Several Common Polishing Methods for Stainless Steel

1. Mechanical polishing

Its advantages are good flatness and high brightness of the processed parts. Its defects are high labor intensity, severe pollution, and the inability to process complex parts. Moreover, its luster cannot be consistent, and its maintenance time is not long, resulting in stuffiness and rusting. Comparatively suitable for processing simple parts, medium and small products.

Mechanical polishing is a polishing method that obtains a smooth surface by removing the convex parts after polishing through cutting and plastic deformation of the material surface. It generally uses oilstone strips, wool wheels, sandpaper, etc., and is mainly manually operated. For special parts such as the surface of a rotating body, auxiliary tools such as a turntable can be used. For high surface quality requirements, ultra precision polishing can be used. Ultra precision polishing is a specially designed grinding tool that is tightly pressed onto the surface of the workpiece in a polishing fluid containing abrasive, performing high-speed rotational motion. By utilizing this technology, Ra0.008 can be achieved μ The surface roughness of m is the highest among various polishing methods. Optical lens molds often use this method.

2. Chemical polishing

Its advantages include low investment in processing equipment, the ability to dispose of bulky and miscellaneous parts, fast speed, high efficiency, and good corrosion resistance. Its drawback is poor brightness, gas leakage, the need for ventilation equipment, and difficulty in heating. Suitable for processing small batches of miscellaneous parts and products with low brightness requirements for small parts.

Chemical polishing is the process of preferentially dissolving the convex and concave parts on the surface of a material in a chemical medium, resulting in a smooth surface. The important advantage of this method is that it does not require complex equipment and can polish workpieces with complex shapes. It can simultaneously polish many workpieces with high efficiency. The core issue of chemical polishing is the preparation of polishing solution. The surface roughness obtained by chemical polishing is generally in the order of 10 μ M.

3. Electrolytic polishing

Its strengths include long maintenance of mirror gloss, stable craftsmanship, low pollution, low cost, and good corrosion resistance. Its shortcomings are high pollution prevention, large one-time investment in processing equipment, the need for tooling and auxiliary electrodes for miscellaneous parts, and the need for cooling equipment for mass production. Suitable for mass production, important for high-end products, export products, and products with tolerances. Its processing technology is stable and the operation is relatively simple.

The fundamental principle of electrolytic polishing is similar to chemical polishing, which relies on selectively dissolving the small protruding parts of the material surface to make the surface smooth. Compared with chemical polishing, it can eliminate the influence of cathode reflection and has a better effect.

The electrochemical polishing process is divided into two steps:

(1) Macroscopic leveling results in the dispersion of dissolved products into the electrolyte, resulting in a decrease in the geometric roughness of the material surface, with Ra>1 μ M.

(2) Low light level flat anodic polarization, improved surface brightness, Ra<1 μ M.

4. Ultrasonic polishing

Place the workpiece in an abrasive suspension and place it together in an ultrasonic field, relying on the oscillation effect of the ultrasonic wave to grind and polish the abrasive on the surface of the workpiece. Ultrasonic machining has low macroscopic force and will not cause deformation of the workpiece, but the production and installation of tooling are relatively difficult.

Ultrasonic processing can be combined with chemical or electrochemical methods. On the basis of solution corrosion and electrolysis, ultrasonic vibration is applied to stir the solution to separate the dissolved products on the surface of the workpiece, and the corrosion or electrolyte near the surface is evenly distributed; The cavitation effect of ultrasound in liquids can also suppress the corrosion process, which is beneficial for the appearance to be bright.

5. Fluid polishing

Fluid polishing relies on the high-speed flow of liquid and its carried abrasive particles to wash the surface of the workpiece to achieve the polishing goal. Commonly used methods include abrasive radiation processing, liquid radiation processing, fluid dynamic grinding, etc. Hydrodynamic grinding is driven by hydraulic pressure, which causes the liquid medium carrying abrasive particles to flow back and forth through the surface of the workpiece at high speed.

The medium is made of special compounds (polymer like substances) with good flowability at lower pressures and mixed with abrasives, which can be silicon carbide powder.

6. Magnetic abrasive polishing

Magnetic abrasive polishing is the use of magnetic abrasives to form abrasive brushes under the action of a magnetic field to grind and process workpieces. This method has high processing efficiency, good quality, easy control of processing conditions, and good working conditions.

Dongguan Fuding Metal Co., Ltd. specializes in stainless steel polishing, aluminum parts polishing, mirror polishing, wire drawing polishing, zinc alloy polishing, hardware polishing, and more.

Since starting our business, we have accumulated rich experience in hardware polishing and stainless steel polishing services for customers in the fields of automotive hardware parts polishing, aluminum profile parts processing, sports equipment polishing, medical equipment polishing, electronic hardware polishing, hardware parts polishing, license plate frame polishing, bathroom hardware accessories polishing, motorcycle parts polishing, and metal bending molding. We operate efficiently until the final delivery and service, Always prioritize customer satisfaction as the highest goal.

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