What are the Differences between a Stainless Steel Display Cabinet and a Glass Display Cabinet?

The construction of a stainless steel display cabinet is based on the ductility and structural strength of metal alloys. The cabinet frame is stamped and welded to achieve overall rigidity, which is fundamentally different from the glass display cabinet, which relies on the combined assembly of adhesives and metal fasteners. The surface treatment of the stainless steel display cabinet uses brushing or mirror polishing technology to form a chromium oxide passivation film to resist environmental corrosion. Compared with the weather resistance of the silicate body of glass, it shows a different maintenance demand path.

The difference in thermal conductivity leads to different response mechanisms of the two to environmental temperature changes. The high thermal conductivity of stainless steel makes the temperature in the cabinet more balanced faster, while the low thermal diffusivity of glass forms a local temperature difference isolation effect. In terms of optical performance, the metallic luster of stainless steel, the material of the stainless steel display cabinet, produces diffuse light effects, while the light transmittance of glass maintains visual penetration. This difference is directly related to the light and shadow control strategy when displaying goods.

In terms of structural safety, the plastic deformation ability of stainless steel provides collision buffering, while the brittle characteristics of glass rely on tempering to improve the impact resistance level. In the cleaning and maintenance phase, the surface of the stainless steel display cabinet is more resistant to chemical cleaners than the glass coating layer, but the fingerprint residue problem is more significant. In a humid environment, the risk of electrolytic corrosion of stainless steel and the aging of the sealant of glass constitute different failure models.

In terms of functional expansion, the cabinet of the stainless steel display cabinet is easy to integrate electromagnetic shielding layer or fireproof lining, and the glass display cabinet has the advantage of light transmission when wiring the embedded lighting system. After long-term use, stress corrosion cracking of stainless steel and micro crack expansion of glass become the main degradation modes.