Quality assurance is built into everything we do at Able Electropolishing, from the technical guidelines to standard operating procedures to the video training materials provided throughout our state-of-the-art facility. Our processes are built around a commitment to the highest level of quality and customer satisfaction. Our Quality Goal is to meet each customer's specific requirements 100% of the time.
Able customizes the process for each part undergoing electropolishing and carefully monitors the process from start to finish.
Quality inspectors perform pre-, post- and in-process inspection of parts and processes throughout electropolishing, including visual inspection, dimensional measurements and detailed verification and documentation. Production and quality personnel perform in-process inspection during electropolishing.
Able Electropolishing’s process control procedures ensure the safety and success of critical metal parts across industries by ensuring precise and consistent results. Here are 6 key steps in the quality control process.
Upon arrival, parts are carefully inspected for defects such as scratches, nicks, and more before undergoing a rigorous pre-cleaning process. Able incoming inspection procedures require each order to be entered, printed and routed to an incoming inspector to determine:
Grease, oil, insulators, and other contaminants can compromise the electropolishing process. After inspection, our team identifies a custom pre-cleaning process to remove any surface impurities from the metal part. Pre-clean operations typically consist of one or more of the following operations, with specific instructions documented in the corresponding engineering card:
To ensure the quality of each part, Able can perform a variety of tests including:
Post-cleaning is also customized for each metal part, which will undergo a variety of rinsing and post-cleaning to avoid surface staining. This process can include a spray rinse, cold water rinse, nitric acid rinse, hot water rinse, dry oven, or centrifugal.
After all steps are complete, metal parts undergo a final inspection for visual and dimensional requirements before packaging and shipment, including a review of records of all preceding inspections and tests. The inspection is performed by Able’s Quality Control Department, which is also responsible for the release of product for packaging and shipping.
All shipments are reviewed for conformance to criteria that includes:
Able meets a wide variety of industry standards for quality control in electropolishing and passivation, including:
Exacting quality control, adherence to AMS 2700, and ISO 9001:2015 certification, along with customer specifications, have earned the trust of aerospace manufacturers. Electropolishing is commonly used as pre-surface treatment for Dye Penetrant Testing.
ISO 9001:2015 certification and adherence to international standards including ASTM, ASME and SAE.
ASTM B912 standards for electropolishing stainless steel and ASTM A967 and ASTM A380 for the cleaning, passivation and testing of stainless steel parts.
Decades of experience electropolishing metal parts for hydraulics and pneumatics. ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Strict quality control standards, adherence to customer specifications, ISO 15730 and ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Removal of weld discoloration, improved corrosion resistance, and high-shine finish that can stand up to heavily corrosive environments like salt water. ASTM, ASME and ISO 9001: 2015 compliance.
Biocompatibility and quality control including ISO 13485: 2016 certification, ISO 10993 Part 1 compliance, and ASTM F86 for implanted devices.
Meets ISO 10993 Part 1 biocompatibility and ASME BPE standards while leaving parts with improved corrosion resistance and a highly cleanable and pathogen resistant surface.
Adherence to dimension and surface finish requirements for semiconductor parts. Meets SEMI F19 specs for wetted surface characterization and finish criteria for electropolished 316L stainless steel.
Read our guide to understand why so many of the world’s best-known manufacturers, including Boeing, SpaceX, Tesla, and Volvo, trust Able to electropolish their metal parts.
From unexpected costs to regulatory compliance and safety hazards, in-house electropolishing can pose significant challenges and risks.
Electropolishing is used to improve surface finish and enhance corrosion resistance, enabling critical metal parts to perform better and last longer.
When a marine and rescue hardware manufacturer started developing parts for rescue harnesses in 2018, they knew they needed to find a metal finishing partner with uncompromising standards and no tolerance for error: lives, literally, hang on the line.
