So you’ve already designed your custom profile or have chosen a standard die to create your aluminum products, but you haven’t even started thinking about finishing. Custom aluminum coating solutions can be used to enhance your parts and products in a number of different ways. Even if you have decided to address certain issues, such as working to prevent corrosion through design, there are still other things you can do to make improvements. Whether you decide to focus on anodizing aluminum or if you want to explore painting aluminum products, there are lots of ways to protect and add features to your designs with finishing solutions.
What is Surface Finishing?
In the simplest of terms, surface finishing is a process that is used to change the surface of a part or product in order to achieve a desired result. While some manufacturers send out the parts and products that they create for their clients to a third-party for finishing, Silver City Aluminum believes that the best results come when everything is done in-house. We are able to monitor every step of the process from the initial design phase all the way through finishing and shipping. This helps to provide higher quality results and decreases lead time considerably.
Some of the different types of finishing used in industrial manufacturing include:
- painting
- powder coating
- anodizing
In addition, secondary operations that are included with various finishings can include:
- deburring
- vibratory deburring
- tumble deburring
- roughing or grinding
What to Expect from Painting Services
Choose from an unlimited array of colors for your parts and products at Silver City Aluminum. Our paint line runs nearly non-stop, as we strive to achieve perfection in all of the painting services that we provide. Consistent color application and top-rated adhesion are required to meet the standards of our clients and the industries that they serve. We can paint materials up to twenty feet in length. While some clients opt to paint their own products to save money, the results that you will get from our four-stage pre-wash system and polycron application are unmatched by anything you could do yourself.
The four-stage pre-wash system includes the following stages:
- etching
- clean wash
- neutralizing wash
- standard pre-wash
This process helps to guarantee proper adhesion when painting aluminum products. While it is recommended to properly engineer your extrusion dies when creating custom solutions to prevent corrosion through design, painting and other custom aluminum coating solutions can help protect the metal even further. Our vertical electrostatic polycron application is done after the pre-wash process to provide nice and even results. Once they are painted, the parts are cured through a baking process in a custom oven for the final finishing touch.
What to Expect from Powder-Coating Services
Sometimes custom aluminum coating solutions are added to provide a protective coating from things like corrosion or damage due to weather conditions. Other times, the coatings are for aesthetic reasons. Powder-coating solutions can be used to add a texture to the finished products, as well as color and protection. We work with several different powder coaters to provide our customers with their desired look and finish. Doing all of this work in-house helps us to reduce costs and increase lead time. However, the lead time will depend on the part that is being finished and on the different types of powder-coating that is being used.
What to Expect from Anodizing Services
Another popular type of finishing is anodizing aluminum. Compare to other types of custom aluminum coating solutions, anodizing aluminum involves the process of dyeing short or long pieces that are applied after fabrication is complete. Choices include clear or black anodizing, as well as multi-color anodizing aluminum options, as well as custom anodizing. All of these finishing solutions can be used to help prevent corrosion through design and to provide aesthetic value to the finished piece.
Create Custom Aluminum Products at Silver City Aluminum
If you would like to learn more about all of the options available for custom aluminum coating solutions at Silver City Aluminum, give us a call at 508-824-8631. Our team of engineers and technicians can help you learn how to better prevent corrosion through design, either through the creation of custom extrusion dies or through finishing options. Call today and start designing your own standard or custom aluminum extrusion parts and products.