Anodising Benefits
Anodising Benefits
There are several benefits to getting you products anodised;
- Anodising is corrosion resistant - The aluminium oxide coating is very resistant to chemical attack, and is only really affected by strong acids or alkalis
- Anodising is wear & scratch resistant - The anodised layer is much harder than the aluminium substrate underneath. Aluminium oxide is in itself a very hard substance, it measures 9 on the Moh scale of hardness (diamond is 10 on Moh scale). Aluminium oxide is used as an abrasive product in sand papers due to it's hardness.
- Anodising won't peel or flake - The anodised layer is a part of the aluminium and itself, not a separate layer like powder coating or paint
- Anodising is easy to clean - All it takes is soap and water, but avoid extreme abrasives
- Finger prints don't show - Now there is a bonus
- Old anodised coatings are easily redone - It is easy to strip of the old anodising, clean the product and re-anodise. This is frequently done if the product is showing signs of wear or if you just want to change the colour
- Choice of colour & finish - Gloss or matt and a huge range of colours (except 'white'), see our services page for the full range of colours
While anodizing offers many benefits, there are some things to be aware of with regard to the final finish;
- Colour matching can be problematic - There are many variables in the anodising process that will impact on the final colour, and so while every effort will be made to match the colour in each anodising run and between different runs an exact match cannot be guaranteed
- Colour choices for external use are a little more limited - UV stability becomes an important feature in choosing the dye when working with external anodised applications. Please let us know what your requirements are, as not all dyes are suitable for external use
- Anodising wont hide existing visible marks - Any marks such as die lines, machining marks or marks from handling i.e. scratches, dents, etc, will show through in the final anodised finish. The finished look of the anodising is highly dependent on the surface finish before anodising.