Hybrid post-processing effects of electropolishing-assisted magnetic abrasive finishing using CNTs-Co abrasive on stainless steel 316 surface

The magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process has faced significant challenges in achieving high surface accuracy and finishing efficiency, particularly when applied to advanced materials. To address these limitations and obtain superior surface conditions, recent trends in the MAF process focus on hybridization, which incorporates chemical, electronic, and ultrasonic techniques. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of an electropolishing-assisted MAF process using carbon nanotubes and cobalt composites on the surface improvement of stainless steel (SS) 316. Based on the Taguchi orthogonal L₉(3⁴) array, a final surface roughness of 0.141 µm was achieved at a magnetic flux density of 50 mT, a voltage of 25 V, a rotational speed of 300 rpm, and a feed rate of 25 mm/min. In addition, analysis of variance indicated that magnetic flux density contributed the most to surface improvement, followed by rotational speed and voltage. In verification experiments, the optimal combination of 50 mT, 25 V, 600 rpm, and 15 mm/min led to a 32.9% reduction in surface roughness \({R}_{a}\) $R_a$ from 0.210 to 0.141 µm. Thus, it demonstrates that the proposed hybrid finishing process significantly improves the surface quality of SS316 and has potential for various industrial applications.