Metal Coating
Metal coating is the application of thin coats of a particular metal on an object. Some types of metal coatings include electroless nickel, phosphate and chromium. Metal coatings are designed to be corrosion resistant in order to make the object more durable and have a longer time of use.
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Metal coatings are layers of thinly applied metal that change the surface properties of the substrate. The substrate is the object being coated. The coating and substrate together are often called a workpiece. When coated, the workpiece exhibits properties that are normally not possible to achieve by either piece when utilized alone. Metal coatings can be made from chromium, nickel, aluminum, zinc, copper and cadmium. Coatings have been historically applied with a wet chemical process, which is known for causing air pollution problems. Alternative metal coating application methods have replaced some wet processes and will most likely play a more prominent role in the future.
The deposition methods of metallic coatings include electroless plating, spraying, hot dipping, chemical vapor and ion vapor.
These coatings can be applied to parts such as:
- Fasteners
- Brackets
- Clips
- Clamp
- Stampings
- Beams and Rotors
- And More
Some of the industries in which metal coating can be found are automotive, appliance, military, marine, trucking, electrical and construction.
Metal coating is just one example of many types of coating services. Coating services are necessary for applications in which thin films or coats made of varying materials are applied to substrates. The coating process can be manual or a very complicated automated operation, this depends on the coating facility sophistication and modernization. The purpose of coating is to prevent corrosion and to make the substrate a more durable, cost-effective piece for the owner.
These processes include solution preparation and delivery to the applicator, the coating application itself and drying and solidification. In the first step, raw material is specified and tested, deaerated, mixed and dispersed. Then, fluid flow, weight and measurement of the coating are determined. The final drying and solidification process includes heating and ventilation systems in addition to heat transfer and defect mechanisms. Certain substrates will only be compatible with particular coating materials and that is why specialized coating services like plasma coating exist. The techniques and properties of metal coating are similar to the process and properties of metal finishing.