Guide to Selecting the Right Type of Metal Finishing

 

The final step to any metal fabrication process is metal finishing. It provides improved environmental protection and makes the product look better. Moreover, it improves the mating and sealing abilities of metal surfaces. Examples of metals finishes include deburring, cleaning, descaling, etc. Therefore, there exist multiple processes with each serving a different purpose. The type of metal finishing has an effect on the mechanical part such as lower friction. Therefore, you should select the right option early on during your product development.

 

Below Are Some of The Finishing Process Creatingway Has Adopted

• Metal Plating

Metal plating coats metal surfaces using chemical baths. Alternatively, it uses a surface substrate of thin metal layers such as nickel, chromium or zinc.

We use an electroplating method that generates an electric current coating the substrate. Plating aims to improve aesthetics, corrosion resistance, durability, and surface friction.

• Metal Vibratory Finishing

Creatingway uses vibratory finishing machines to remove sharp edges and deburr products. First, we position the part inside a drum. Then we add abrasive pellets into the drum. We then apply a tumbling vibration to make a uniform random texture. A variation in the machine’s magnitude and speed of vibration results in varied finishes. Therefore, we can easily alternate from small to large-sized parts.

• Metal Brushing

Metal brushing removes metal surface imperfections. It makes a uniform, smooth texture exterior of the product. Any slag produced by welding operations or scale and grit comes off after subjecting the metal to this process. The main role is to remove unwanted things on surfaces before taking the metal to other metal finishes. We use either a wire brush or an abrasive belt to achieve this effect. However, for oil residues on metal surfaces, chemical or acid baths are better options before coating.

• Metal Blasting

Sandblasting is a great option when you need projects with an even matte finish. First, we force sand or metal pellets against a substrate at high speed. Any abrasive substance is good for the job. Shot peening is a form of metal blasting that causes a cold- work surface modification. The method improves stress corrosion, fatigue resistance, and cracking resistance. How it works is by compressing stress on the metal surfaces.

• Metal Polishing

  

Metal polishing lessens surface roughness of metal surfaces. At Creatingway, we measure roughness in microinches. We then use a machine with precisions of up to 8 to 16 micro incur inches to reduce the metal roughness. In case you require finer finishes, there exist special abrasive powders for the job. We combine it with felt wheels to polish up to 1 to 32 microinches.

Other great polishing options are lapping and honing. They use abrasive compounds to reduce the surface roughness of joined parts. We do it by rubbing the pieces against each other or passing a matting shape through a hollow. Increased metal luster is a great byproduct of metal polishing. It results from less light scattering due to a smoother surface. Therefore, you get improved surface aesthetics with this finish.

• Metal Hot Blackening

Hot blackening finishing creates a thin layer of black oxide on the metal surface. This forms a matte black finish. Its main feature is high abrasion resistance. First, we insert the product in tanks that contain caustics and coolants. Then we heat up the tanks to induce the layer formation. The process is useful for firearms, automotive, and firearms parts.

• Metal heat treating

We use heat treatment to bring out the desirable features of metals. For instance, gears experience severe wear on the teeth surfaces. After subjecting the gear to heat treatment it increases its wear resistance.

• Metal Coating

Examples of metal coating processes include powder coating and anodizing. Powder coating uses a thermosetting polymer powder to coat the metal surface. We use UV light to make a matte, textured, or glossy coating. The method is good at hiding metal surface defects. Anodizing, on the other hand, works best on aluminum. It involves using a chemical surface treatment. The end result is a corrosion-resistant metal with improved beauty.

What’re The Advantages of The Metal Finishing Process?

Pros of Metal Finishing

• Added chemical resistance
• Increased durability
• Increased beauty
• Higher electrical resistance
• Higher electrical conductivity

Factors for Choosing Your Metal Finishing Process

• Hardness of Metal

Products made of hard metals need either a tougher abrasive finishing or a more intense one. Softer ones require less intense finishing machining needs.

• Cost

Specific finishing methods are costlier compared to others. For instance, vibratory finishing. However, they compensate by delivering a faster cycle rate than the cheaper options.

• Speed of Production

Here you have to know how soon you want your product ready. It will help in choosing the right finishing technique.

Having an idea of how metal finishing works is important in knowing how the final will appear and perform. In order to get the result, consult a professional familiar with design development and manufacturing processes. Contact Creatingway now for your metal finishing services.

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