While not required for every project, finishing is often the final step in the manufacturing process for custom aluminum extrusion, just prior to shipping. Metal finishing is used to provide aesthetic options, including a variety of colors, styles, and textures, as well as to protect the finished piece from environmental damage. At Silver City Aluminum, we offer our clients the choice of powder coating and anodizing, as well as painting aluminum extrusions, to help them get the look, function, and feel that they want with our custom aluminum coating solutions. Once the design, extrusion, and fabrication phases are complete, our team can provide a finishing service tailored to the specific needs and requirements of the client.
Advantages of Custom Aluminum Coating Solutions
While extruded aluminum has a natural oxide layer of protection that can help it to resist damage caused by abrasions that can let in corrosion, including rust, there are distinct advantages associated with painting aluminum extrusions or protecting them with powder coating and anodizing. Most of these finishing processes also include a pre-paint or pre-coating application, such as our four-stage pre-treat process, which consists of an etch, a clean wash, a neutralizing wash, and a standard pre-wash to help guarantee excellent adhesion to the aluminum materials for long-lasting results. At Silver City Aluminum, our goal is to strive for perfection in all of our custom aluminum coating solutions to achieve a consistent color application and top-rated adhesion to conform to the requirements of every industry that we serve.
Some of the primary benefits associated with using custom aluminum coating solutions on extruded aluminum include an increased durability and improved decorative appeal. In some cases, finishing services after extrusion and fabrication also help to enhance the electrical conductivity of the extruded aluminum to offer a higher electrical resistance. Depending on the client’s needs, powder coating and anodizing or painting aluminum extrusions can also lead to a higher chemical resistance, which can be highly beneficial in an industrial work environment. The type of coating solution that you choose can offer many unique benefits and advantages to the finished aluminum parts, components, or products that you are manufacturing for your organization.
How to Choose the Best Options
One way to ensure that you select the best custom aluminum coating solutions for your project is to consult with our team of highly trained and experienced engineers and technicians. Our many years spent working with extrusion and fabrication of aluminum alloys can work to your advantage. We can include information about painting aluminum extrusions or using powder coating and anodizing to offer further protection in the initial development and design phase of your project. Certain factors may also play a part in your decision, including production speed, cost-effectiveness, and the expected end results. Because we do everything in-house at Silver City Aluminum, we can offer an accurate time frame for lead times when a finishing solution is selected.
Types of Custom Finishing Solutions
At Silver City Aluminum, our paint line runs almost non-stop. We perform our pre-treat finish process on every item that we paint at our facility to guarantee the best possible adhesion and durability. Our Polycron application helps us to provide consistent and reliable results. We apply the paint at approximately 2 ml’s wet in thickness, far exceeding the industry standard. All of the passing parts are constantly monitored and checked by our staff by hand to ensure top-quality results and consistent color application. The materials are cured through a baking process in one of our special ovens before being taken off the line one at a time by hand and inspected by our technicians. Quality control is essential to our success with every product that we fabricate at Silver City Aluminum.
We are just as dedicated to the process that we use for powder coating and anodizing. We work with several different powder coaters and anodizers in-house to provide our clients with the aesthetic look and finish that they desire. Our customers can choose from clear, black, and multi-color anodizing with an unlimited array of color options to create unique hues for branding their products. To learn more about our custom aluminum coating solutions for aluminum extrusion and fabrication, contact our team directly by calling 508-824-8631 and speak with one of our knowledgeable and experienced technicians about your unique needs and requirements.