Electro-PlatinG,Inc.

Passivation is the generic term for removing the presence of metallic (free) iron from the surface of stainless steel products. During handling and processing operations such as forming, machining and tumbling, particles of iron and tool steel can be embedded or smeared on the surface of the stainless. If allowed to remain, these free iron particles will corrode and show as rust spots.

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During the passivation process, any iron contaminating the surface of the stainless steel is removed and the protective oxide film is reformed to protect the surface of the stainless.  Passivation does not deposit anything on the surface of the stainless, thus the dimensions of the part are unchanged after the process has been completed.

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Electro-Plating, Inc. uses nitric acid based stainless steel passivation.  Nitric acid is the traditional passivation method and is commonly called out in most industry specifications.