Aluminum Anodizing

About Aluminum Anodizing and Anodized Aluminum Including: Anodizing, Black Anodizing, Color Anodizing, Hard Anodizing & Titanium Anodizing.

Aluminum anodizing is a unique electrochemical process that increases the thickness of a passive, naturally occurring, protective aluminum oxide film. The resulting finish, depending on the process, is the second hardest substance known on earth next to a diamond, and is often comparable to sapphire. Metal anodizing expands on the natural oxidation process by adding electricity and chemicals to create a hard, transparent surface to the aluminum. Without this process, regular aluminum will corrode and become weak, but anodizing provides protection from these defects. After anodizing, the metal becomes hard and weather-resistant. Other metals, such as titanium, can be anodized to produce similar results.
 
Before starting the anodizing process, the metal must be clean to prevent surface problems. Next, the metal is pre-treated with a bath to produce various degrees of shininess. Several of these methods are bright dip anodizing, satin anodizing and matte anodizing. Now the product is ready to be anodized, and in this step it is coated using a variety of methods, including hard coat, standard sulfuric and color anodizing. After this, the product is covered with color dye or a sealant.. Anodizing is a relatively short process that only takes a few hours to complete.
 
Anodized aluminum is known for its excellent corrosion resistance. Color variation is also possible. The anodized finish is porous enough to accept penetration by color dyes. After dyeing, the color is fixed by sealing in a hot nickel acetate or equivalent solution. Since anodized aluminum is inorganic, it is therefore unaffected by ultraviolet rays. Another benefit of aluminum anodizing is the possibility of future repair or re-coloring by stripping the anodized layer from the aluminum. Additionally, the anodized surface does not flake and is both insulative and static-resistant.
 
Several different methods of aluminum anodizing are available. One of these is hard coat anodizing, which is useful because it is non-conductive to electricity and also has better wear resistance than other methods. Standard anodizing is another method that provides a great base for bonding to other metals and organic coatings. Many products are made with anodized aluminum, including refrigerators, dryers, mailboxes, duct covers, grills, pots, pans, bicycle frames, wheel covers and electronic products like clocks. The architectural industry is very dependent on the production of quality anodized aluminum, as it is often used for framing of buildings. Other industries that benefit from the use of anodizing are the automotive, military, aerospace, medical and industrial industries.  

Aluminum Anodizing and Anodized Aluminum Images Provided by Fort Wayne Anodizing

Types of Aluminum Anodizing Services

• Anodizing is a technique used to coat the exterior of a metal with a protective film.
  
• Black anodizing is a process through which the surface of an anodized coated with a protective black dye.
  
• Bright dip anodizing refers to the pretreatment step before anodizing, which takes place in a bath of acids and creates a bright, shiny finish.
  
• Chromate conversions is a process that provides corrosion resistance and makes the aluminum surface electrically conductive. It also provides a superior surface condition for the application of paints, powder coats and adhesives.
  
• Clear anodizing preoxidizes the aluminum surface for a clear, uniform finish.
  
• Color anodizing is when a colored coat is applied to the exterior of a metal.
  
• Conventional/Sulfuric anodizing provides a thin coating of aluminum oxide that is tightly bonded to the surface of the aluminum. This method offers corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal, as well as makes the aluminum surface electrically non-conductive.
  
• Hard coat anodizing is a variant of anodizing. It produces similar results to standard anodized surfaces, but the thicker and denser hard anodic film limits the coloring results to dark tones.
  
• Impregnation is the filling of internal cracks, voids and corroded pockets, which would otherwise cause castings, forgings and powdered metal parts to leak.
  
• Titanium anodizing is used most often in the jewelry segment of the industry, as it has less occurrence of skin allergy than any other metals.