New England Electropolishing

New England Electropolishing is one of the few metal finishers in the U.S. to concentrate exclusively on precision stainless steel electropolishing. Electropolishing is an electrochemical process sometimes referred to as “reverse plating,” which removes material at a controlled rate to help restore the natural corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Electropolishing also improves the surface finish of parts, enhances aesthetics, and makes products easier to clean and sterilize.

Electropolishing has become a critical step in the manufacturing process for the medical field, aerospace, food manufacturing, semi-conductors, scientific laboratories and other industries that demand a tight tolerance on parts.

New England Electropolishing takes pride in their ability to turn parts around quickly. Since electropolishing is often one of the last stops in the manufacturing process, manufacturers need their parts in a timely and efficient manner. New England Electropolishing has a large capacity facility with a reliable staff of about 35 employees to ensure quick and consistent turnaround times for their customers.

“Most of our clients are behind schedule before their parts even hit our loading docks. Because of our capacity, expertise and flexibility, we can turn parts around in 24 hours without any sacrifice to our high-quality standards,” says Luke Almeida, VP of Business Development

Manufacturers don’t just need a quick turnaround time, however, they need reliable and repeatable quality control as well. That is where New England Electropolishing really shines. They employ highly controlled processes that ensure material removal is precise and repeatable every time. The key to their consistency and reliability stems from their longstanding operations manager, Imad Jaber, and quality control manager, Erica Bert.

“Electropolishing is a science and art,” says Jaber. “By combining both we are able to meet exact finishing requirements, whether you need one part or 100,000.”

New England Electropolishing is one of the few metal finishers concentrating exclusively on stainless steel, and because their electropolishing lines and processes are validated by third party audits from organizations like ISO and ASTM, New England Electropolishing has become a leader in medical device electropolishing.

The company made an early commitment to having its process registered to third party certified Quality System. The management team at the time worked hard to earn the certification and in 1996 became one of the first metal finishers in the U,S. to achieve ISO 9001 registration. The company is now ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified, and it holds a number of other certifications as well.

“We have validated lines which are required by our medical customers, so we put ourselves through validation studies. It is a significant point of pride for our company, so much so we keep the original certificate as a reminder of the achievement,” says CEO Amy Prigmore.

Another defining characteristic of New England Electropolishing is their strong commitment to customer service. At NEE, you can always get an owner or manager on the phone. They honor their commitments, and quotes are handled and processed in under 24 hours. In 2020, the company took its commitment even further and developed the “Customer Support Squad” which comprises a team whose job is to ensure a smooth experience from your first call to the delivery of your product.

“New England Electropolishing is built on responsiveness, a commitment to customer satisfaction, and respect for all of our hardworking employees,” Amy says. “These are the values our father instilled in our family, and these are the values our team works to honor.”

Lauri, of High Purity Piping Company concurs. “Doing business with New England Electropolishing is easy,” she says. “They always provide quick turn around on quote requests and work very hard to meet our delivery requirements once an order is placed. NEE is very accommodating to special requests. Our relationship with New England Electropolishing is a key component to our continued success in meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations.”

One thing that strikes us about New England Electropolishing here at the Gateway is the care they put into their website. Along with videos they have a blog that gives further insight into their industry and operative processes. As an example, here’s an example:

There are many variables involved in the electropolishing process such as time, amperage, bath temperature, bath chemistry, and specific gravity. New England Electropolishing has tightly controlled processes for thousands of parts that yield consistent repeatable results on each order.

Removal rates are generally very consistent assuming parts have the same starting thickness. Edges and radius generally have slightly more material removal as they are higher current areas. This is often a plus as burrs and high points will be brought down and removed. Additionally, the surface roughness of parts (Ra, RMS) will be reduced as more material is removed. On average, the surface roughness of parts can be reduced between 25-35% assuming a moderate amount of material removal.

Many of the parts we electropolish for the medical industry have strict tolerances. These are often critical components to a device where form, fit and function are essential. In these instances, NEE will measure parts before and during processing to ensure product consistency. Records are kept with each job order. Additionally, we can share removal data with our customers to maintain transparency and confirm results.

NEE often develops electropolishing processes for customers through product sampling. We often will provide customers with multiple groups of samples with different removal rates. Once we receive positive feedback, the electropolishing process will be locked in our ERP system for future orders.

Visit www.neelectropolishing.com/blog for further reading!