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Hard-Coat Anodizing Coating Services

Hard-Coat Anodizing on Aluminum

Many products benefit from Hard-Coat Anodizing including Telecommunications, Medical, and Industrial. Hard Anodized aluminum is non-conductive to electricity; consequently, areas requiring conductivity will need selective masking. Anodized becomes integrated to the part and is qualified for use in salt/corrosive atmospheres. Hard Anodized aluminum products exhibits wear resistance over 10 times that of regular anodize. Requirements for close tolerances are met and process variables are maintained. Additionally, we offer hard anodizing in colors of: black, blue, red, green, and clear. 

Hard-Coat Anodizing enhances many of the desirable properties of aluminum and offers:

• low density
• excellent electrical resistance
• excellent thermal conductivity
• good malleability and ductility
• imparts a surface as hard as some gemstones

Hard-coat Anodize, commonly referred to as Type III anodizing, is formed by using an electrolytic solution of sulfuric acid at approximately 32¢X F and a current density of 23 to 37 Amps per square foot. The process will run for 20 to 120 minutes depending on the alloy used and desired coating thickness.

Properties & Advantages

Hard-coat Anodizing provides for several desirable qualities such as:

• Corrosion Resistance (500+ Hours salt spray resistance per ASTM B117)
• High Durability (file hard, Taber Abraser CS-17 1000 g) better than hard chromium or steel
• Electrical Insulation (20 degree C,4*10.15 ohm cm2 / cm) as a good insulation.
• High temperature Resistance (until 2050 degree C)
• Breakdown Voltage Resistance (over 1500 DC)
• Low rub coefficient (0.095)

Hard-coat Anodize coatings may be dyed a variety of colors. However due to its naturally darker appearance, dyeing does not produce the vibrant colors that a Type II sulfuric anodize will. Additionally the required sealing process after dyeing does slightly reduce hardness.

Specifications

There are hundreds of industrial and commercial anodizing specifications in use. Each with their own method of calling out coatings, seals, dyes, etc. Any anodizer should recognize the Type III designation to indicate a Hardcoat Anodize, Class 1 to specify natural color or no dye, and Class 2 to indicate a dye.

Materials

Hardcoat anodizing works very well with 2000(2014), 3000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 series aluminum alloys and 214, 355 and 356 series die casting material.

Regular or Conventional Anodize

Conventional Anodizing increases strength, wear and corrosion resistance, while adding a beautiful finishes to aluminum’s comparative low cost, lightweight and malleability.

Regular Anodizing has outstanding abrasion and corrosion resistance. It lends its self readily to clear and the colors of red, blue, green, gold, OD-green and black. The colors will be light to dark depending on required thickness. Deeco's Regular Anodize process conforms to ASTM standards, as well as Customer Specifications and may be applied to a multitude of products. Regular anodizing provides an excellent base for primers, bonding agents and organic coatings. At Deeco, customer requirements for close tolerances are met, just as process variables are maintained. Given that anodized parts are electrically nonconductive, masking is offered using stop-off lacquers, plus assorted tapes and plugs for areas designated as "anodize-free" or "conductive" by the customer.

Rilsan® nylon powder, by Arkema

Rilsan® nylon powder, by Arkema, is a thermoplastic polyamide derived from bio-based sources.  The resin is produced from castor oil, a 100% vegetable-based, biodegradable, and renewable resource.  Thus, if environmental concerns are prevalent, then nylon powder is the right choice.

Main benefits of Rilsan® nylon powder:

• Outstanding flexibility
• Excellent impact resistance
• Excellent chemical resistance
• Low density
• High dimensional stability
• Excellent wear resistance

Application Methods of Rilsan Nylon Powder®

There several ways to apply Rilsan® nylon owder, but the two primary methods are:

• Electro-static spray
• Fluid bed dip

Electro-static spray is an excellent application method when a part requires coating in a specific area or areas. Non-coat areas are easily masked off allowing coating to be directed only to areas that require it.

When full coverage is needed, it is preferred to dip products in a fluid bed.  This method ensures full coverage and uniform thickness. 

When coupled with the recommended primer, Rilsan® nylon powder has excellent adhesion to properly prepared substrates such as ductile iron, steel, and aluminum. 

Cost Savings benefits of Rilsan®

Rilsan® nylon powder enables users to realize significant cost savings.  Customers who otherwise might need to turn to high-cost substrates such as stainless steel can use a lower cost substrate that is coated with nylon. Ductile iron parts that have been properly coated with nylon can remain in service for multiple years without concern regarding corrosion or wear.   

Black Oxide

Black Oxide is used to provide a protective, corrosion resistant coating over metal. It has a uniform black finish that does not alter the dimensions of the part after processing. The coating does not chip or peel and acts as an absorbent to hold oils or wax. Black Oxide coatings are used on firearms, spark plugs, furniture brackets, mower blades and other products where a uniform black surface is desired. This coating is economical and offers a variety of valuable properties to extend the service life and improve the performance characteristics of the part. Deeco offers Black Oxide on copper alloys and on steel.

Phosphate Coating: Zinc, Iron or Manganese Phosphate

Phosphate coating is the treatment of castings, iron, steel or steel-based substrates with a solution, whereby the surface of the metal is converted to an integral, mildly protective layer of insoluble crystalline. Phosphating is considered the heart of pretreatment operations; it is here that the top surface of the metal is converted into a highly insoluble, corrosion-resistant coating that provides the primary bond between substrates and the next process. There are several phosphate processes:

• Iron Phosphate produces coatings of course to fine crystals providing a receptive surface for the bonding of other applications and is useful where corrosion protection requirements are not at the highest levels.
• Zinc Phosphate may be used as a base for Paint or for increasing wear resistance, or rust proofing, and provides inherently better corrosion resistance than iron.
• Manganese Phosphate is applied chiefly to ferrous parts (Internal combustion engine parts for example) for break-in and to prevent galling and is mostly used as an oil base.

Why Choose Deeco Metals for your Anodizing Coating Services?

Deeco Metals was founded in 1987 for a group of international metal producers based in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. The goal was to create a company with a technical and metallurgical background in manufacturing metal and metal parts. We are proud to have effectively served our local and global customers for the past 35 years. We have used our experience and technical expertise to fulfill the requirements of our many satisfied customers across the USA, Canada, and South America since then.