibration
Heat softens parts and loosens joints. Vibration then works the loosened thread free, which is why the lock nut and preload method belong on your drawing.
Motors · ovens · lock nuts
Quick Pick
Quick Pick by Duty
Start from what the part does in the machine, then take the grade from the third column.
| Duty | What goes wrong | Grade to quote first | Design check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washdown and wet floors | Chlorinated cleaners pit crevices under washers and in thread roots | 304 for water and mild detergent, 316L for chlorinated cleaners | Drainable shapes and fewer crevices |
| Process chemicals and splash | Chlorides and acids attack the surface, while warm chloride can crack stressed parts | 316L, with Duplex 2205 on request for stressed parts | The chemical, its strength, and its temperature |
| Sliding wear and pins | A soft pin or bore wears and galls | 17-4PH for pins and shafts, with a PTFE-lined bushing in the bore | Hard pin against a softer lined bore |
| Moving threads | Stainless on stainless threads can gall and seize | Different grades for bolt and nut | Lubricant on the threads and a slow tightening speed |
| Heat near ovens, motors, and dryers | Strength falls as the part heats | 304 or 316L, with 17-4PH only below its limit | Peak temperature and duty cycle |
| Vibration and shock | Threads loosen and the joint loads unevenly | 17-4PH for load pins, 304 or 316L for housings | Lock nut, preload method, and misalignment angle on the drawing |
This table gives no temperature or load figures, because the right limit depends on your drawing. We review the grade with you once we have the duty and the conditions.
Where It Is Used
Industrial Sectors
Each machine puts different parts in the chemicals, the wash, or the wear. Find yours, then open the product page.
01
Packaging and Automation Machinery
Case packers, carton sealers, and pick-and-place stations drive their pushers and gates with pneumatic cylinders. Rod ends and clevis fittings sit at the cylinder pivots. Spacers position sensors and guide rails.
02
Material Handling and Conveying
Sortation lines and transfer tables move cartons across diverters and merge points. Ball transfer units, roller conveyors, and sprockets sit at those points. Rod ends handle the diverter linkage.
03
Chemical Processing
Dosing pump skids, mixer drives, and tank connections see chlorides, acids, and frequent rinsing. Flanges, tube fittings, and clamps join the piping. Threaded rod and spacers support it.
04
Mining and Heavy Equipment
Loader and excavator linkages, cylinder ends, and wash bays see mud, water, and abrasive grit. Rod ends, spherical bearings, bushings, and clevis fittings sit at those pivots. The pin diameter and the load direction set the size of each.
05
Power and Utility Plants
Pump skids, cooling water lines, and cable and pipe supports sit in damp rooms and run for years. Spacers, threaded rod, tube clamps, and bushings hold and align that hardware.
06
Agricultural Machinery
Air seeders, orchard sprayers, and harvesters pivot at row units, folding frames, and wheel hubs under dust, fertilizer, and washdown. Rod ends, ball joints, spacers, and threaded rod are made to your drawing or worn sample.
Manufacturing Route
Built Around the Drawing
Three routes cover most machine parts. Each links to its product page.
01 / MILLING
CNC Machining
We mill flanges, housings, and multi-face parts to your drawing, with tolerances typically held to ±0.01 mm. 5-axis machining is available on request when a part needs it.
View CNC Parts →
02 / TURNING
CNC Turning
Spacers, bushings, pins, shafts, and rod end bodies are turned to your drawing or sample.
View CNC Turning Parts →03 / FORMING
Stamping and Bending
We stamp and bend brackets and plates to your drawing.
View Sheet Metal Parts →How It Works
From Drawing to Delivery
Four steps take an order from drawing to shipment.
01
Send the Part
Send a drawing, a sample, or a worn part with the details in the checklist below.
02
Get a Quote
Engineering reviews the grade, geometry, and operating conditions, then issues the quotation.
03
Approve the Sample
Sample parts are made for your approval before production starts.
04
Production and Shipping
Production follows the approved sample, and finished parts ship by sea, air, or express courier.
Advantages
Why Profab
Machine builders and plant buyers order small, mixed, drawing-based orders. These are the ways we make that easier.
Why Profab / 01
Direct From the Manufacturer
Orders go straight to the factory that cuts the metal.
- Our Own CNC ShopWe turn and mill your spacers, pins, and clevis fittings in our own factory in Ningbo, so you deal directly with the manufacturer.
- Since 2005Profab has worked in stainless steel for 20 years, which means we know how 304, 316L, and 17-4PH cut and finish.
- ISO 9001Our quality management system is ISO 9001 certified.
- Small Runs, No Hard MinimumA trial run of a new bracket or pivot kit is fine. Prototype runs typically start around 100 pieces.
Why Profab / 02
Built for Mixed Machine Orders
A machine rarely needs one part, so one order can cover the linkage, the supports, and the piping together.
- One Quote for Several PartsRod ends, clevis fittings, spacers, and flanges for one machine are quoted together.
- Same Drawing, Different GradesOne spacer drawing can be quoted in 304 for a dry line and in 316L for a washdown line.
- Copy From a SampleA corroded rod end or a worn sprocket works as the pattern: we measure it and quote a copy.
- Any Product on RequestA part that is not in the catalog is quoted from your drawing, together with the rest of the order.
01 / 02
Inquiry Checklist
What to Send With Your Inquiry
Send a drawing, a sample, or a worn part with the details below.
Send These Details
Include as many of these details as you have, so engineering can check the part against your duty.
- Machine type, and where the part sits
- Duty: chemicals, cleaners, wash frequency, and peak temperature
- Material grade, or the grades you would accept
- Mating parts and metals, such as carbon steel frames and aluminum housings
- Thread, bore, bolt pattern, and misalignment angle
- Finish needs and quantity
What Happens Next
We check grade, geometry, and finish against your duty, then quote.
Procurement FAQ
Industrial Buyer FAQ
These short answers cover the first engineering and purchasing questions.
Which stainless steel grade suits washdown and chemical splash?
304 suits water and mild detergent, but chlorinated cleaners can pit it in crevices. 316L resists that pitting better, so it is the grade for washdown and process chemicals. The chemical and its temperature set the final choice.
Can you copy a worn part from a sample?
Yes. We measure a corroded rod end, sprocket, or spacer and quote a copy. The machine and the position of the part let us check the fit.
How do I stop stainless steel threads from galling?
Use different grades for the bolt and the nut, add thread lubricant, and tighten slowly. We machine the parts in whichever grades the drawing calls out.
Can you supply 17-4PH or duplex stainless steel?
17-4PH is a regular grade for pins, shafts, and link parts that carry load. Duplex 2205 is available on request for stressed parts in chloride duty.
Do you make flanges and fittings to my drawing?
Yes. Mounting and adapter flanges and tube fittings are machined to your bore, face, and bolt pattern. We quote the part as drawn, so the service limits stay with your design.
Which finishes can you provide?
We offer passivation, electropolishing, blackening, and shot blasting as services for parts that need them. Other finishes are available on request. Name the finish in the inquiry so it is priced into the quotation.