
Automated Electropolishing
This process is used for metal removal, remove stress risers, corner rounding, edge sharpening, deburring, providing high luster, removing heat effected zones and micro-cracks, and often improves product fatigue life. Norman Noble’s electropolishing (EP) process utilizes various engineered blends of acids that are designed to anodically dissolve the components of the part’s material. Other things to consider:
- Electropolishing can improve fatigue life by removing cold working stresses, or heat-effected zones on the cut surfaces, smoothing stress risers, removing micro-cracks, and rounding corners.
- NNI can also modify the electropolishing effect to sharpen edges and points.
- The electropolishing effect when done properly, can improve a finish typically two-fold, or more if tolerances allow. i.e., a 8Ra will be reduced to a 4Ra.
- Proper electropolishing can greatly reduce the possibility of bacterial growth on critical surfaces.
- Typically, part designers target .0008” to .0010” inch removal per surface, if maximum fatigue life of the product is a concern.
- Parts typically need to be back figured by NNI engineering to allow for the material that the customer’s design requirement needs to be removed.