I am wondering if openbuilds provides any material maintenance guidance. You provide parts made of aluminum, low carbon steel, zinc, stainless steel,etc.. I am not a material expert but will contact (maybe friction, pressure..) of any combination of these materials cause corrosion over time? If so - is there a spray I can apply to improve resistance?
Depends on how much time we're talking. A few decades may not agree with threaded aluminum holes with steel screws. Other than that everything is noninteractive. Are there any areas you are thinking of in particular?
I don't know Joe, but steel screws in aluminum should not be a problem even when they are outdoors. Think about engines of motorcycles and you know what I'm talking about. But indeed, I agree with you that there isn't much of a problem, after all they are "hobby" parts. Anyway, my comment for the OP: Why should they pass the ISO21608 testing? This would only drive the price up. Most production processes and finishing have been tested and can be found on the internet, but this is still not a guarantee on OpenBuilds parts; the black-oxide screws do tend to get some surface rust when used outside, sure this depends on how close you are to the sea/ocean . Another example is the Delrin and Polycarbonate wheels; they are not really made to receive UV light, still they are used in the Farm-Bot. We at OpenBuilds Mexico started to add hardness of the screws to our webpage (we got them from a standard hardness of screws/bolts/nuts table) and I saw them on the OpenBuilds Part Store as well, but not oxidation resistance for example. Just my 0.02 , -Ronald
I was thinking of the steel screws on aluminum as well. I have them all over the place. Should be easy enough to replace when they wear out.