Custom KK Grate

[erik6bd]

Custom Grate for KK anyone know where you get one of these? Looks killer!

Edited May 3, 2017 by erik6bd

[Pequod]

I believe this is a prototype Dennis has worked up and will make available if/when he finds someone to make them at a reasonable cost. 

[tony b]

Yeah, a whole bunch of us are champing at the bit to get one, but Dennis can't find anyone to make them at a price point that's reasonable. 

[DennisLinkletter]

The problem with the baking steel was the excessive price to machine the grease groove. 

The problem with these SS grates is that they warp badly.. I can't get them to stay flat no matter what they try.

[tony b]

58 minutes ago, DennisLinkletter said:

The problem with these SS grates is that they warp badly.. I can't get them to stay flat no matter what they try.

In what orthogonal plane do they want to warp? Is it consistent or is it random with each plate in the direction that they warp? Have they tried some sort of stiffener bar(s) welded to the bottom? Have they tried heat-treatments to temper the steel after machining? Sorry, but the Engineer in me came out when handed a problem like this!

[Stile88]

The one in the picture why isnt that warped...could they make it thicker perhaps

[tony b]

19 minutes ago, Stile88 said:

The one in the picture why isnt that warped...could they make it thicker perhaps

Most likely because it had never actually been exposed to any/many fires in the KK, i.e., the "showroom model." 

Yes, you can solve the warping problem by increasing the thickness; however, it would have to be significantly thicker to preclude that, which introduces other things that aren't beneficial - adds weight (can you actually lift it in/out of the grill easily), adds time to heat up to cooking temps (more mass), and lastly, the big one - adds cost (not only for extra material, but also the machining gets more complicated the thicker the plate.)

[Stile88]

1 hour ago, tony b said:

Most likely because it had never actually been exposed to any/many fires in the KK, i.e., the "showroom model." 

Yes, you can solve the warping problem by increasing the thickness; however, it would have to be significantly thicker to preclude that, which introduces other things that aren't beneficial - adds weight (can you actually lift it in/out of the grill easily), adds time to heat up to cooking temps (more mass), and lastly, the big one - adds cost (not only for extra material, but also the machining gets more complicated the thicker the plate.)

i dont think they were in any fire or at least dennis didnt say that but that could possibly be the case

the weight wouldnt be bad since its in two halves  i would say it is easy since it comes that way... cost dont mean much when you are quality just like when when we bought our kks

[DennisLinkletter]

Here are some shots of the grates..

[Stile88]

wow that is thick and so that warped when they punched them out then????

[tony b]

The holes aren't punched out, but CNC cut out. That didn't cause the problem. They warped in use.

One thing for folks to consider, stainless steel is NOT a very good conductor of heat, compared to aluminum, copper, or even cast iron. That's the reason that it warps - uneven heating caused by hot spots that you'd expect in a charcoal fire. That's why the better stovetop cookware is a sandwich material of an outer shell of the stainless for corrosion resistance, with an inner layer of copper or aluminum to spread the heat out better, so the pan doesn't warp. That's the reason that I asked Dennis if they'd tried rods (or bars) of another material as stiffeners underneath the plates to help distribute the heat more uniformly. It would be easier for him to manufacture than to try the sandwich method. 

[Stile88]

1 hour ago, tony b said:

The holes aren't punched out, but CNC cut out. That didn't cause the problem. They warped in use.

One thing for folks to consider, stainless steel is NOT a very good conductor of heat, compared to aluminum, copper, or even cast iron. That's the reason that it warps - uneven heating caused by hot spots that you'd expect in a charcoal fire. That's why the better stovetop cookware is a sandwich material of an outer shell of the stainless for corrosion resistance, with an inner layer of copper or aluminum to spread the heat out better, so the pan doesn't warp. That's the reason that I asked Dennis if they'd tried rods (or bars) of another material as stiffeners underneath the plates to help distribute the heat more uniformly. It would be easier for him to manufacture than to try the sandwich method. 

dont look like it was in use to me tony i get what you are saying but if you have these going at 400 even 450 degrees i dont think it would warp like that ..from what i see this was done by whoever did the cut outs cnc or what not

 

and my thing is if you cant do ss then by all means do cast iron ect

Edited May 7, 2017 by Stile88

[DennisLinkletter]

No they warp from the production process.  1/4" is a lot of material and it gets super hot when it's cut with the laser and warps.. I've asked them to program it so that they cut at alternative ends to no avail.. ;-(

[Bruce Pearson]

Hey Dennis how about cast iron grates laser cut?

[Keith OctoForks]

Dennis water jet is a tad more expensive but not as much heat.  If you like that design then i'd try going that route. 

Edited May 7, 2017 by Keith OctoForks

[tony b]

@Stile88 - you nailed it. I'm not that familiar with CNC cutting, so I didn't expect the temperatures to get that high, but obviously per Dennis, they do. You da man! 

I'm wondering if the compromise solution here is to make the base from basic carbon steel, CNC cut the design, then plate it with the stainless. Have no, I mean NO, idea what the cost would be, but it would get around the warping problem, while keeping the esthetic of the stainless steel. I made a gross assumption here that you can CNC cut carbon steel. 

[Keith OctoForks]

14 hours ago, tony b said:

@Stile88 - you nailed it. I'm not that familiar with CNC cutting, so I didn't expect the temperatures to get that high, but obviously per Dennis, they do. You da man! 

I'm wondering if the compromise solution here is to make the base from basic carbon steel, CNC cut the design, then plate it with the stainless. Have no, I mean NO, idea what the cost would be, but it would get around the warping problem, while keeping the esthetic of the stainless steel. I made a gross assumption here that you can CNC cut carbon steel. 

Water jet is the answer. Use the material you want...If you want SS then us SS. 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by Keith OctoForks

[DennisLinkletter]

The water jet company in Surabaya charged by the CM for the cuts and the price was ridiculous. I don't believe they know how to calculate how much to charge to cover their overhead and the machine cost etc..  I think they are just fishing to see how much they can get.. Typical 3rd world business clowns.

[Keith OctoForks]

6 minutes ago, DennisLinkletter said:

The water jet company in Surabaya charged by the CM for the cuts and the price was ridiculous. I don't believe they know how to calculate how much to charge to cover their overhead and the machine cost etc..  I think they are just fishing to see how much they can get.. Typical 3rd world business clowns.

By the CM lol ... WOW.    It's like some of these companies don't think you'll compare costs. The price ranges on estimates that I've gotten have been INSANE but I know you know how that is.    Water Jet is definitely more pricey than laser but never heard of a company charging like that....craziness

It'll solve the warping issue though for sure. 

[tony b]

Thanks wicked kewl! Never seen that exact process before. I know water jets are used to cut many materials cleanly, especially styrofoam, foam rubber.