FAQ’S

ICS’ has the following standard opening hours:
Workshop & Deliveries
Monday – Thursday 6am to 3pm
Friday 5am – 1:30pm
Saturday & Sunday are closed

Deliveries and collections may be acceptable outside of these standard operating hours if arranged in advance with our staff. If trucks arrive outside of these hours without prior notice, as much as we are customer focused and would like to assist we may not have any staff onsite to be able safely operate the overhead cranes or forklift. In this instance we unfortunately would turn away the truck.

ICS’ facilities in Forestdale include a 5 tonne and 10 tonne over head crane as well as a 3 tonne forklift.

For pickle & passivation there is no piece to small or large to treat either using our in-house bath process of our spray pickle & passivation treatment. These services are also mobile so if pieces are not practical to move or fixed onsite, ICS can come out to site to complete the treatment. On the other hand, Electropolishing stainless steel process is limited to the dimensions of the treatment bath.

The pickle & passivation bath is 12 metres long, 1.2 metres in depth and 1.5 metres wide. ICS has treated pieces up to 25 metres in length utilizing double dip procedure and spray pickling.

The electropolish bath is 6 metres long, 0.900 metres wide and 1 metre deep. Larger pieces can be treated using a double dip method and a slight demarcation line can appear where there is an overlap.

ICS only exclusively treats stainless steel so there is no risk of cross contaminating the stainless steel with carbon steel.Soft Slings are used for all crane movements to ensure the stainless steel is not scratched or damaged.

ICS can treat a range of stainless steel grades so it is usually best to confirm this with our staff. This generally includes all grades of Austentic and Duplex grades of stainless steel in both of its pickle & passivation and electropolish treatment process. It cannot bath treat the Ferretic grades of stainless steel such as 3CR12, however we can offer a chemical clean. Incorrect specification of grade has the potential to cause damage to your material using our acid treatment process as not all grades of stainless steel are compatible to the acids we use. Carbon steel and other metal alloys are not compatible with our acids either and must be clearly stipulated prior to delivery. Different grades of material welded to each other must be clearly stipulated to avoid the potential of damage as treatment times between different grades of stainless steel can vary significantly.

Stainless Steel performs its best when it is clean and free from contamination. General grease, dirt and grime are removed as part of the pre-cleaning process to ASTM A380 and ASTM A967. Electropolishing recommends these standards as a form of pretreatment. However our standard pre-cleaning and pickling treatment process will generally not remove tapes, paint pens, paint, weld spatter, glues and resins. Please advise your account manager if there are any of these contaminants to be expected on the stainless steel, as additional labour time may be required to pre-clean the material prior to treatment which may impact the cost and turn around time.

The pickling and passivation process will not remove scratches & abrasions from the surface. It also can dull the appearance of the stainless steel depending on the type of mill or abrasive finish. Normally the heat affected zones will come out a duller shade compared to the rest of the stainless steel finish but overall there should be a uniform attractive clean finish. Smutting discoloration can occur during pickling. There are many variables that cause smutting and discolouration, not all of them are identifiable by ICS as to the cause. ICS uses its best endeavours to remove smutting but is not always successful. ICS’s acceptance criteria is no heat tint on the welds (black burns which can’t be removed, paint pens & markings accepted), no grease, grime or dirt with a nice clean visual appearance.

The electropolish process is well known to reveal the imperfections in the structure of the stainless steel. Electropolishing will accentuate any welding flaws, and a non-uniform appearance indicates a high volume of inclusions or a large-grained grade of stainless steel. On occasions mechanical buffing may be required to get the result the Customer requires, but ICS does not include this service as standard as it is imprecise and varies on all pieces. ICS’s acceptance criteria for the overall finish is for the stainless steel to appear with maximum brightness, luster and reflectivity on required surfaces. The surfaces are to be free of frosting, shadows, streaks, erosion, stains, water spots and irregular patterns in the finish. Specified surfaces also to be free of pebbly, orange peel or pitted appearance.

To obtain a High Quality Electropolishing result must start with materials possessing superior electropolishing properties. If the materials supplied by our customers are very good quality along with our quality operators following our procedures throughout the ICS process should yield excellent results. Our customers should be aware that even the best efforts of our Electropolish don’t produce the desired results from time to time. A stainless steel part produced from a specific alloy or batch may possess certain inherent qualities that make it not possible to achieve the customers expected result. Pits, exposed seams, a grainy or dull luster, “patchy luster” and a generally “unfinished” look are examples of situations where the problem may be rooted in the material.

One or more of these effects can be attributed to non-metallic inclusions that trace back to hot-rolling of slabs, under- or over-pickling, excessive or undue temperature rise during cold rolling (as by too heavy a reduction per pass), under- or over-annealing, surface decarburization during annealing, excessive grinding prior to cold-rolling, burnishing action during the last stage of cold rolling, and contamination from exposure to industrial process materials, pollutants, lubricants and other materials used in manufacturing. End-grain surfaces of free-machining stainless steel grades such as Types 303 and 416 will appear “frosty” after electropolishing due to removal of the sulfide inclusions.

A uniform, fine crystal homogeneous structure produces the best electropolishing results. However, certain structural characteristics can vary in stainless steel without affecting the nominally specified properties, yet influence the electropolishing results. Examples include broken down, highly oriented structures, grain boundary precipitation of carbides, and other non-homogeneities – all of which cause a lower quality electropolished finish. – Source “delstar.com”

 To keep material clean after treatment, ICS offers the added service of pallet wrapping and packing which is included in the price. This is a very basic pallet wrapping and packing service, which includes the material being shrink wrapped, and placed on clean plastic sheeting (if required) back on the pallet. Usually any large items or spools not on a pallet will not be wrapped useless specified prior to the order. The material will be returned on the pallet or in the crate it has been receipted in. If it is not delivered on a pallet we can supply plastic pallets at a cost of approximately $130.00 each exclusive of GST if required. 

Pre Fabricated Spool Flange Caps are not supplied in this service. The Customer must supply their own flange caps and ICS staff can fit them at no cost. Alternatively, they can be sourced by ICS at an additional cost. Please advise the business development manager of any project specific packaging requirements so they can be factored into the quotation.

In general we have found our process will remove the mill printed heat identification markings (black printed ink) off spooling during treatment. Please ensure the stainless steel is presented with suitable acid compatible traceability tags and fasteners. Ideally these will either be plastic or stainless steel. Engraving directly

ICS appreciates that it’s treatment process is usually the finishing service at the end of their Customers production schedule. Customers usually have an expectation of a very quick turnaround time. ICS aspires to turn around material within 48 hours from time of receipt. However the turn around times will usually vary from the time of the quotation to the time of the placement of the order which will depend on how much work is already booked into our production schedule. It would provide for a more expeditious turnaround time if you provided as much notice prior to delivery and any specific time constraints so planning within our own production schedule can be adjusted to suit your needs.

ICS has standard operating procedures complaint to ASTM A380 and A967, ASTM B912, AS 1627.1 & AS 1627.5 relating to the treatment of stainless steel. A certificate of conformity will be supplied at the successful completion of the project.

Western Australian based customers wishing to purchase pickling products with over 1% concentration of Hydrofluoric Acid must have a Poisons Permit obtainable for the Western Australian Department of Health as per The Poisons Act 1964. 

http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Corporate/Articles/S_T/Supply-of-hydrofluoric-acid-in-Western-Australia

If you wish to collect your pickle paste (with over 1% HF) directly from ICS you will need to present your Poisons Permit prior to collection. If the product is purchased online via this website a copy will be required to be scanned and emailed prior to the release and despatch of the goods. Other states of Australia have different regulatory requirements and is subject to review and acceptance of ICS prior to releasing goods. Please consult with your local regulatory authority about the Permit Requirements.

For Customers that do not have a Poisons Permit or do not wish to obtain a permit, ICS do offer a pickle paste range that contains less than 1% HF which is available over the counter or online. Or alternatively the ICS pickle and passivation bath is Forrestdale available for use and our sales staff will be happy and available to quote the in-house treatment work.

ICS are able to a offer credit trading accounts to a select range of Customers. You may download our account application and trading Terms & Conditions here.

ICS 30 Day Credit Account Application TCs Form

Customers who use ICS on a regular basis are bound by our Trading Terms and Conditions found on the link here below.  

ICS Terms & Conditions

For smaller one off transactions ICS are unlikely to be able to provide a credit trading account but instead offer the convenience of an upfront payment processed via our online secure Eway Credit Card Portal in the “Pay My Account” link on our website. Customers can also EFT funds directly.

ICS is now able to offer their Customers the convenience of paying invoices using a credit card via our secure Eway payment system. Kindly note that a Credit Card Processing Fee of 2.6% will apply on payments over $1000.00.