Metal Finishing

Types of Finishing

• Plating – This process coats or alters the surface of the structure with layers of metal such as nickel, zinc or cadmium. This is carried out via chemical baths as well as electric currents to fix the metal layers to the structure.
• Brushing & Cleaning – This process uses an abrasive belt or brushes to create a smooth surface along the structure with no imperfections. It is often used to create rounded edges as well as remove any slag from the surface.
• Polishing, Buffing, Honing & Lapping – These methods use abrasive compounds and machining to reduce the roughness of the surface. This can either be done manually or through automatic robotic processes as needed.
• Grinding – This process uses machines with abrasive wheels to grind down the surface and make it smoother. A surface grinder is a most commonly used machine for this process, although there are other specialised grinders available.
• Vibratory Finishing – These machines deburr and remove any sharp edges from the structure. They use abrasive pellets and apply a tumbling vibration that creates a uniform texture around the structure.
• Blasting – This employs blasting methods such as sandblasting to remove any rough surfaces and create a uniformly smooth texture.
• Heat Treating – This process uses inductive or flame heating to shape the structure and procure certain characteristics.
• Coating – This process coats the metal surface with paints, powders or anodised chemicals to protect it from corrosion.
• Hot Blackening – These machines spread a thin layer of black oxide along the surface and use a heating process to affix it to the structure to create a matte finish with high abrasion resistance.

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