Waukesha Cherry-Burrell Products: FittingsElectropolishing As earlier noted, polishing stainless steel reduces surface roughness that micro-organisms might attach to. A mechanically polished surface looks smooth to the naked eye. But when magnified, that same surface shows startling irregularities in the metal: pits, peaks and valleys. Tiny debris is also evident: metal and other particle fragments caught in the valleys. Electropolishing is an electro-chemical process of removing metal from a surface, leveling the peaks and valleys and cleaning away surface debris and impurities resulting from manufacturing processes such as machining and grinding. Prior to electropolishing, a fitting is first mechanically polished then chemically cleaned. The fitting is suspended in an electrolyte solution and is made to be the anode while an electric current passes through the solution with carefully regulated voltage. While electropolishing works on the whole fitting, peaks and irregularities on the surface are dissolved first where the current density is highest. The resulting finish is mirror bright and shiny. More important, the irregularities seen under magnification are smoothed and cleaned. Benefits of electropolishing:
Electropolishing
is an option available for all Waukesha Cherry-Burrell fittings.
Finished EP surface quality is checked with a profilometer for
adherence to customer requirements.
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