Walter Surface Technologies is aiming to enhance business processes in a variety of industries including the machine industry. The marketplace is ore and more embrace the “The Internet of Things,” wherein facilities look toward cloud-based data collection and sophisticated analytics to assess their materials, extend the usefulness and safety of their equipment.
Walter Surface Technologies has launched its Surfox Smart Passivation Tester, a new “passivation” tool and a component of its Surfox electrochemical cleaning system that analyzes passivation levels in stainless steel. The tool includes a cloud-based app that can be managed via smartphone, which measures chemical levels to determine the degree of passivation in which the stainless steel item (e.g., in mixing tanks or drums) is currently contained.
Passivation is the process by which chemical reactions cause stainless steel to reach a more protected state where they are less vulnerable to corrosion. It occurs when the chromium contained in stainless steel comes in contact with oxygen, forming a passive chromium oxide layer that protects a stainless steel surface. Once the passivation process is completed, materials are least affected by environmental factors.
The Surfox passivation app allows machinists to capture data, which is stored via the cloud, and utilize telemetry to analyze the changing chemical levels during this passivation process. Technicians can then map the oxidation process and track the progression of the passivation state in the stainless steel item and identify if the piece has been fully passivated to avoid rust and corrosion.