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Reprinted from Distributor's Link Magazine, Fall 2003 |
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| New Ideas to Polish Up Your Profits
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| by David Z. Pokvitis Co-Owner Able Electropolishing Co., Inc. Chicago,IL
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In the fast-paced fastener industry, some things don't
change.Customers are always looking for improved finishes, better performance
and value. Electropolishing is a process that is worth a close look to set
your company apart from the pack.
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Electropolishing is a metal finishing process similar in
theory to electroplating. Parts are immersed in a chemical bath and
electrical current is applied to the parts. While electroplating deposits
metal on fasteners, electropolishing carefully dissolves surface metal.
Electropolished fasteners look plated, but the similarities end there.
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Electropolished surfaces reveal the true base metal and as a
result, there are no coatings to chip or peel. This is especially important
in threaded areas and in applications where contamination from foreign
coatings is a problem.
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While electropolishing has been commercially available since
the early 1950's, most in the fastener industry still have not grasped the
advantages of this controlled metal removal process. When done properly,
electropolished fasteners are brighter, smoother, more corrosion resistant
and better resist galling in one cost effective operation. While nearly any
metal fastener can benefit from this proven process, it is the stainless
fastener that seems to benefit most. Best of all, hydrogen embrittlement (a
problem with plated fasteners) is normally not a problem with
electropolishing.
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As the surface is metal dissolved, surface cracks, imbedded
impurities and small burrs are removed from the entire part. The process has
been nearly perfected by a handful of companies, and surface metal removal
can be controlled to +/-.0001", protecting valuable threads, journals and
other critical dimensions. Being a non-mechanical process, the more fragile
or complex the part is,the more economical electropolishing can be. Part
damage, especially to threads is rare in the hands of an expert
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Beyond the bright, chrome-like finish, many find corrosion
resistance to be a great benefit of electropolishing. If you are acquainted
with passivation to improve corrosion resistance, then think of
electropolishing as the gold standard for stainless and related alloys.
Electropolishing is a named and approved process under ASTM-A967, which sets
passivation standards for many industries.
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Literally hundreds of salt-spray tests have been performed
on a huge range of stainless alloy fasteners with performance measured in
hundreds and even thousands of hours under ASTM-B117. An electropolished
fastener is free of subsurface contamination and also free of surface
irregularities. These two improvements allow metals to resist corrosion
longer, and retain their bright finish. Do you have customer looking for a
brighter, more corrosion resistant fastener?
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So electropolishing is great for brightening, and cleaning
fasteners. How else does this process add value for your customers? In recent
years,Able Electropolishing Co. of Chicago has developed a proprietary bulk
electropolishing method that can reduce finishing costs by 90%. The bulk
process has wider tolerance requirements, but has been a big hit with many
volume users. This has allowed electropolishing to be competitive with other
more common finishing techniques.
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No finishing solution is complete without considering vendor
service. The dedicated electropolisher you choose needs to not only aware of,
but completely tooled for the fast-paced distributor. What good is an order
if it is one day late? Look for a supplier with 24 hour plant operations to
move orders fast.Make sure your supplier has a huge inventory of tooling so
an order can move without delay. Require your electropolishing vendor to be
ISO 9001:2000 certified, as it is a strong indicator of their dedication to
quality. A good supplier has systems in place to drop-ship, package and break
orders to your needs to minimize extra handling. And above all, make certain
your electropolisher has the staff and technical support to help you shine in
front of your important customer. Smart distributors around the country are
adding electropolishing to their line card as a way to boost sales and
profits. A world-class electropolisher can be your partner to new business
opportunities.
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Electropolishing Solves Metal Surface Problems for a variety of industries and
metals...See examples in PDF format with photos:
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