- Materials
- Forms
- Reference Materials
-
Services
-
Services
-
-
Sectors
-
Supporting cutting edge research and development with advanced materials to your needs.
High performance materials for extreme conditions.
Innovative and lightweight materials with high mechanical properties and durability.
Materials used in chemical engineering from consumables to innovative solutions.
Advanced materials characterized by high electrical or insulation performance.
High quality materials for renewable energy.
Biocompatible and biodegradable materials to the highest standards.
High purity, biocompatible materials for high performance devices and applications.
High purity metals and alloys in various forms and crucibles suitable to your needs.
State of the art materials for the next generation of technologies.
High performance materials for extreme conditions.
Durable materials for corrosive environments.
Foils, disks or windows across a range of materials to facilitate your innovation.
Polymers, metal foils, and sustainable materials for your packaging needs.
Your requirements for unique products and attributes will be met across our 170,000+ product range and customization capabilities.
High-quality materials across branded products in various forms including rods, wires, and foils support space technology needs.
Highest quality materials to support your need for small-quantity specialist materials such as graphite and lithium compounds.
High purity materials to improve the reproducibility and reliability of your evaporation processes.
-
- Product Ranges
-
Resources
-
Find out our latest news.
Read our latest insights, and opinions.
Discover our Innovation Discovered podcasts on innovation, products, interesting topics, and more.
Find out how we've worked with our partners
Our latest updates on what we are doing, find out more.
Find out more about us and the great roles we have available for talented individuals. Find out more.
Take a look at our global distributors.
Explore our FAQ resource to help answer your key questions.
Gain a clearer picture of the language used in scientific study
-
- About Us
AISI 304L Stainless Steel Foil (Light Tight)
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
Key Features
AISI 304L Stainless Steel Foil (Light Tight) (UNS S30403) is a low-carbon austenitic stainless steel foil with carbon restricted to 0.03 wt% maximum, manufactured to a pinhole-free surface that ensures complete blockage of visible and near-visible light transmission:
Complete Blockage of Visible & Near-Visible Light
Manufactured to a pinhole-free surface, this foil ensures complete blockage of visible and near-visible light transmission, providing a reliable optical barrier for sensitive applications.
Eliminates Weld Sensitization Risk
The low carbon content eliminates the risk of weld sensitization and preserves intergranular corrosion resistance in thermally processed assemblies, making this foil suitable for light-tight enclosures that are welded into larger structures.
Consistent Performance from Cryogenic to Elevated Temperatures
This foil performs consistently from cryogenic to elevated service temperatures and maintains mechanical integrity following joining operations, ensuring barrier reliability across a wide thermal range.
Suited to Light-Tight Enclosures Requiring Post-Assembly Welding
The combination of pinhole-free optical isolation and weld-sensitization resistance suits this foil to optically isolated sensor housings requiring post-assembly welding, where conventional foils would be vulnerable to weld-zone corrosion.
Weld Integrity Combined with Light Exclusion
This foil maintains mechanical integrity following joining operations while preserving reliable light exclusion, a combination essential in precision shielding components for analytical and aerospace systems.
Industrial Applications
AISI 304L Stainless Steel Foil (Light Tight) is used across cryogenic, sensor, analytical, and aerospace sectors where weld integrity and light exclusion must coexist:
- ✦ Cryogenic Light-Blocking Enclosures
- Used in cryogenic light-blocking enclosures, where consistent performance from cryogenic to elevated service temperatures ensures reliable optical isolation across the full operating temperature range.
- ✦ Optically Isolated Sensor Housings Requiring Post-Assembly Welding
- Formed into optically isolated sensor housings requiring post-assembly welding, where the low carbon content eliminates weld sensitization risk while the pinhole-free surface maintains complete light exclusion.
- ✦ Precision Shielding Components in Analytical & Aerospace Systems
- Used in precision shielding components for analytical and aerospace systems, where weld integrity and light exclusion must coexist — a combination this foil delivers through its low-carbon, pinhole-free construction.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Elongation at break( % ) | 58 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 565 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 72 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | - |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 16.2@23°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 17.3@23°C |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |
| Linear dimension | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Linear dimension | >=100mm | +2 / -1% |