At Able Electropolishing, we are proud to offer electropolishing services for Nitinol, an alloy made of nickel and titanium. Nitinol is difficult to produce, so when you’re trying to make it last longer and resist degradation, one method of doing so can involve electropolishing. Nitinol is commonly used in applications that require flexibility and motion, including medical devices, and because nickel, a known allergen, is present in the alloy, it is essential that the metal be properly treated. When electropolished, Nitinol forms a stable protective layer that acts as a barrier against ion exchange, protecting against nickel release..
Electropolishing Nitinol improves the alloy’s resistance against corrosion as well as improves its durability by performing several different functions at once.
Deburring — Nitinol parts must be burr-free when used in medical applications for optimal safety. Electropolishing is an effective method for removing burrs, leaving the surface of the metal free of micro-imperfections that can have a negative impact on performance.
Electropolishing provides superior results when compared to passivation. While passivation eliminates contaminants from the metal’s surface, it doesn’t remove imbedded contaminants from the pores or imperfections in the metal. In addition, the passivation does not give you value added aesthetic feature that the electropolishing does.
With that in mind, choosing electropolishing is the way to ensure the metal parts used are safer, longer lasting, and better suited for medical, and other critical applications.
