Smoothing, polishing, and deburring ferrous and nonferrous metals with electropolishing is becoming more and more popular. This technique, which is also known as electrochemical polishing, anodic polishing, or electrolytic polishing, works particularly well for deburring and polishing delicate or intricately shaped metal objects. One method for treating the surface of metal items using chemicals and electricity is electropolishing. It is also known as anodic or electrolytic polishing, and manufacturers employ it to give metal products a smooth surface.

On stainless steel and other metals, an electropolishing machine creates a brilliant, corrosion-resistant, highly polished surface. High-quality electropolishing machines guarantee reproducible, micro-tolerance surface finishing that is simple to certify to industry and regulatory standards.

How does electropolishing works?

Anodic dissolution is used in the electrochemical process of electropolishing to remove surface material. The high spots in the microscopic surface pattern are the first parts of the surface that are removed during electropolishing. A metal such as stainless steel, nickel, or Hastelloy will have a better surface finish after the electropolishing process removes these spots, producing a smoother and more reflective surface. Tanks, pipelines, fittings, rods, discs, big parts & surfaces, and more are examples of parts and components that are frequently electropolished. Nowadays, the market has a variety of electropolishing machines.

The process of electropolishing involves building an electrochemical cell in which the material to be polished is anodically charged. The work surface’s geometry is mirrored in the cathode, which is then immersed in a heated electrolyte solution. A DC causes metal ions on the stainless-steel work surface to dissolve when it is applied because of the electrical charge. The amount of material that can be removed ranges from 0.0003″ to 0.003″ depending on the runtime of the electropolishing process and the dimensional tolerances of the component to be electropolished. Both the anode and the cathode are submerged in an electrolyte solution that is kept at a constant temperature and typically consists of a highly viscous solution of phosphoric and sulfuric acids.

Benefits of electropolishing

Comparing electropolishing to other mechanical finishing technologies, there are numerous advantages. This approach does not smear, bend, stress, or fracture the crystalline metal surface to create smoothness or shine, in contrast to traditional mechanical finishing methods. Instead, electropolishing creates a unidirectional pattern that is stress- and occlusion-free, microscopically smooth, and frequently very reflective while removing metal from the surface.

Additionally, electropolishing can increase the passivity and corrosion resistance of many ferrous alloys as well as some nonferrous metals. In addition to smoothing the surface, electropolishing can reduce the size of metal workpieces.