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Alloy Electropolishing

Precipitating Hardening Grade Stainless Steel

High-strength PH grades electropolished to chrome-like finishes, preserving age-hardened properties for aerospace, defense, and medical.

Chrome-LikeAll PH Grades

AMS 2700Aerospace Spec

ZeroH₂ Embrittlement

#1Largest Electropolishing Specialist

PH stainless steels combine high strength with good corrosion resistance via age-hardening. Grades 13-8, 15-5, 17-4, and 17-7 are aerospace and defense staples.

Electropolishing delivers bright, chrome-like finishes on all PH grades while preserving mechanical properties, zero hydrogen embrittlement risk, unlike acid pickling.

Send us your PH stainless sample parts and we will electropolish at no cost and return them in 2-3 days.

Benefits of Electropolishing Precipitation Hardening

Zero Risk
🛡️

No Hydrogen Embrittlement

Zero H₂ embrittlement risk, critical for high-strength aerospace components.

Chrome-Like
💎

Chrome-Like All Grades

13-8, 15-5, 17-4, 17-7, 630, and A-286 all deliver chrome-like results.

AMS 2700
✈️

Aerospace Compliance

Meets AMS 2700, ASTM B912. Full AS9100 traceability.

Preserved
⚙️

Properties Preserved

Age-hardened microstructure completely unaffected by electropolishing.

50%
✨

Microfinish Improvement

Up to 50% Ra improvement on complex PH geometries.

Fatigue
🔧

Fatigue Strength

Removes stress concentrations for a uniform production finish.

Before & After

Electropolishing Results: 17-4 PH SS

BEFORE EP
→
AFTER EP

17-4 PH SS, Visual Finish

Chrome-like finish. Properties preserved, zero H₂ embrittlement.

Before: 16–20 µin RaAfter: 8–10 µin Ra
SEM: BEFORE ELECTROPOLISHING
SEM: AFTER ELECTROPOLISHING

17-4 PH SS, SEM Surface Topography (500×)

Scanning electron microscopy reveals how electropolishing dissolves surface peaks, eliminates machining marks, and removes embedded contaminants.

Rough: peaks, burrs, inclusionsSmooth: uniform passive layer

Precipitation Hardening Components We Electropolish

Aerospace Structural

Landing gear, actuators.

Aircraft Fasteners

High-strength bolts, zero H₂ risk.

Defense Hardware

Weapon systems, ITAR-compliant.

Nuclear Reactor Parts

Reactor internals, fuel assembly.

Medical Instruments

Retractors, orthopedic tools.

Valve Stems & Springs

High-strength valve and actuator parts.

Precipitation Hardening Alloy Finish Results

Expected finish quality from Able's electropolishing process based on extensive production experience.

Alloy Able Finish Quality EP Benefit Typical Parts Ra Before → After

Our Electropolishing Process

1

Part Evaluation

Alloy grade, geometry, heat treat condition, and finish specifications assessed by our experts.

2

Cleaning & Prep

Oils, oxides, and machining contaminants removed. Custom racking for optimal current distribution.

3

Electropolishing

Proprietary electrolyte dissolves surface peaks uniformly. A clean, passive oxide layer forms simultaneously.

4

Rinse & Dry

Thorough multi-stage rinse and controlled drying to preserve the electropolished surface quality.

5

QC & Delivery

Inspected per specification, documented, packed and shipped promptly.

Contact us to learn more about Precipitation Hardening electropolishing

Learn About the Electropolishing Difference


Electropolishing 101 Webinar

Electropolishing 101
Webinar

Learn everything you need to know about electropolishing as part of a private, interactive webinar. Let us know your availability and your part issues and our electropolishing experts can get you on our schedule.

Schedule Your Private Webinar
Try Electropolishing for Free: Sample Request

Try Electropolishing for Free:
Sample Request

Send us your parts and we'll electropolish them for free – we'll even pay for the shipping! Samples are processed and returned in a few days.

Request a Sample

Medical Device Manufacturing

Medical Device Manufacturing

From implantable devices to surgical instruments, electropolishing is a single-process treatment that results in biocompatible, safe and ultra clean parts.

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Aerospace

Aerospace

We offer aerospace vendors and original equipment manufacturers our signature metal finishing services to increase fatigue-resistance for their metal parts, rendering them capable of withstanding the stress and corrosion that comes with long-term use.

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Pharmaceutical

Pharmaceutical

Our strict adherence to industry standards ensures that pharmaceutical components are electropolished in accordance with ASTM B912 and ASME BPE specifications. These products are clean and smooth, corrosion resistant and contaminant free.

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Automotive

Automotive

Corrosion resistance and microfinish improvement are essential for critical automotive parts, making electropolishing an increasingly beneficial option for automakers.

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Consumer Appliance

Consumer Appliance

Our metal finishing services help increase corrosion resistance for these parts, and by removing the outermost layer of metal with electropolishing the durability and longevity of these appliance components is increased.

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Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Electropolishing materials for this industry eliminates the buildup of bacterial biofilms, as well as keeping the equipment free of contaminants like Salmonella. Electropolishing delivers the level of sanitation required by a number of regulatory agencies.

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Hydraulics & Pneumatics

Hydraulics & Pneumatics

From robotics to mobile equipment, the uses of electropolishing in the hydraulics and pneumatics industry are many. By helping prevent premature part failure, electropolishing reduces downtime and increases the life cycle of these components.

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Electronics

Electronics

Improving conductivity and performance is just one benefit electropolishing offers for electronics parts. The surface finish is improved by as much as 50%, removing imperfections from the material without material removal.

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Electropolishing, Passivation and Metal Surface Analytics Blog

Electropolishing for More Durable, Corrosion-Resistant Springs

A wide array of modern assemblies for everything from aerospace parts to medical devices depend on high-quality springs that must perform to incredibly precise specifications, often in very tiny spaces.

Read More

Electropolishing for Small Modular Reactor Component Performance

Small modular reactors are entering component fabrication under tight schedule pressure. Across every coolant technology, surface integrity is becoming a qualification gate — not an afterthought.

Read More

Why Manufacturers Use Electropolishing for Precision Metal Parts

Electropolishing is a precise and controllable process for eliminating defects from the surface of metal parts. But it’s not the only finishing process available to manufacturers; there are mechanical, chemical and plating processes that can remove defects and improve the…

Read More

High-Quality Electropolishing for Small and Intricate Parts

Metal fabrication for parts used in the medical and electronics industries can involve dimensions as small as a grain of rice — or even a strand of hair. At that scale, surface defects may be invisible to the naked eye,…

Read More

Frequently Asked Questions

What services does Able Electropolishing provide?

We provide electropolishing, nitric & citric passivation, and vacuum vapor degreasing.

What are the maximum part sizes that can be processed for electropolishing, passivation, and vapor degreasing?

Electropolishing:

  • 300 & 400 series stainless steel: 108” Length x 41” Width x 42” Height
  • Copper, brass, aluminum, steel, and nickel alloys: 72” Length x 14” Width x 17” Height (best results are achieved on parts that are no larger than 12” square)
  • Titanium, Nitinol, tungsten, and niobium, etc. (refractory metals): 26” Length x 8-3/4” Width x 9-3/4” Height

Passivation:

  • Standard nitric acid passivation: 72” Length x 30” Width x 30” Height
  • Nitric acid/sodium dichromate: 20” Length, 20” Width x 20” Height
  • Citric acid: 26” Length x 18” Width x 15” Height

Vapor degrease:

  • Vapor degrease (vacuum): 23” Length x 16” Width x 10” Height

Note: If there is a question regarding our capabilities, please email a print for review to sales@ableelectropolishing.com.

What information do you require in order to receive a quotation?

We need a copy of the drawing, service needed, lot and annual quantities, process specification and packaging requirements.

What is your standard lead-time?

Standard delivery is 3 to 5 working days after receipt of order. Next day and same day services are offered at an additional cost. Please contact our sales department for further details.

What is the difference between passivation and electropolishing?

Passivation is a chemical process designed to remove free iron and other contaminants from the part surface. Electropolishing is an electro-chemical process that removes surface metal which improves micro finish, provides deburring and adds to the aesthetics of your part.

Contact an Electropolishing Expert Today