Anodize

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that transforms the metal surface into a durable, corrosion-resistant, decorative, anodic oxide finish. While aluminum is ideally suited to anodizing, other nonferrous metals, such as titanium and magnesium can also be anodized. The anodizing process requires the immersion of the aluminum (or other metals) into an electrolyte bath and passing an electric current through the medium. The resultant coating produced is both extremely tough and wear resistant making anodizing an ideal choice for use in high traffic areas where durability is required. The anodizing process resists the effects of time, corrosion, humidity, temperature and warping. Elite Metal Finishing offers anodizing in the following variations:

Chromic Acid Anodizing This is a process that is most commonly used for corrosion protection and is an excellent foundation for paint. It is not recommend for color anodizing.

• Type I – Conventional
• Type IB – Low voltage method

Sulfuric Acid Anodizing This process is by far the most popular form of anodizing and it offers a wide range of finish thicknesses. It also readily accepts permanent color dyes offers moderate corrosion and abrasion resistance.

• Type II – Conventional
• Type IIB – For use as a non-chromate alternative for Type I and IB coatings
• Type III – Hard Anodize
• Class 1 – Non-dyed
• Class 2 – Dyed – Available colors – Black, grey, blue, gold and red. Other colors available on request for small quantities – orange, green, violet, brown, yellow and olive drab.

PTFE Impregnated Anodizing This process provides the dense, hard protection of a Type III hard coat anodizing coupled with the excellent dry lubrication that PTFE provides.

Titanium Anodizing This process provides anti-galling and wear resistance properties to titanium parts. The coating causes minimal dimensional change.

Phosphoric Acid Anodizing This process, was initially developed by the Boeing Company to improve bond reliability for “metal-bond” structure parts. It substantially improves performance in high-humidity environments. Excellent pre-treatment for paint as well.