Passivation Vs. Electropolishing
Both electropolishing and passivation are treatments that can be applied to stainless steel in an effort to improve a part's surface and increase its resistance to corrosion. Stainless steel has a layer of chromium oxide to keep corrosion at bay.
However, there could be impurities on the surface of a part, such as free iron, dirt and various types of machining residues that could prevent the protective layer from forming fully, which could leave some areas with less protection against corrosion. ableelectropolishing.com/services/passivation/
Surface treatments aim to promote the formation of an even layer of protective chromium oxide, minimizing weak spots where corrosion can take hold. steelguardsafety.com/industrial-curtains/
However, there could be impurities on the surface of a part, such as free iron, dirt and various types of machining residues that could prevent the protective layer from forming fully, which could leave some areas with less protection against corrosion. ableelectropolishing.com/services/passivation/
Surface treatments aim to promote the formation of an even layer of protective chromium oxide, minimizing weak spots where corrosion can take hold. steelguardsafety.com/industrial-curtains/
What is Passivation?
Passivating a part means using a process that reduces the chemically reactive properties of its surface. Even though stainless steel has the ability to passivate naturally, there are some additional treatments that can be applied to the part to passivate it better and faster.
The process starts with a thorough pre-cleaning, so that oils, debris and scale can be removed from the surface, allowing the next step of the passivation process to be a lot more effective.
The part will then be submerged into either citric or nitric acid. This will cause a chemical reaction with any contaminants that could be present on the part's surface, such as free iron. These contaminants will be dissolved and thus gone from the part's surface.
Passivating a part means using a process that reduces the chemically reactive properties of its surface. Even though stainless steel has the ability to passivate naturally, there are some additional treatments that can be applied to the part to passivate it better and faster.
The process starts with a thorough pre-cleaning, so that oils, debris and scale can be removed from the surface, allowing the next step of the passivation process to be a lot more effective.
The part will then be submerged into either citric or nitric acid. This will cause a chemical reaction with any contaminants that could be present on the part's surface, such as free iron. These contaminants will be dissolved and thus gone from the part's surface.