The anodizing process involves many steps when you are working with aluminum. All of these will need to be done correctly to produce a top-notch finished product. Whether you are in the business or need a part anodized, you should understand the proper steps. Here are the steps necessary to coat aluminum.
Receiving Parts
the process starts when the parts arrive at the shop. First, they are unpacked and inspected, and then a unique process is created for them. This is a crucial step because it is setting the final product up for success. If any of these are skipped, a part could be damaged during the rest of the process.
Racking
The next step is racking. This step is where the parts are attached to something that can suspend them in the tanks. While it may not seem like it, this step is important for the finished product. After all, there will not be any coating where the racking is attached to the part, so you must set it up so that the spot is where the customer specifies.
Pretreating
The actual anodizing starts with pretreating. This starts with a thorough cleaning. Then, the parts are dropped into an etch tank to give them the chemistry they need to react with the solution. If this is not done, the anodizing will not be effective.
Anodizing
The last step of this process involves soaking parts in an anodizing tank. Some may say that this is the most important step. It is the part where the electrical current is put into the solution. The result is a coating that builds on the surface of the part.
All of these steps are necessary for the anodizing process. Failing at any task will produce a final result that is less than ideal. In other words, they could be anodized incorrectly or not at all. Therefore, if you have parts done or are in this business, you need to understand all of these tasks.