Investment Casting Passivation Services
There exists a common misconception that stainless steel will not corrode, rust or stain when the material is used in severe conditions over a prolonged period of time. Unfortunately, this is not the case. If the surface is not properly prepared, investment casting products made from stainless steel will corrode when continuously exposed to moisture and other harsh substances. Passivation should be considered as a standard preparation technique to limit and significantly lower the amount of surface damage that can occur from corrosion. This chemical processing helps to prevent the metal from rusting, cracking and propagating other issues and increases its service life. At American Casting Company we offer investment casting passivation services to treat your stainless steel parts.
How Passivation is Done?
Passivation is a two-step process:
- Cleaning: To achieve the desired results, the parts to be treated must be thoroughly cleaned using chemicals. This is done to remove foreign matters, contamination, and other residues from the part’s surface. Once the parts are cleaned, they are then inspected for residual contaminates to ensure all foreign material is removed from the parts surface.
- Treating: The cleaned parts are then immersed in an acid solution for a controlled amount of time. The acidic bath comprising of either nitric acid, or citric acid is used for the passivation purpose. The choice of the acid entirely depends on the stainless-steel grade undergoing passivation.
Once the second stage of the surface treatment is done, you will get the part free of iron compounds and other contents prone to corrosion. The treatment thus helps form a protective oxide layer on the part’s surface, and also leaves the surface smoother and cleaner.
Investment Casting Passivation Services
Passivation of stainless steel castings is done to a wide range of the parts that we produce. Our capabilities in this area include:
- The ability to treat stainless steel castings in high and low volume for improved corrosion resistance and cosmetic enhancement purposes.
Advantages of Passivation
The most obvious reason for passivation for stainless steel investment castings is the improvement of corrosion resistance. Additional advantages include:
- Attain uniform, smooth appearance and finish
- Clean the surface by removing surface contamination from contamination, heat tint that
Industries Served
The following industries utilize the advantages of our passivation services.
- Aerospace
- Agriculture
- Automotive
- Electrical
- Food Processing Equipment
- Marine
- Medical
- Pharmaceutical
At American Casting, we deliver the highest quality products, which includes passivation for stainless steel investment castings , to our customers. Call or contact us today to speak with an American Casting specialist about your next project today!