Rodger Industries offers Biopharmaceutical (BPE) fittings with an enhanced electropolished (EP) surface finish range that is exceptionally clean and smooth.Electropolishing dissolves surface contaminants that are difficult to remove through mechanical polishing. Surface contaminants such as free iron are removed, leaving the surface with a higher concentration of Chromium. Additionally, electropolishing lowers the surface roughness average (Ra.) by smoothing out the micro peaks and valleys as illustrated below.
What is electropolishing?
Electropolishing is a finishing process that precisely removes a thin layer of material and contaminants from a metal surface by use of a combination of chemical solution and electrical current. The EP process is often referred to as reverse electro-plating.
Advantages of electropolishing:
- Improves Corrosion Resistance
- Dissolves embedded surface contaminants, such as free iron and other particles
- Smooth surfaces improve sanitation control, reducing risk of bacteria and other pathogens residing in piping system
- Can remove weld discolouration
- Finished parts are micro-smooth with lasting bright finish
Mechanically polished surfaces are widely accepted in many biopharmaceutical processing applications, however; electropolished surfaces are of particular interest to this sector because of the improved performance benefits listed above. Within the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) BPE standard there are three electropolished surface designations: SF4, SF5 and SF6, which you will find more information on in the chart below.
For high purity fittings with superior surface hygiene, please contact us with your EP fitting requirements. In addition to common BPE fittings listed within the ASME BPE standard, we invite you to reach out to us with custom fitting requirements that necessitate improved surface finishes through the electropolishing process.
Please contact a member of our sales team by calling +1-519-676-3244 or emailing info@rodgerindustries.com
For More information on our BPE fittings click here.
Glossary of Terms:
Ra.: Roughness Average of a surface is an algorithm that determines the average length between all the peaks and valleys across a sample measured.
BPE – Biopharmaceutical Processing Equipment
Technical information contained within this article is provided as general industry information and should not be relied upon to make definitive calculations or decisions for process engineering related projects. Users should always consult a materials specialist, engineer or industry expert.