Pickling, a treatment involving surface cleaning of the object

Pickling is a treatment that involves cleaning the surface layer of the object. Its purpose is to remove all impurities left by previous treatments that have left oxides, such as in forging and hot rolling processes or other high-temperature procedures.

Unlike degreasing, pickling does not dissolve oily substances but removes other types of residues.

 

Purpose

For metal pickling – one of the services Bama offers – the treatment removes the surface oxide layer and impurities from other manufacturing processes. The entire process aims to make the material suitable for subsequent phases, such as applying an anti-corrosion layer.

Pickling breaks down all iron compounds present on the object's surface, which are responsible for deterioration when in contact with the atmosphere.

The pickling treatment can be applied to various types of metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steel, copper, titanium, nickel, and zirconium, each with different resistance to oxidation. Bama performs this procedure even on stainless steel to ensure complete protection from oxidation, even on materials known for their resistance.

 

Pickling-Bama-t

Metals
that we treat

Stainless steel

Nickel Alloys

Zirconium

Carbon steel

Copper

Aluminium

Titanium

After pickling, the metal is ready to receive further treatments such as passivation. The substances used during the pickling process are mainly acids. As with degreasing, the process involves immersing the object. The substances in the tank, when in contact with the metal, activate to remove and solubilize the oxides on the surface. The process duration varies depending on the amount and type of residue to be eliminated.

Manual pickling, performed through sandblasting or brushing, is used for particularly hard oxides that are difficult to remove chemically, such as after heat treatment. Manual pickling also uses chemical gels like Bama Gel Steel Strong, Bama Geltitan Strong or Bama Carbogel Quick.

These products are used for large-sized items or at the client's site if the items cannot be transported.

Recently, Bama Technologies has introduced a new spray pickling technique, allowing the use of smaller amounts of pickling agents thanks to a spraying system that also enables recycling part of the water used in the process.

Bama
Products

Pickling

A pickling agent is a substance used during the pickling process to remove oxide residues from an object's surface.

Deoxidant

A deoxidizer is a substance with a special deep cleaning action, specifically for oxide residues.