Standards for Electropolishing

Question:

We receive finished parts with different levels of electropolishing (amount to material removed) from our supplier.  Is there a standard or standard way of calling out a level of electropolish, e.g., a minimum of 0.001 inch of material removal?  We would also like to QC the finished parts. S. B.

Answer:

There is no standard way for specifying a given amount of material to be removed by electropolishing. The amount of material removed from a part depends on the stainless steel alloy and the formulation of the electropolishing bath. In addition, time and temperature will affect the final results.

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The best way of getting standard results is to work with your electropolisher and come up with a standard formulation for your parts and when you obtain a finish that is satisfactory write it up as your standard and hold your vendor to that standard.

Regarding the QC of the finished materials, you first have to determine what you want to test for. Do you want to test for the amount of material removed, smoothness or passivity? Once you have determined what you want to test for, you should be able to set up some standard QC processes.