What are the application scenarios of chemical polishing and mechanical polishing?

The application scenarios of chemical polishing and mechanical polishing differ significantly due to their distinct process characteristics, as detailed below:

I. Typical Application Scenarios of Chemical Polishing

Complex-structured Workpieces:

Medical Devices (such as surgical instruments, implants): Require high-precision surface finish, and the structures are often irregular (such as tubes, elbows), where chemical polishing can uniformly treat inner walls and dead corners.

Food and Pharmaceutical Equipment: Stainless steel pipes, reactors, etc., which require a surface free of residues and easy to clean, chemical polishing can avoid the residual marks of mechanical polishing.

Aerospace Components: Such as titanium alloy blades, aluminum alloy shells, which need to balance lightweight and surface oxidation resistance, chemical polishing can be batch-processed without affecting material properties.

Batch Production Scenarios:

Bathroom Hardware (faucets, shower heads): Require high brightness and large batch production, chemical polishing is efficient and consistent.

Electronic Component Shells: Such as stainless steel phone frames, complex curved surfaces can achieve uniform luster through chemical polishing without the need for multiple grinding tools.

II. Typical Application Scenarios of Mechanical Polishing

1. Regular-shaped High-precision Workpieces:

Automotive Parts (pistons, cylinder inner walls): Require extremely low roughness (Ra ≤ 0.1 μm), mechanical polishing achieves mirror-like effects through step-by-step grinding.

Precision Molds (injection molds, die-casting molds): Surface accuracy directly affects product demolding quality, mechanical polishing can control texture direction (such as mirror-like, matte).

Optical Element Bases: Aluminum alloy or copper parts, which need to be installed with optical lenses, mechanical polishing ensures flatness and roughness meet standards. 

2. Surface texture customization requirements:

Decorative components (watch cases, jewelry): Specific textures (such as sunburst patterns, matte surfaces) are formed through mechanical brushing, sandblasting, and other processes, which cannot be achieved by chemical polishing.

Heat sinks for electronic devices: Aluminum profiles need to be mechanically polished to remove burrs while maintaining the regularity of the heat dissipation grooves. 

III. Summary of Application Scenarios Comparison

Chemical polishing is more suitable for:

Workpiece shape: complex curved surfaces, inner cavities, and irregularly shaped parts (such as pipe fittings, impellers)

Precision requirements: general smoothness (Ra 0.2~1μm), with priority given to uniform gloss

Production scale: large volume and low-cost demands (such as daily-use accessories)

Surface functions: anti-corrosion, easy to clean (such as medical and food equipment) 

Mechanical polishing is more applicable to:

Workpiece shapes: Planar, cylindrical and other regular shapes (such as plates, shafts)

Precision requirements: Ultra-high precision (Ra <0.1 μm), texture orientation control

Production scale: Small batch, high-precision customization (such as high-end molds, aviation parts)

Surface functions: Wear resistance, decorative texture (such as automotive trim, electronic product shells) 

The core logic is that chemical polishing wins with "efficiency and adaptability", suitable for batch processing of complex parts; mechanical polishing excels in "precision and flexibility", suitable for high-end customization of regular parts.

Tags: Chemical Polishing, Mechanical Polishing, Application Scenarios