Stainless steel banding is commonly used in industrial settings to secure insulation and cladding materials. The process involves wrapping stainless steel bands around the insulation and cladding to hold them in place. Here's a step-by-step explanation of how stainless steel banding is used for this purpose:

Stainless steel is chosen for its corrosion resistance, strength, and durability, making it suitable for industrial environments. The most common grade used is 304 / 1.4301 for areas more susceptible to corrosion then 316 / 1.4404 is selected.

The banding typically comes in rolls or coils of varying widths and thicknesses. The thickness is chosen by the engineer to meet their engineering design specification.  Here at BS Stainless we can manufacture the bands in pretty much any thickness to suit, typically from 0.4 mm up to 1 mm.

Before applying the stainless steel bands, insulation material is installed around pipes, ducts, or other equipment to prevent heat loss or gain.

Cladding or jacketing, which serves as a protective outer layer, is then placed over the insulation. This can be a range of metals not just stainless steel these include Aluminium, Aluminized steel, Aluzinc or even stainless Steel with additional coatings such as a fluorine coating (PVDF) which is a coil coating of paint.

The stainless steel banding is measured and cut to the required length using appropriate tools, such as banding tool and shears or a banding dispenser.

Once the bands are in place, they need to be sealed to ensure a tight and secure fit. This is often done using stainless steel clips or buckles often described as wing seals due to their design.

These wing seals are threaded onto one end of the band, and the other end is then inserted through the buckle, creating a loop that can be tightened.

Tensioning tools are used to pull the band tight and secure it in place. This ensures that the insulation and cladding are held firmly and won't shift over time. In addition sometime springs can be used. Expansion and compression springs (MITY) allow an element of expansion from the banding. This is due to thermal expansion of cladding and insulation materials and also other factors such as high winds.

After tensioning, any excess length of the stainless steel band is trimmed off to provide a neat and tidy finish.

A final inspection is often conducted to ensure that the bands are properly installed, securely fastened, and provide effective support to the insulation and cladding.

Stainless steel banding is preferred in industrial applications due to its resistance to corrosion, high strength, and long-lasting durability. It is an essential component in maintaining the integrity of insulation and cladding systems, especially in harsh environmental conditions. In addition to standard edge banding there is an option to go for a safe edge also known as deburred. This is due to the fact that we can mechanically remove the burr generated during the slitting of banding which is often sharp to touch. 

While this is only a basic explanation and far from the exact detail used by a skilled lagger we thought a basic overview would be of interest. If you have any questions we would be happy to go into more detail.