RathGibson Increases Polishing Capabilities with 12-head Polisher

Thanks to their newly installed 12-head mechanical polisher, RathGibson (Lincolnshire, IL) now offers ultra-fine OD finishes for their finest precision engineered welded, welded and drawn, and seamless tubing. ?The new polisher, manufactured by Loeser GmbH (Arzberg, Germany), makes us well positioned to meet our customers? polishing needs,? said Dave O?Donnell, director of process and product development.

Expanding their polishing capabilities to meet customer requirements is an example of the manufacturer?s commitment to providing the finest service in the tubing industry. ?We have established high internal standards to meet and exceed applicable regulations,? said Mr. O?Donnell. ?The challenges of customer specifications are also a priority to us. The new polisher allows us to meet even more polishing requirements for our customers throughout the world.? Polished tubing may be used in the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical, power generation, and solar industries.

In addition to the 12-head mechanical polisher, the Janesville facility also employs an 8-head mechanical polisher. Before a tube enters a mechanical polisher, the ends are plugged to protect the tubing interior. As the tube travels through the polisher, it is covered with lubricant and abrasively polished at each head. After exiting the polisher, tubing is rinsed and air blows off any residuals before visual inspection, vinyl capping of the ends, line marking for complete traceability, and heat sealing in a poly-sleeve. While the 8-head mechanical polisher produces a 30 micron-in Ra (0.8 micron-m) OD maximum Ra surface roughness, the new 12-head mechanical polisher achieves less than 10 micron-in Ra (0.25 micron-m) OD Ra surface roughness.

The proprietary electropolishing process attains 10 micron-in Ra (0.25 micron-m) ID maximum and 15 micron-in Ra (0.4 micron-m) ID maximum finishes. By electro-chemically polishing or removing metal, the plant achieves an interior surface that has minimal crevices to greatly decrease the chances for microbial contamination

The Electropolishing Center at Janesville utilizes a state-of-the-art deionized (DI) high purity water system, as well as an ISO 14644-1 Class 5 cleanroom. After the tube?s interior is electropolished, it is nitrogen purged, end capped, and bagged in a 6-mil poly sleeve.

RathGibson is a worldwide manufacturer of highly engineered stainless steel, nickel, and titanium tubing for diverse industries such as chemical, petrochemical, power generation, oil and gas, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical, biotechnology, and general commercial.