Electropolished (EP) Tubing Standard and Application

For applications with surface finish requirements well beyond the quality realized in a standard mill finish, we maintain an inventory of electropolished stainless steel tubing in diameters ranging from 1/8” through 1”. Through submersion in an electrically charged electrolyte solution bath, a smooth uniform surface is created by dissolving imperfections. This process removes any contamination on or just below the tube’s surface and passivates it, bolstering the corrosion resistance of the steel. EP stainless steel tubing is typically used in the following applications:

• Sample lines for H2S in chemical processing
• Semiconductor fabrication
• Sanitary piping systems
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing

Certification clearliness

The pharmaceutical, petrochemical, food & beverage and semiconductor industries all have applications where fine smoothing of the tube is critical for heightened cleanliness, the removal of occluded gases or friction reduction imperatives.

Stocked in a 316/316L chemistry with a maximum hardness of RB 90, the surface finish of the tube internal surface is certified to have a maximum roughness of 10 micro-inches Ra. The governing specifications for EP tubing are ASTM A269, A632 and A1016.

In ISO Class 4 clean room conditions, each tube is purged with ultra high purity (UHP) nitrogen and then capped and double bagged. Certification qualifying the tubing’s production standards, chemical composition, material traceability and maximum surface roughness is provided for all material.