If you are in the business of producing or finishing metal, one term that cannot escape you is passivation. Services that employ this in the metal trades realize the benefits that can be derived from employing it. This is true both for decorative and functional purposes. In other words, passivation services are utilized by metal finishing companies in various cases to make the object have a more pleasing appearance and/or to decrease the possibility of the occurrence of negative characteristics such as corrosion.
What Exactly Are Passivation Services?
Metal finishers employ passivation services as part of an entire process. It is one particular component in the preparation of a metal object or component as it moves from its rough beginning to a polished ending. An integral part of the finishing process, passivation is considered to play a role in the post-fabrication or semi-finished state. It is also necessary when certain conditions produce or result in affecting the product.
Passivation is commonly required the following tumbling, machining, lapping or forming when small particles – of iron if the item is stainless steel, are embedded in the surface of the components. The metal fragments will create what appears to be rust spots. This is the result of the iron corroding on the surface of the item. Since this affects both the appearance and durability of the component, passivation services are employed to remove the particles as soon as possible.
A side benefit of using passivation is the revealing of errors concerning composition. It can provide the manufacturer with the information that a mistake has occurred. In this way, passivation services can find out quickly that inadvertently, the wrong metal has been used in the production. This allows the manufacturer to catch the mistake before it results in more costly errors.
Passivation Services: Common Metals and their Treatments
The most common metals that are treated with passivation are:
* Stainless steel
* Copper
* Copper alloys.
To achieve the desired smooth and rust-free results, the selected metal is completely immersed in a specific solution. For example, for stainless steel, two common baths are a straight nitric acid solution and a nitric acid solution to which oxidizing salts have been added.
Passivation Services
It is not always necessary to employ passivation services. At times, they can be eliminated or ignored in favor of other methods of metal finishing. After all, this procedure is merely one tool among many that metal finishing companies can utilize to achieve the best results for their clients. Passivation services are, however, one proven method that produces the results that satisfy manufacturers – a smooth, corrosion free surface.
Passivation Services
Since 1972, PEP General Metal Finishing been providing high-quality electroplating, electroless plating, and Passivation Services to our clients. Over the years, we have worked hard to maintain the highest standards, adhering to and even exceeding the required specifications. To learn more about how our company continues to forge ahead with its impeccable approach to applications, visit us online at http://www.pepgenmetal.com/.
