What is the difference between welded and swage-locked grating?
Welded grating fuses cross bars to bearing bars with heat for maximum strength, common in carbon steel. Swage-locked grating presses (swages) cross bars into punched bearing bars cold, with no heat distortion — the usual method for aluminium grating and prefabricated panels.
Because swaging is a cold mechanical process, it avoids the heat distortion of welding and keeps tight tolerances, which matters for aluminium and for factory-assembled panel runs. It produces a clean, permanent mechanical lock.
Welded carbon-steel grating remains the strongest and most economical for heavy industrial loads, while swage-locked aluminium is favoured offshore, in food and washdown areas and where light weight and corrosion resistance are priorities.
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