Passivation is a chemical cleaning process that is designed to remove free iron and other ferrous contaminants from the surface of stainless steel parts. By removing the contamination from machining, stamping, etc., you are helping restore the material to the original mill condition and corrosion specifications.
Passivation is ideal for many grades of stainless steel that have adequate levels of chromium and nickel, and it can help increase the longevity of many types of metal parts.
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Passivation is a chemical process designed to increase the corrosion resistance of stainless steel parts.
During the passivation process, parts are placed in a basket and submerged in a nitric or citric acid bath. Depending on the stainless steel alloy, the acid concentration, temperature and time are set to effectively remove free iron and other foreign materials on the part’s surface introduced during machining, stamping, and other processes. The passivation leaves the part clean and more corrosion resistant but does not change the aesthetics of the part.
If improved corrosion resistance is the ultimate goal, passivation is an efficient process that parts can undergo, but passivation alone is not always effective at removing surface contaminants, and frequently requires an additional pre-cleaning step. However, electropolishing can remove all traces of surface and embedded contaminants in one operation.
Passivation is also only ideal for certain grades of stainless steel to remove free iron and other contaminants, but it isn’t recommended for some stainless steel grades that have insufficient levels of nickel and chromium. Welded or brazed parts are also incapable of undergoing the passivation process.
You can speak with an expert at Able Electropolishing to determine if your parts are ideal for passivation or other processes such as electropolishing. You may also find that your parts require more thorough microfinishing than passivation can provide.
Over the years, Able has been through the evolution of environmental compliance, waste minimization, recycling and water conservation. This outstanding job has earned Able a Certificate of Commendation from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
