News & Events
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Design and Thickness of Plating Affects Final Dimensions
Almost all surface finishes cause some dimensional change, however small, to the part being finished. Many coatings even result in a significant buildup-a buildup that should ideally be considered while the part is being designed. Typically, though, metal finishers and machinists are concerned with controlling the dimensions of existing parts on which design changes are not possible. What at first looks like a “simple” plating job can actually entail complicated considerations involving electri…
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Lasting Lubrication: What Are Dry Film Lubricants?
Anoplate has been applying dry film lubricants, also referred to as solid film lubricants, for over 50 years but their use remains an anomaly. Dry film lubricants are elements or compounds with inherent lubricating properties which are semipermanently bonded to the surface of a material. These minerals or compounds include well known materials such as DuPont’s Teflon™ or more generically PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), graphite, and molydbenum disulfide (moly). These 3 materials are the most wi…
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Boric Sulfuric Acid Anodize (BSAA)
Flying High with an Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Chromic Acid Anodize Chromium, in certain forms, is on its way off of the proverbial production map, and with this comes the swan song of a staple of engineering-centric coatings such as hard chrome chromate conversion coatings and chromic acid anodize (CAA). Chromic acid anodize, a.k.a. Type I per MIL-DTL-8625, has traditionally been used in the following applications: Airframe components due to its increased corrosion resistance T…
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Q: We recently sent you a group of parts to be electroless nickel plated and upon return noted that they exhibited missing or flaking plating on the ID. What happened? [Machine Shop Customer – Moonachie, NJ] A: Upon microscopic examination of the returned parts, there was noted a white “glob” at the top edge of each of the parts. Using a wooden stick the material could be mechanically separated from the part exposing raw, untreated substrate material beneath. We chemically removed the plating …
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Q & A: Impregnation After Anodize
Q: I have some cast aluminum (355 T6) parts in question that have been anodized but have issues with porosity. Can impregnation be done on these parts to correct the condition in an anodized state? Would we need to re-anodize after impregnation? A: The reason you’re seeing porosity after anodize is that during processing the pores adsorbed the anodize electrolyte — namely sulfuric acid. And if your parts are dyed, we’re sure the acid is leeching the dye, making the pores even more noticeable. T…
Regions We Serve
Anoplate is committed to providing world class metal finishing & anodizing services nationwide, including in the following states:.
