High-volume manufacturers are occasionally tempted to explore in-house electropolishing services in hopes of shortening their lead time or reducing shipping costs, but the reality is often unexpectedly risky and expensive.
From regulatory requirements to safety hazards, there is no shortage of unforgiving obstacles that can undermine efforts to establish in-house electropolishing capabilities.
Aside from the skill and experience required for reliable results, there are numerous risks and expenses associated with such an undertaking.
Calculating the Costs of In-House Electropolishing
The true cost of providing and maintaining in-house electropolishing capabilities often exceeds expectations, including staffing requirements, the physical space required, and ongoing maintenance and training, among a long list of collateral expenses.
There is also a cost associated with rework and scrap material generated when team members perform electropolishing without the deep expertise of an outsourced provider.
At a minimum, an in-house electropolishing operation requires:
- a supervisor
- operators
- maintenance staff
- inspection & quality control specialists
- packaging personnel
- environmental consultants
Establishing in-house electropolishing also requires establishing degreasing and pre-cleaning capabilities, since electropolished parts must be free of oil and other contaminants prior to electropolishing.
Training and compliance demands include OSHA-mandated safety training and resources to ensure compliance with state and local environmental audits and reporting requirements.
In addition to the tanks, rectifiers, electrical equipment, rinse lines, and water treatment system required, electropolishing requires chemicals subject to regulated disposal processes.
In short, the investment in both time and money can be much steeper than anticipated. The downside does not end with the expenses, however.
The Drawbacks of In-House Electropolishing
In-house electropolishing operations risk supply chain interruptions that can disrupt the availability of needed chemicals and wreak havoc on lead times. Materials for tooling and rack-making can also be affected by supply chain constraints.
Labor shortages also plague in-house operations, leading to a deficit of expertise, the risk of noncompliance, and inefficiency from constantly training new employees.
The quality of electropolishing can also be affected by in-house limitations. Whereas outsourced electropolishing services can provide a customized approach, including multiple electrolytes, custom racking for small or complex parts, and the ability to process a wide array of both common and specialty alloys, in-house operations are more narrowly focused and may still require outsourced support for complex or specialty solutions.
The Benefits of Using an Outsourced Electropolishing Specialist
Outsourced electropolishing enables manufacturers to leverage deep expertise and broad capabilities to ensure the highest-quality finish on precision metal parts. Experienced electropolishers can provide highly precise and consistent results across a wide array of alloys and part types.
Outsourced electropolishing specialists also provide access to additional services as needed, including nitric and citric passivation, vapor degreasing, sophisticated testing and analysis, and bulk electropolishing processes for more efficient finishing of small parts such as fasteners, springs, pins, rivets, and wire forms.