×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Stainless Steel as reflector in electonics.
3

Stainless Steel as reflector in electonics.

Stainless Steel as reflector in electonics.

(OP)
I'm designing a cover (100 mm dia, 25 mm tall) that will fit over some heated fiber optics that we want to keep at 65 C (-5 C ambient). I'm thinking of making it out of stainless steel (303?) because it has a low enough thermal conductivity and its emissivity is low enough.    The electonics equipment is not in any chemically harsh environment, just telecommunications, where there may be some humidity.
Do I need to passivate the surface to keep it from dulling over time?

Thanks for any help.

RE: Stainless Steel as reflector in electonics.

2
303 SS will dull over time.
If the project will afford it, ideally I would use 316 SS polished and if possible passivated with HNO3.  If just polished with a polish such as Semichrome it will last quite a long time and the surface can easily be renewed
The starting material should have a good finish.

You can get the polish locally or at the website below.  It is also very good on aluminum

www.winterbrookefarm.com

If this is large project come back with size and quantities as there are some other avenues of approach to your problem

RE: Stainless Steel as reflector in electonics.

How about electropolishing it.  I passivate stainless to remove the carbon from the surface to prevent rusting.  Not sure but I'd talk to a plating shop they should be able to help.

RE: Stainless Steel as reflector in electonics.

(OP)
unclesyd and scooter911,

Thanks for you feedback and advice!  I think I'll have the parts passivated or electropolished.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources