Metal Polishing Engineers at Southern Manufacturing

For more than 30 years, Metal Polishing Engineers has specialised in stainless steel processing and finishing. Services provided by the firm in Mid Glamorgan in its modern, 10,000 sq ft factory include electropolishing, pickling, passivation, mechanical polishing, bead blasting and on-site cleaning and installation of handrail systems. Most recently, the company has developed a specific and innovative electrolytic process to metallurgically enhance the stainless steel material used to manufacture surgical instruments.

Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that is the reverse of electroplating. It imparts a high level of corrosion resistance to stainless steel components and renders them hygienically pure, but the most noticeable benefit is a bright, decorative appearance. Pickling is a surface treatment for removing scaling, thermal oxides, impurities and contaminants. The process is carried out by immersion in a pickling solution for a calculated time, based on surface area and material specification. Passivation, on the other hand, is a process after machining and fabrication to maximise corrosion resistance. It is carried out by the dissolution of surface iron compounds using an acid solution, most commonly nitric acid, creating a spontaneous passive film on the surface.