“EP Technology
™”
Stainless Steel Electrocleaning,
Passivating and Polishing System
Electropolish System outline
in
format
Introduction
When stainless steel components are fabricated, welded, machined, cast
or heat-treated, the surface will become
oxidised and/or contaminated with iron which can result in premature
staining and corrosion attack unless it is appropriately cleaned and
passivated.
The traditional methods of addressing this are by either pickling in
acid solutions or electropolishing. Acid pickling and passivation is
usually achieved by immersing the component in a bath of mixed Nitric
and Hydrofluoric acids for a significant time. This process:
• Etches the material surface
• Poses significant OH&S issues
• EPA compliance costs
• Regular expensive bath monitoring
• Acid replacement involving neutralisation and disposal costs.
• Long processing times
Traditional electropolishing
processes are effective methods of surface cleaning, which result in
removing oxides and iron from the metal surface. They improve the Cr-Fe
ratio of the surface layers and alter the surface appearance by
smoothing (electrochemically polishing) the surface. These processes,
while reasonably effective:
• Involve significant bath monitoring
• Costs for the regular top up
• Replacement of the solution
• EPA requirements for solution disposal.
The Electropolish - EP Technology™ advantage….
Electropolish has developed a unique electrochemical process, which
provides the very best method for the cleaning and passivation of
stainless steel surfaces. In addition to cleaning the surface and
removing weld discolouration, this process can also electropolish and
electropassivate. It is fast, efficient compared with pickling and
suffers none of the drawbacks of existing methods.
Due to the unique formulation and methods employed, the Electropolish
technology requires:
a) No ongoing top-up with acid or chemicals, which reduces costs
and removes OH&S concerns.
b) No acid waste disposal, thus there are no EPA disposal issues,
it is environmentally friendly..
c) The electrolyte is quite benign; it is safe to operate, so there
are no OH&S issues.
d) Minimal electrolyte monitoring, significantly reducing time and
costs.
e) Fast and simple operation with short residence times for
optimised productivity and reduced costs
f) Efficient and simple rinsing techniques reduce costs
Clean, Passivate & Polish
The benefits of using EP Technology™
also include the ability to electroclean and Passivate effectively and rapidly without any
noticeable etching or polishing of the component surface.
Excellent high finishes:
Electropolishing with EP Technology™
provides the highest quality electropolished surfaces, along with excellent surface smoothing
resulting in extremely high Cr-Fe ratios and capable of producing an RA
improvement of up to 60%.
Proven, cost effective performance:
The EP Technology™
process is well proven over the past 12 years with
installations in Australia, New Zealand and USA. It is now being made
available for Electrocleaning and electropassivation as well as
electropolishing applications.
Safe and environmentally friendly:
The key benefit of EP Technology™
is that it is safe, cost effective and
environmentally friendly. It uniquely addresses both OH&S and EPA
compliance costs, as well as bath monitoring and maintenance costs.
Electro cleaning Technical Brief
in
format
Stainless Steel Electro-Cleaning
Contents:
Cleaning methods for stainless steels
How our process works & what it does Test method & environments
Comparison with alternative methods
Cleaning of weldments
The Electropolish advantage….
Introduction
Stainless Steel is often chosen for industrial and architectural
applications because it withstands corrosion, is long lasting, easily
fabricated, requires minimal maintenance and looks good.
Unfortunately exposure to many industrial environments can result in
corrosion which typically occurs in weldments but can also be initiated
in the parent metal in those areas which have not been thoroughly
cleaned and passivated. In severe cases, pitting and even structural
failure can occur if the corrosion is not adequately treated.
Our electrocleaning process utilizes an electric current in combination
with a mild electrolyte, to preferentially dissolve the surface rust,
iron contamination and inclusions instantly, leaving the stainless steel
surfaces surgically clean. Additionally our process uniquely reforms the
original protective chromium oxide layer, passivating the surface and
improving its long term resistance to subsequent corrosion and staining.
Our latest developments in application technology have allowed us to
treat stainless steel surfaces on site quickly and effectively,
providing an economic, long term solution to corrosion.
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