Imagineering Finishing Technologies Adds Stainless Steel Passivation

Imagineering Finishing Technologies has added an expanded stainless steel passivation line at its South Bend, Indiana location. The facility also is registered to ISO-9001, AS9100, IATF16949 and Nadcap certified for chemical processing and non-destructive testing.

Andrew McDonald, director of marketing and business intelligence, says the new line will allow the company to better serve its customers by increasing both the physical size and volume of parts it can process, while allowing it to maintain quality standards and short lead times.

“The increase in capacity was made necessary by the increasing demand for passivation services from a number of industries, including aerospace, medical devices, and food and beverage,” McDonald says.

The passivation process removes free-iron contamination left behind on the surface of the stainless steel as a result of machining and fabricating processes. If not removed, these contaminants can result in premature corrosion and ultimately in deterioration of the component. In addition, the passivation process facilitates the formation of a very thin, transparent oxide film that protects the stainless steel from selective oxidation, or corrosion.

Imagineering Finishing Technologies was founded in 1959 by David Huber, a Notre Dame School of Metallurgical Science graduate who developed boutique coatings for aerospace and automotive application during his career and consulted with many Fortune 1000 industrial firms. He sold his business to the current president/CEO, Jim Hammer, in 1996. The shop specializes in electroless nickel, phosphates, chromate conversion, dry-film lubricants and specialty paints. Visit iftworldwide.com.