HFX stainless
The name HFX is dreived from Highly FleXible and describes stainless steel with special FX (effects).
Inventor of the HFX stainless technology is the Austrian company Roofinox, located in the Vorarlberg province. HFX stainless is highly flexible stainless with special FX (effects). Developed in 1996 with the goal of achieving the supreme material for roof and facade.
Point of departure
The high grade of commercial stainless led the way to the research resulting in HFX stainless. The inherent advantages of stainless make it the ideal material for building envelopes. Stainless steel is corrosion free, the most enduring construction metal, and due to its high strength ideal to withstand extreme weather and environments.
But this very same strength represents a big disadvantage of commercial stainless steel. It is challenging to work it by hand, which is necessary for roofing and cladding purposes. Another significant disadvantage is the highly reflective or shiny surface finish. This glossy surface makes it unsuitable for roof, wall cladding and guttering. Also trim and flashing require low reflective surfaces as traffic and neighbors are otherwise disturbed.
Hence the innovator Roofinox was able of expressing the research objective for roof and cladding products:
Stainless steel, the superior material for roof and wall cladding, needs to be adjusted to this specific application and continuously improved.
That is maintaining all advantages of stainless steel plus adjusting the aesthetic appearance to the expectations and needs of architects and building owners. At the same time significantly improving workability for contractors and professionals.
Material grade
Decisive advantages of stainless steel are the corrosion resistance, longevity and strength of the material.
Therefore, the raw material for HFX stainless steel is the same as for conventional stainless steel. However, as part of the manufacturing process, HFX stainless steel is enhanced to include additional product benefits and properties. The unique manufacturing process allows to maintain the familiar chemical composition. This already ensures a number of advantages: rust-proof, hardness, low expansion and durability of the material.
The mechanical properties are thus largely defined and continue to conform to the usual and applicable models and standards depending on the material quality or alloy. However, the proprietary production process starts here and makes a number of improvements possible.
Concerning HFX stainless these enhancements are defined as Special FX (effects), which makes HFX stainless highly flexible stainless steel with Special FX.
Special FX (effects)
HFX stainless is an evolution of stainless steel, surpassing your expectations of stainless steel so far.
HFX stainless thus extends the proven advantages of stainless steel such as rust-proof, high-strength and durability through Special FX (effects). The most important Special FX (effects) are:
- Unsurpassed surface variety,
- Fitted for the contractor (35% softer, seamable, easy soldering, driving, workable by hand),
- 60 years warranty and
- improved corrosion resistance.
Thus, HFX stainless is nothing less than the evolution of stainless steel.
Advantages
The biggest advantages of HFX stainless can be summarized into four main areas:
- Safety through longevity
- Strength through rigidity
- Design diversity through surface designs
- Functionality through fitting to contractors
Durability - 60 year warranty
High-strength weather protection
Variety and 100% UV-resistant
Fitted to the contractor
HFX stainless allows the implementation of traditional details. Thanks to the solder joint and the extraordinary resistance of the material, roofs, facades and seals can be made for eternity. Seamed and soldered joints have been tried and tested for centuries and are maintenance-free.
The natural surfaces are 100% UV-resistant and thus protected against fading. The recycled content of > 90% is a strong statement of sustainable action, whereby it should be noted that HFX stainless remains 100% recyclable after use.
Unbeatable in longevity, virtually maintenance-free, HFX stainless protects the environment – and you will live carefree for decades with HFX stainless roofs and facades. This material meets the highest aesthetic standards and retains its noble appearance over generations.
Self-repair mechanism
What makes HFX stainless rust-proof and why is this material so durable?
In addition to the superior strength of the material, the corrosion resistance is causally responsible for the longevity. Whether in high mountains, on the coast or in the lowlands, HFX stainless reveals its strengths everywhere.
HFX stainless owes its corrosion resistance to a chemical reaction: caused by the chromium content in the HFX stainless alloy it reacts with oxygen in the air or water, thus an invisible passive layer forms on the surface.
- This repels the harmful substances and ensures that HFX stainless is rust-proof. External influences may damage this layer and HFX stainless could corrode.
- However, this does not pose a problem because normally the causative medium can be easily cleaned and removed. This shows the advantage of stainless steel:
- Once the causative medium has been removed, the passive layer rebuilds out of the stainless steel matrix within a short time. The component is fully functional again. The corrosion resistance is primarily caused by the chromium content. An increase in corrosion resistance can be achieved by adding nickel and molybdenum, but also other alloying elements. Today, there are a large number of HFX stainless grades that are tailored to specific applications in very specific alloy variants.
Depending on the area of application and intended use, different alloys are available. The alloys define the mechanical and chemical properties of the material and differences in their appearance are almost imperceptible. Depending on the alloying elements, different resistances result, the resulting rust protection far surpasses the other common metals.
The most common alloys for HFX stainless are:
- 1.4301 HFX or 304 HFX
- 1.4404 HFX or 316L HFX
- 1.4510 HFX or 439 HFX
Strength
HFX stainless takes advantage of the impressive strength and rigidity of stainless steel.
This strength can be demonstrated in different ways. The most common and objective method for roofs and facades is to test the mechanical properties of the material.
For this purpose the tensile strength of HFX stainless is measured. Therefore a tensile test is carried out as a standardized testing method, in which a material sample is stretched to breakage.
The result of this test indicates the maximum mechanical stress that the material can withstand and indicates a required force per cross-sectional area. The following table shows a comparison of different materials with respect to their tensile strength:
| Material | N / mm² |
|---|---|
| Lead | 15 |
| Tin | 15 |
| Glass | 35 |
| Porcelain | 45 |
| Polystyrene | 55 |
| Zinc | 170 |
| Aluminum | 225 |
| Copper | 270 |
| Steel | 340 |
| HFX stainless | 650 |
Sources: EN material standards; tensile tests Roofinox GmbH
These test data show the superior strength of HFX stainless, being 3 times stronger than aluminum or 18 times stronger than glass.
Designs
As a leading manufacturer of HFX stainless, Roofinox offers a variety of different surface designs. These are produced in specially developed processes.
Conventional stainless steel has a shiny surface, which makes it only partially suitable for roof and facade. The first HFX stainless has been developed with a fourfold matt surface, while providing 88% less reflection.
This mattness makes HFX stainless universally applicable and ensures an elegant and long-lasting result. This matt surface was only possible thanks to the highly flexible nature of HFX stainless. At the same time, the workability has been significantly improved, which makes the execution of traditional details possible.
The following specially developed HFX process technologies have been developed over the years to enable different effects and designs:
- brush-rolled
- bead-blasted
- matte tin-plated (terne coated)
- pigmented
- ribbed
- electro-coloured
- mirror-rolled
For more details on these surfaces, we recommend a visit to the website of the leading HFX stainless manufacturer: www.roofinox.com
References
Since 1996, many millions of square meters of HFX stainless have been installed successfully and to the satisfaction of those involved.
Most diverse applications of the building envelope were executed:
- Roof (cold roof and warm roof)
- Roof drainage (gutter, downpipe, accessories)
- Facade (curtain wall, ventilated facade, wall cladding)
- Flashing and trim (verge, ridge, base, eaves, enclosure)
- Interior wall and ceiling cladding
For further questions you are welcome to contact us at any time:
E-Mail: info@roofinox.com
Telephone: +43 (0) 5522 79040
Address: Industriestrasse 11, 6832 Sulz, Austria
We also recommend that you visit the website of Roofinox, the leading manufacturer of HFX stainless.