Letter 25004

Can electro polish be used in mold manufacturing  

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I have a two halves mold made of Naval Brass. In this mold there are slots 0.5 mm wide 1.2 mm deep. these slots are made using EDM technology. Is it feasible to improve surface finish inside the slots using electro polishing? required surface finish is better than 32 r.m.s. Metal removal should be minimal and even.

Best regards,

PINHAS GALLON
Mechanical Gyroscopes - JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

I am not sure electropolishing can be used in polishing moulds because of the highly variable local current densities. However, chemical polishing can be done as has been done for some years. I recall a patent from about 1983 that describes a chemical polishing solution for copper and its alloys that uses "bovine vitamin B6", however, I do recall any other details. There is also an article in Transactions of the IMF from 1988 (vol 66 p 18-21) that may help, but that is about tool steels. I suggest you do a literature search and base it around 1975-present. Trevor Crichton R&D practical scientist - UK

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