When all is Said and Done
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Aesthetics, not cost, is the main reason people choose to purchase a stainless steel casket. This model
uses S30100 stainless steel, containing 7% nickel.
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In the United States, stainless steel has been used to make caskets since 1989
Nickel Magazine, June, 2003 -- Product familiarity is always important,
especially when making a purchase under difficult circumstances. The most traditional, trusted material for
caskets is wood, but another is stainless steel.
"From the aesthetics standpoint, consumers are readily familiar with products made of stainless steel. This
is a material with which they are very accustomed," explains Joe Weigel, the director of communications with
the Batesville Casket Company in Batesville, Indiana, U.S.A.
Batesville Casket, which goes back to 1884, has been manufacturing stainless steel caskets since 1989 and
presently produces five different styles. The premium model is the Millennium Casket, which receives hours of
hand polishing. All of the models are manufactured with 20-gauge S30100 stainless steel, which, says Ned
Rogers, manager of the metal commodity team, "offers the best mechanical properties for drawing."
Each casket requires about five square metres of stainless steel. The sheets are run through multiple,
automotive-type presses for blanking, forming and drawing operations. The caskets are of 100% welded
construction using continuous seam welding. Resistance, MIG, TIG and plasma processes are used. "These are
the most efficient processes we can use," says Rogers. "They do the least amount of distirtion to the
finished metal."
 Joe Weigel |
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