FAQ-Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about stainless steel cleaning, weld cleaning, electrolyte cleaning equipment or stainless steel welding?
Then you are right here! The submenu items provide answers to many of our customers’ questions on the individual subject areas, provide tips for professional processing of your stainless steel surfaces and explain important technical terms around the topics of stainless steel and weld seam cleaning.
Cleaning welds is important for optical as well as for corrosion reasons. Due to the high heat generated during welding of stainless steel surfaces, chromium is broken down. This results in iron-containing oxides. These can not protect the surface of the unpurified weld from corrosion. The non-closed passive layer causes the surface to rust quickly.
The blue and dark brown discolorations observed during welding are iron-containing oxides. These arise during the welding process. During the cleaning process of the weld with our high-performance TIG-MAX XT®, TIG-MAX® and TIG Brush® pickling equipment, the iron oxide layer is broken up and thus the iron ions responsible for the corrosion are bound.
The iron-containing oxides produced during stainless steel welding do not result in a closed passive layer. Only a closed passive layer protects the stainless steel surface from corrosion. When cleaning the weld with our TIG-MAX XT®, TIG-MAX® and TIG Brush® stainless steel cleaning equipment, the chemical reaction of the alloying element chromium with the surrounding oxygen creates a passive layer, which results in permanent corrosion protection of the machined stainless steel surfaces.
The tempering colors are caused by the high heat development during stainless steel welding. Tarnish colors (tempering colors) are caused by the simultaneous action of heat and oxygen. These show up as colored surfaces in the area of the stainless steel weld seam.
You can safely and environmentally friendly remove these temper colors around the stainless steel weld. Simply use our TIG-MAX XT®, TIG-MAX® and TIG Brush® picklers.
In contrast, when cleaning the welds by grinding the surface and applying an aggressive pickling paste, the surface of the stainless steel is permanently destroyed. The pickling paste applied in this process, which is rinsed off after a contact time, is extremely toxic and harmful to the environment!
In stainless steel welding, chromium is broken down by the resulting high heat. It forms iron-containing oxides, which can not permanently protect the stainless steel surface from corrosion due to the non-closed passive layer. It creates rust! The corrosion protection of a welded stainless steel surface can be improved sustainably by increasing the chromium oxide content in the passive layer. The cleaning and subsequent passivation of the stainless steel weld seams with our TIG-MAX XT®, TIG-MAX® and TIG Brush® pickling units is particularly effective and environmentally friendly.
Carbon Fiber Brushes are used for professional cleaning of stainless steel welds due to their excellent physical properties. Since carbon fibers have an extremely high strength, they are particularly suitable for the treatment and cleaning of stainless steel surfaces and stainless steel welds. The very good flexibility of the carbon fiber brush also enables the accessibility of hard to reach places, such as depressions and inner corners.
When electrochemically cleaning the welds of stainless steel surfaces with our TIG-MAX XT®, TIG-MAX® or TIG Brush® pickling equipment, the pickling and passivation of the weld is done in one go. The required during the cleaning of the weld with a pickling paste, mechanical aftertreatment is not required. Long waiting times, such as mechanical cleaning with a pickling paste, are eliminated. This significantly increases productivity and reduces your labor and labor costs. The health-damaging and environmentally harmful vapors produced during mechanical cleaning do not occur during electrolyte weld cleaning. After completion of the work, the environmentally friendly cleaning solution on the treated stainless steel surface is simply removed with a suitable microfiber cloth.
When signing (also called etching), the structure on the stainless steel surface is removed by special electrolytes and applied DC voltage. As a result, for example, a matt and deep lettering on the surface can be realized.
Stainless steel (according to EN 10020) is an alloyed or unalloyed steel with a particularly high degree of purity. In a precisely defined manufacturing process, steel components such as silicon and aluminum are eliminated from the melt. Here are characteristics and components of stainless steel are well defined. A distinction is made between stainless steels according to material numbers and intended use.
By the way: Not every stainless steel is stainless! In everyday life, however, often only stainless steels are referred to as stainless steel.
You can weld stainless steel with all known methods such as TIG, MIG and MAG as well as E-welding.
Our cleaning fluids do without acids, such as nitric acid or sulfuric acid. In addition, these are still biodegradable. Due to their high biocompatibility, these products are also suitable for use in the food and beverage industry. In contrast, abrasive pastes used in mechanical weld cleaning develop aggressive, harmful to health and the environment vapors and cause severe chemical burns on skin contact. Mostly, abrasive pastes contain hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid, which requires disposal of the product and containers as “hazardous waste”.