What Is an Electropolishing Machine?
An electropolishing machine is a device used for electropolishing objects. It typically consists of a polishing tank and a power supply unit. The process involves placing an object in the polishing tank filled with a polishing solution, where a cathode plate is grounded, and an anode is connected to the object. By applying an electric current, electropolishing is performed, resulting in a range of benefits, including smooth and mirror-like surfaces and improved corrosion resistance.
Uses of Electropolishing Machines
Electropolishing is employed to achieve high smoothness and corrosion resistance, particularly for materials containing chromium. It is used in applications where high-purity and contamination-resistant materials are required, such as piping, storage containers, and parts used in semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Various industries, including pharmaceuticals, food manufacturing, medical equipment, chemical synthesis, and aerospace, utilize electropolishing to maintain clean and corrosion-resistant surfaces.
Principle of Electropolishing Machines
Electropolishing machines operate by applying a direct current between the cathode plate in the polishing tank and the anode of the object submerged in an electrolytic solution. The process involves dissolving the surface of the object electrochemically, with preferential dissolution of convex surface irregularities. Electropolishing effectively removes impurities, smoothens the surface, and forms a passive film on stainless steel, enhancing its corrosion resistance. It is a process that can be used to polish stainless steel and other materials to achieve a high level of surface smoothness and cleanliness.
Stainless Steel Surface Treatment by Electropolishing Machines
Stainless steel is a metallic material with rust corrosion resistance and heat resistance due to the several-nanometer-thick passive film formed on its surface by bonding with oxygen in the atmosphere. However, if the proper surface condition is not maintained through machining, surface finishing, transportation, storage, etc., the passivation film will not be formed uniformly, and excellent properties will not be obtained, resulting in defective products.
Electropolishing is a process that aims to cleanly remove impurities and roughness from the surface of stainless steel and form a passivation film with high properties. A stainless steel electropolishing machine electrochemically dissolves and cleans the surface down to the micron level by applying a direct current to the stainless steel being polished as an anode in an electropolishing solution. Electropolishing preferentially dissolves rough surface convexities, thus reducing surface roughness and smoothing out defects that are difficult to remove by normal polishing, such as burr coverings and voids created by polishing or machining. Even difficult defects can be smoothed out. In addition, the processing method is simple, and depending on the size of the electrolyte bath, it is possible to polish a large amount, so it is a polishing method with excellent productivity.
Electropolishing Machines
Electrolytic combined polishing, which combines physical polishing with abrasives, is effective when an even smoother surface than electropolishing is required. The passive film on the convex surface is mechanically removed and the metal is eluted from it, resulting in smoother polishing than when electrolytic polishing and mechanical polishing are performed separately. Because it can polish not only flat surfaces but also curved surfaces such as pipes, it is widely used for semiconductor manufacturing-related parts, piping, valves, and medical equipment that require precision and durability.