ASTM A380 Passivation Standard for Stainless Steel
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) develops and maintains high standards for metal passivation services. Able Electropolishing meets, among others, the ASTM A380 passivation standard published by this organization. This set of standards specifies the industry’s best practices for cleaning, descaling and passivating stainless steel—services that Able has provided for manufacturers worldwide for years.
What is ASTM A380 Passivation?
The ASTM A380 passivation standard covers various operations in cleaning, descaling and passivating. Stainless steel parts that undergo these processes may require a variety of treatments, including precleaning, chemical descaling, degreasing and more, all of which can be accomplished different ways.
ASTM A380 allows for different types of operations, so long as they are performed to industry standards and create the required finish. This standard specifies different methods for testing the quality of the finish, including wipe tests, high-humidity tests, free iron tests, atomizer tests and more.
Electropolishing vs. Passivation
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Electropolishing Before & After Example
Passivation is useful for removing free iron and contaminants from stainless steel and for applications where maintaining part dimensions and physical properties is critical.
When a higher level of corrosion resistance and the removal of surface defects like burrs and microcracks is needed, electropolishing can be a better option.
Electropolishing removes a microscopically precise layer of surface material, controlling removal as close as +/-.0001″, depending on the alloy. This degree of precision and consistency, along with the ability to remove a variety of surface imperfections in one process, is why electropolishing is so often specified for critical parts used in the medical field, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Electropolishing is a one-stop process for a micro-smooth, ultraclean, corrosion and pathogen-resistant surface finish – with 30 times more corrosion resistance than passivation.
Electropolishing often times can eliminate the need for additional metal finishing processes like hand deburring, tumbling, pickling, and cleaning. Learn more about passivation vs. electropolishing.
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