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Give some information about 316L stainless steel electropolishing

June 5, 2009

Hello sir,
I am very sad. I cannot give a fine polishing in 316L ss soft stainless steel electropolishing screw which is used in broken bones. what chemicals we shall use to get a very fine electro polishing. Sir,please give me answer positively. I am waiting your answer very eagerly.

Ashish bhardwaj kumar
Plating shop employee - delhi , india

Hi, Ashish. Our supporting advertiser, Metal Coating Process Corp., conducts multi-day training seminars on electropolishing, and whole books have been written on the subject -- so please don't expect a one-paragraph instruction on how to electropolish successfully :-)

But a couple of quick things to think about are:
- Usually you will want to mechanically polish first, to a fine finish, and use the electropolishing only to assure freedom from tiny burrs and furrows.
- You must avoid water in the electropolishing tank as this will cause etching.
- You must maintain the current high enough to stay out of the etching range and in the polishing range.
- Many different solution compositions have been successfully used, based on sulphuric acid, or phosphoric acid, or a mixture, as well as other compositions. The Electroplating Engineering Handbook will give you a long list of potential solution compositions, as well as a good tutorial on the subject.

Please be aware that there are UL and other standards applicable to these components, and you can't just ship your experiments for implantation into a body; you need to comply with specifications. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey