Stainless Steel Polishing Guide

What is stainless steel?
Stainless steel is a commonly used metal. It is based on no rust and corrosion resistance as the main characteristic. The chromium content needs≥10.5%, and the carbon content needs ≤1.2%.

Which industries is stainless steel suitable for?
Stainless steel can be used in aviation, automotive, construction, biotechnology, chemical industry, metallurgy, food and pharmaceutical, kitchen and bath, medical equipment, decorations and packaging.

Why should stainless steel be polished?
After stainless steel products are used, the product’s surface will cause scratches and passivation, and the surface will lose lustre and smoothness. To restore its brightness and make it look like a mirror, we need to polish its surface from time to time. Regular polishing maintenance can reduce the risk of oxidative corrosion of stainless steel products, eliminate the risk of pollution (cracks or gaps in the product will accumulate dust and bacteria), and improve the service life and performance of stainless steel parts.

There are seven commonly used stainless steel polishing methods:
1. Mechanical polishing
2. Chemical polishing
3. Electropolishing
4. Ultrasonic polishing
5. Fluid polishing
6. Magnetic polishing
7. Chemical mechanical polishing

Here, we are only studying the mechanical polishing.

What is mechanical polishing?
Mechanical polishing is a processing method. It depends on the very fine abrasives to grind and roll the surface to remove an extremely thin layer from the workpiece, reduce the surface roughness and smooth the surface. The polishing process can be done purely by hand, or with the help of some power tools or machines to improve the polishing efficiency. Here, we only introduce the use of power tools for polishing.

The principle of polishing:
When polishing, the polishing wheel rotates at high speed, and the workpiece friction with the polishing wheel produces a high temperature, which improves the metal plasticity of the workpiece. Under the action of polishing force, the metal surface produces a plastic ridge shape, the raised part is pressed into and flows and the concave place is filled, so that the fine uneven surface is further improved.

Process features:
Polishing can not improve the dimensional accuracy or geometric accuracy of the workpiece, but to obtain a smooth surface or mirror lustre for the purpose, and sometimes also used to eliminate lustre.

Scope of application:
Polishing is often used to enhance the appearance, prevent contamination, remove oxidation, create a reflective surface, prevent corrosion and increase the degree of cleanliness of stainless steel.

Tools and equipment for stainless steel polishing:
Power tools: bench grinder, angle grinder, drills, belt sander, die grinder
Other accessories: sanding belt, sandpaper, sisal buffing wheel, non-woven polishing wheel, airway buffing wheel, colour stitched cotton buffing wheel, denim buffing pad, white cotton buffing wheel, flannel buffing wheel, felt bobs, felt wheel, polishing compound, microfibre cloth, etc.

Polishing steps:
Polishing can be divided into the following steps, each step use different tools to achieve the purpose. The polishing process must be carried out in sequence, and after the effect of each step is achieved, then do the next step.
1-Grinding: The purpose of this step is to remove burrs, large scratches, rust, oil and repair the defects. This step can use sanding belt, sandpaper, grinding wheel, abrasive stone, mounted grinding wheel and sandpaper roll, etc.
2-Rough polishing: The purpose of this step is to remove small scratches, dents, color differences and flat the workpiece. This step can use blue airway buffing wheel, non-woven polishing wheel, sisal buffing wheel, grey polishing compound and black polishing compound.
3-Medium polishing: The purpose of this step is to smooth and shine the surface. This step can use yellow airway buffing wheel, colour stitched cotton buffing wheel, denim buffing pad and green polishing compound.
4-Fine polishing: The purpose of this step is to continue to improve the surface brightness until up to the mirror. This step can use white airway buffing wheel, white cotton buffing wheel, felt wheel and white polishing compound.
5-Superpolishing: The purpose of this step is to achieve a high-gloss surface that can reflect the light of the object. This step can use flannel buffing wheel and white polishing compound.

Polishing techniques:
The use of polishing compound should be small and many times, and it should not over-polish a certain position.
After each step is completed, it is necessary to deep clean with a microfiber towel before proceeding to the next step.
Repeat the polishing process until the polishing purpose of the step is achieved.

Notes of polishing:
1 Clean the surface of the workpiece first to remove any dirt and grease. You can use a mild cleaner and a soft towel to complete this step.
2 Take good personal protection, wear gloves and goggles to ensure safe operation.
3 After finishing polishing, wipe off the remaining polishing compound with a clean towel and clean the workpiece.

What services do we offer in stainless steel polishing?
We provide all kinds of polishing materials for polishing stainless steel, such as airway buffing wheels, non-woven polishing wheels, sandpaper products, sisal buffing wheels, colour-stitched cotton buffing wheels, denim buffing pads, white cotton buffing wheel, flannel buffing wheel, felt wheel and stainless steel polishing compound.

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