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.
For spring manufacturers, such challenges come with the territory.
When it comes to ensuring a defect-free surface finish that extends spring cycle life by 200% or more, however, spring manufacturers have it easy.
Benefits of Electropolishing for Metal Springs
- Improved corrosion resistance
- Defect-free surface
- Heat tint removal
- Burr-removal
- Microcrack removal
- Enhanced fatigue life
- Leaves part in a passive state
Electropolishing, an electrochemical process that strips away a microscopically precise layer of surface material to remove surface anomalies, leaves metal springs free of burrs, fissures, cracks and other microscopic defects left behind by machining processes.
Such flaws, even at a microscopic size, can become initiation sites for corrosion, accelerate cracking, and lead to premature part failure.
Electropolishing also leaves springs free of stains, heat tint, oxide scale and other surface defects that can compromise the fit, finish and function of metal springs, including compression, torsion and flat springs.
How Electropolishing Improves the Surface Finish of Metal Springs
Electropolishing imparts a critical advantage for springs, which must withstand frequent compression, bending, flexing and twisting. The uniform and defect-free surface that electropolishing provides is better able to withstand the rigors of such repetitive use.
Electropolishing uses a chemical bath and electrical current to gently dissolve a precise and consistent layer of surface material controlling removal to as low as +/- .0002”, depending on the alloy. Electropolished parts are carefully racked to avoid part-to-part contact and to ensure uniform exposure in the electropolishing bath. Racking also prevents springs from becoming tangled or distorted.
The result is a smooth and more durable part with 30 times more corrosion resistance than passivation.
What Alloys can be electropolished?
Electropolishing is effective for a long list of alloys, including all stainless steels, Hastelloy, Inconel and chrome silicon, to name a few.
The Able Electropolishing Advantage
As a pioneer of the process and the world’s largest electropolishing specialist, Able Electropolishing has honed its processes over seven decades of collaboration and innovation with engineers in industries that include aerospace, medical, semiconductor, food and beverage, automotive, pharmaceutical and more.
Our solutions include comprehensive testing and inspection capabilities to ensure the highest quality results and compliance with unyielding industry and customer standards.
To learn more about the results we can achieve for your metal parts, contact a member of our team or take advantage of our free sample electropolishing to see the results firsthand.
