Beautiful stainless steel surfaces that reflect like mirrors. Did you know that this beauty is not a natural feature of the material but is artificially created? Generally, the surfaces of stainless steel containers are polished to a shine by hand using a polishing method called “buff polishing.”
What You Can Learn from This Article:
- What is buff polishing and its effects?
- The disadvantages of buff polishing.
- “Electrolytic polishing,” recommended for those who are particular about even the slightest dirt.
What is buff polishing?
Buff polishing is a method used to finish the surface of stainless steel. “Buff” refers to the tool used for polishing stainless steel surfaces. A “buff” made of cotton or felt is rotated and applied to the surface of stainless steel to polish it.
There are various types of buff polishing, typically distinguished by numbers such as “# xxxx.” Generally, the higher the number, the shinier the polished surface becomes, indicating a higher grade. Buff polishing with #800 is called mirror finishing, creating a mirror-like reflection.
Buff polishing also has the effect of removing burrs and scratches that may occur during processing, as well as improving surface smoothness. However, MONOVATE’s Steel Industry only performs the minimum necessary buff polishing on their products. This is because of their commitment as a stainless steel tank manufacturer with ongoing ties to the pharmaceutical and food industries.
A Strong Stainless Steel Container and Unit Manufacturer in the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries
Stainless steel containers are highly valued in places that abhor contamination. Among the numerous stainless steel product manufacturers, MONOVATE can provide high-grade stainless steel containers through the use of high-quality materials and surface treatments. Their strength lies in their extensive track record, as they are well aware of the quality demanded in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
For details on the strengths of our products, please see “Characteristics of MONOVATE’s Stainless Steel Containers.“
Disadvantages of Buff Polishing and MONOVATE’s Commitment
While we explained that buff polishing is a process of polishing the surface of stainless steel, it does not make the surface completely smooth. In reality, by applying a buff, very fine scratches are made on the surface to create shine.
During buff polishing, a polishing compound similar to abrasive powder is applied to the rotating buff. However, in the gaps of the fine scratches created by buff polishing, oil from this polishing compound adheres. Although MONOVATE performs cleaning after buff polishing, honestly speaking, completely removing the dirt during the cleaning process is challenging.
In other words, buff polishing, which is supposed to make the surface clean, actually tends to make it dirtier.
Therefore, MONOVATE selects high-quality stainless steel materials for the container’s base material and performs buff polishing only on the areas necessary to remove processing marks, minimizing buff polishing as much as possible. With years of experience, they create the unique quality of MONOVATE by performing polishing based on their understanding of customers’ usage and quality requirements.
Electrolytic Polishing Is Also Recommended!
Of course, there are many customers who are concerned about even the slightest dirt inside the container. In such cases, we recommend the higher-grade “electrolytic polishing.”
Electropolishing”, which is highly effective in cleaning and also improves corrosion resistance.
Electrolytic polishing removes even the smallest dirt on the container’s surface. By achieving a smooth surface, it becomes less likely for substances like dirt to adhere, making cleaning easier. For information on the effects and methods of electrolytic polishing, please refer to “Highest-Grade Electrolytic Polishing.”
Translation by GPT.