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Surface Quality – Standards – "Mirror Polish"...

Although it may seem straightforward, selecting and specifying the appropriate surface quality is far from simple. This article is intended to help you make the right choice.

• First of all, I would like to mention the frequently used term "mirror polish". On its own, it is not suitable for specifying a surface finish, because even within the range of finishes that may be described as "mirror polished", the cost can differ by as much as 60–80%, depending on the application.

The quality of polished surfaces can differ by orders of magnitude between industries (such as automotive, packaging or electronics), and even within the same industry. For example, an average household appliance and a premium product may require completely different types of surface finish, even if the components perform exactly the same function. For this reason, the primary consideration is always understanding the customer's requirements, which in most cases are strongly influenced by the available budget.

• If
• the required surface finish has not been clearly specified by the customer, or if the requested finish does not appear to be the most suitable choice for the intended application, please feel free to contact me. For the surfaces I produce, I am always happy to assist in selecting the surface quality best suited to the product.
• Free sample cards are also available, allowing different surface finishes to be viewed, handled and compared in person.

• Standards
• are not always straightforward either, partly because several different standards are in use, and partly because their interpretation is not always entirely consistent.
• Personally, I prefer specifying surface finishes either by the abrasive grain size (diamond compounds, polishing stones, abrasive papers, etc.) or by the Ra/Rz roughness parameters, as these can be defined and measured relatively unambiguously.
• Even then, however, it is often necessary to refine the specification according to the characteristics and intended function of the product.
• A single diamond compound grade is capable of producing more than one type of surface finish. For example, a product may need to appear bright and glossy without requiring a scratch-free surface under magnification. In other cases, a perfectly uniform and precisely specified surface roughness may be required, where gloss is of secondary importance. Quite often, both characteristics are equally important.
• For these reasons, it is always worthwhile discussing the available options individually. The range of possible solutions is virtually unlimited, and this is the best way to achieve the optimum balance between performance and cost.