About Passivation

Passivation is a finishing process that is used to remove any surface impurities and reinforce the thin oxide layer found on many metal components. This process is critical for clients in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and other industries where cleanliness and corrosion resistance are non-negotiable.

At Cleansol, we can provide passivation services to help your stainless steel components last longer, perform better, and stay cleaner while maintaining their appearance. Discover how our expert services restore and enhance corrosion resistance, making your parts more durable and reliable.

Passivation Services

How Does Passivation Work?

While stainless steel is inherently corrosion-resistant, particles embedded during machining can weaken that protection. These impurities make the material more susceptible to rust and environmental damage. Passivation reverses that damage and restores the surface’s full protective power by making it more resistant to air, water, and chemical exposure. Importantly, the process doesn’t change the stainless steel part’s appearance or structural integrity.

Stainless steel passivation is essentially a two-step process. These include:

  1. Cleaning the Surface. This is essential for removing oils, grease, and machining debris. How extensive this step is will depend on how much needs to be removed from the surface.
  2. Acid solution recirculation. During the passivation stage of piping systems, acid solution recirculation-commonly using nitric or citric acid-is often employed. This process removes free iron and other surface contaminants, enabling stainless steel to naturally develop a passive, protective chromium oxide layer.
Benefits of Passivation Services

Benefits of Passivation Services

Passivation provides measurable value in applications requiring high performance and cleanliness from their stainless steel components:

  • Removes Surface Contamination. Unlike harsh chemical cleaners that only deliver a surface-level cleaning, passivation is a selective chemical removal of iron contaminants while leaving chromium intact.
  • Reduces the Risk of Contamination. In environments where cross-contamination could be fatal, such as pharmaceutical or food processing, cleanliness is crucial. Passivation reduces the risk of contamination by removing even trace metallic elements of impurities from stainless steel surfaces.
  • Maintains a Strong Corrosion-Resistant Layer. When done correctly, passivation can provide long-term protection to keep your components clean and rust-resistant for extended periods or between scheduled shut-downs.
  • Saves You Money and Time. Regular passivation services reduce the risk of contamination from iron oxide particles, reduced unplanned equipment failures and extends the life of components. That means fewer shutdowns, shorter maintenance windows, and better system reliability.

Passivation Services at Cleansol

At Cleansol, we serve clients in a variety of high-purity, high-performance environments who require a reliable partner to maintain their equipment’s cleanliness, reliability, and corrosion resistance. These include biotechnology, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and other industries.

We follow strict protocols to ensure that every passivation job meets or exceeds industry standards. Our stainless steel passivation services are based on ASTM A967 and ISO standards. Cleansol also offers a range of ASTM-approved tests to confirm that your parts are free of free iron and protected against corrosion, even in harsh environments. These tests include:

  • Water Immersion Test
  • High Humidity Test
  • Salt Spray Test
  • Copper Sulfate Test
  • Potassium Ferricyanide-Nitric Acid Tes
  • Damp Cloth Test
  • Boiling Water Immersion Test
  • Proprietary tests such as Koslow Passi-Flash

Contact Us to Learn More

Passivation is a simple yet powerful solution to one of the most persistent problems in industrial operations: corrosion. Choosing Cleansol for passivation can extend the life of your stainless steel components while also enhancing their performance, reducing risk, and ensuring compliance with industry standards such as ISO and ASTM A967.

Do you need passivation services for your stainless steel components? Visit our FAQ page to learn more or reach out to our team for a customized consultation.

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