Four Benefits of Anodizing Aluminum

Advantages of Anodizing 

Corrosion is often a concern with many metals. At Blanda, we work with our customers to identify solutions that are tailor made to their specific applications. One of the post processing methods that we often utilize in conjunction with our machining services is anodizing.

What is Anodizing? 

The process of anodizing began back in the 1920’s as a way to prevent corrosion on aluminum parts. In addition to its corrosion resistance, anodizing will also improve the visual appeal of your machined parts, improve overall durability, and aid with electrical insulation.

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that involves submerging metal in a series of chemical baths along with a cathode. Hydrogen is released from the cathode, resulting in a metal oxide film on the submerged part.

Benefits of anodizing include:

Durability

Anodizing provides Increased corrosion resistance, and resistance to wear. Anodizing will extend the life of your aluminum parts, and is well suited for harsh environments, or with moving mechanical parts that are subject to a lot of friction.

Many of our anodized parts can be found in space, in the air, underwater, or architectural applications, for example. In fact, aluminum oxide has been given a 9 (out of 10) rating on the Mohs hardness scale. This places it second only to diamonds, for hardness. 

The bottom line is anodized aluminum parts will last longer than raw aluminum parts.

Below are examples of two of our custom fixture plates that have been anodized to improve their overall durability and reliability:

Aesthetics:

Colored aluminum often comes to mind when thinking about anodizing. Anodizing is both decorative, and enhances the visual look of our machined parts. It provides much better adhesion for paint primers than bare metal alone.

The resulting finish is extremely durable, abrasion resistant and won’t peel or chip. The finish is part of the metal.

Environmentally friendly: 

Anodized parts can easily be recycled, as anodizing aluminum results in an environmentally friendly finish.

Budget friendly: 

Anodizing is an inexpensive process when compared to other finishing processes such as painting or powder coating. The finish is also much thinner than paints or powders, as well as provides a much harder surface.

Is Anodizing Right For My Application? 

If you’d like to learn more about anodizing and whether it makes sense for your application, please reach out to our team today. At Blanda, we’ll take the time to understand your specific needs, and offer advice specific to your needs.