anodizings

About This Service

 Anodizing is an electrochemical conversion-coating process that grows a controlled, integral layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of aluminum and its alloys by making the part the anode in an acidic electrolyte bath, dramatically improving corrosion resistance, surface hardness and dyeability while producing a coating that is part of the base metal itself and therefore cannot flake, chip or peel - and is the most common surface treatment for aluminum in aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, architecture and cookware. The aluminum part is immersed in an acidic electrolyte - typically sulfuric acid (Type II and Type III anodizing), chromic acid (Type I) or phosphoric acid - and oxygen generated at the part surface reacts with the aluminum to form a layer of aluminum oxide that grows both inward and outward from the original surface, producing a thin, dense barrier layer adjacent to the metal and a thicker, porous outer layer whose pores can be sealed by hydrothermal sealing, or - for decorative anodizing - filled with organic dyes before sealing to produce a wide range of colors, while Type III hardcoat anodizing uses lower temperature, higher voltage and special electrolyte chemistry to produce a 25–150 µm thick, very hard, wear-resistant layer with hardness up to 60–70 Rockwell C equivalent. The process is compatible with pure aluminum and most aluminum alloys, with 6061, 6063, 7075, 2024, 5052 and 3003 the most common - although alloy chemistry strongly affects the appearance and properties of the anodic film, with high-copper 2xxx and high-silicon cast alloys tending to produce grayer, less attractive films - and titanium can also be anodized to produce a different oxide layer commonly used for medical implants and color marking. Anodizing delivers excellent corrosion resistance particularly in marine and outdoor environments, high surface hardness that rivals hardened tool steel in hardcoat variants, a film that is integral to the substrate and cannot flake or peel, excellent dyeability for virtually any color sealed into the porous layer, a non-toxic and environmentally cleaner alternative to many chrome and nickel plating processes, and improved paint adhesion that makes it a preferred pre-treatment for adhesive bonding - making it the standard finish for architectural facades, window frames and curtain walls, consumer electronics such as laptops, tablets, phones and camera bodies, aerospace fuselage skins, structural extrusions and interior panels, automotive trim, wheels and nameplates, cookware, lighting fixtures and home appliances, and optical and measurement equipment, gears and sliding components.

Sample Products We Make

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