USONA Plating/Paint & Fabrication St. Louis, MO 314-680-9212
Passivation
Stainless steel parts, especially those used in aerospace, military and food industries are most often "passivated" before being used. Parts made of stainless steel are formed or machined with hardened steel (iron) tools. Microscopically, some of the iron adheres to the surface of the parts, and when these parts are put into use the iron will rust and this defeats the purpose of making parts out of stainless steel in the first place. The passivation process dissolves any free iron from the surface of stainless steel. The alloy of stainless steel is important in determining the type of solution used in processing.
