What is Surface Finishing

Metal finishing is the process of changing the surface of an object, for the purpose of improving its appearance and/or durability.

Electroplating

Electroplating is an electrochemical process used to deposit a metallic coating on the base material of an object by immersing it in an electrically charged solution so that a suitable low voltage electric current flows through it, causing the metallic coating to be attracted to the object being plated.

Some of the more common electroplated coatings include brass, cadmium, chromium, hard chromium, copper, gold, nickel, silver, tin and zinc plating.

Organic Coating

Organic coating involves the process of depositing a pigmented coating on the surface of an object by dipping, flow coating, conventional spraying, electrostatic spraying and powder coating. Powder coating is the only technique that involves application of a powder; the remainders use a liquid paint. Application techniques include dip coating, conventional spraying, electrostatic spraying and powder coating.

Powder Coating

One of the newest and most environmentally sound applications in the industry. Applied electrostatically or by fluidised bed, these plastic coatings come in an almost unlimited range of colours. As there are no volatile thinners used, all of the oversprayed materials are recovered and reused. The coatings are applied dry, melted, flowed and fused, making a pinhole free finish for beauty, long wear and superb corrosion resistance.

Anodising

Anodising is an electrochemical process that converts an aluminium surface to a coating of aluminium oxide. This coating can be transparent, making it suitable for dyeing a wide variety of colours for decorative or utilitarian purposes.

Electroless Plating

Electroless plating is the chemical deposition of a metal coating on a substrate by immersion in an appropriate plating solution. Electricity is not involved in this process, therefore heavy and uniform deposits can be easily obtained which posses unique mechanical, chemical or magnetic processes. The process can be applied to properly treated non-metallic objects such as plastic and glass.

Electropolishing

Electropolishing is an electrochemical process – the reverse of plating. Instead of coating or plating, electropolishing removes the metal from the surface, leaving a very smooth, bright finish. It is most often performed on stainless steel, but can also be performed on aluminium and copper alloys. It provides a surface that is less porous, allowing for reliable sterilisation in the medical and food industries.

Phosphate coatings

Phosphate coatings are a porous crystalline coating of zinc, iron or manganese phosphate produced on ferrous metal surfaces by the reaction of surface metal to phosphate solution. These coatings are widely used for prolonging the life of organic coatings; providing good paint bonding; improving corrosive resistance and proving an excellent base for holding lubricants.