Surface Roughness Chart: Understanding Surface Finish in Manufacturing
Surfaces in manufacturing applications must remain within desired roughness limits to ensure the optimum quality of parts. Surface finishing has …
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The extremely high level of precision needed within the aerospace industry makes CNC machining a suitable manufacturing process for the sector.
This article provides you with a complete guide to aerospace machining and its importance.
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If you want to produce high-quality machined parts with a sleek appearance, it’s essential to consider some critical factors related to CNC machining.
Here, we’ve gathered some basic information and important considerations to help you achieve the desired results.
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High-quality surface finishing services improve your part’s aesthetics and functions regardless of the manufacturing process used. Deliver quality metal, composites, and plastic finishing services so you can bring the prototype or part you dream of to life.
Our part finishing services are exceptional as our teams are experts in plastic, composite, and metal surface finishing. Furthermore, we have state-of-the-art machines and infrastructure to bring your idea to life.
Coming out of the machine after processing, our parts are cleaned of any sharp edges and burrs while retaining marks. With no added materials, the finish gives parts a surface roughness of 3.2 μm (126 μin).
Bead blasting cleans the surface of any impurities and peels coating through the propelling of blast media streams over the parts.
To increase surface hardness and dissipate heat, we use anodizing techniques to enhance the look of parts and blend well for painting and priming.
Electroplating reduces metal cations in the electrolyte solution, producing a metallic coating on a metal surface. This process can be used for purposes of corrosion and wear resistance, as well as for decorative purposes.
Working on metal and hard plastics, our polishing uses highly efficient machinery to get our parts between Ra 0.8~Ra0.1 for a cleaner surface.
We apply a thin layer of protective polymer with the corona discharge phenomenon to give our part a lasting finish that protects from impacts and prevents wearing down.
Our brushing technique uses abrasive belts over the material to create diverse patterns that match the parts’ structure and color.
Spray droplets can be dispersed uniformly or in fine amounts to cover a wide surface area and bring out greater color to the part.
Adding layers to metallic surfaces like steel, our black oxide technique improves appearance while maintaining durability.
We use chromate conversion coating or alodine to protect aluminum and other materials from corrosive elements, usually done before priming and painting parts.
Helpful in brand recognition or parts organization, we use part marking that applies various printing methods during full-scale production to quickly embed barcodes, lettering and logos on the parts,
Part surfacing finishing techniques can either be for functional or aesthetic purposes. Each technique has requirements, such as materials, color, texture, and price. Below are the specifications of the plastic finishing techniques rendered by us.
Name | Description | Materials | Color | Texture | Price | Link |
As-machined | The standard finish for our parts, the “as machined” finish, has a surface roughness of 3.2 μm (126 μin), which removes sharp edges and deburs parts cleanly. | All materials | n/a | Stain | $ | / | |
Bead Blasting |
Bead blasting is the process of powerfully propelling, generally with high pressure, a stream of blast media against a surface to remove unwanted coating layers and surface impurities. |
Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel, Brass, Copper |
n/a | Matte | $ | Learn More>> | |
Anodizing | Keeping our parts in the long term, our anodizing process resists corrosion and wear. It’s also an ideal surface treatment for painting and priming, and it looks great too. | Aluminum |
Clear, black, grey, red, blue, gold |
Smooth, matte finish |
$$ |
||
Electroplating | Electroplated coating preserves the surface of parts and resists rusts and other defects from causing decay by applying electric currents to reduce metal cations. |
Aluminum, steel, stainless steel |
Gold, silver, nickel, copper, brass |
Smooth, glossy finish |
$$$ |
||
Polishing |
Ranging from Ra 0.8~Ra0.1, polishing processes use an abrasive material to rub the part’s surface to make the shine more less shiny, depending on your requirements. |
All materials |
n/a |
Smooth, glossy finish |
$$$$ |
||
Powder Coating |
Using corona discharge, we make the powder coating adsorbed to the part, creating a more wear-resistant layer with a typical thickness ranging from 50 μm up to 150 μm. |
All metal materials |
Custom | Glossy |
$$$ |
||
Brushing |
Brushing is a surface treatment process in which abrasive belts are used to draw traces on the surface of a material, usually for aesthetic purposes. |
ABS, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel |
n/a | Satin |
$$ |
||
Painting |
Painting involves spraying a layer of paint onto the surface of the part. Colors can be matched to a Pantone color number of the customer’s choosing, while finishes range from matte to gloss to metallic. |
Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Steel |
Custom | Gloss, semi-gloss, flat, metallic, textured |
$$$ |
||
Black Oxide |
Black oxide is a conversion coating similar to Alodine that is used for steel and stainless steel. It is used mainly for appearance and for mild corrosion resistance. |
Steel, Stainless Steel |
Black | Smooth, matte |
$$$ |
|
|
Alodine |
Chromate conversion coating, more commonly known by its brand name Alodine, is a chemical coating that passivates and protects aluminum from corrosion. It is also used as a base layer before priming and painting parts. |
Aluminum |
Clear, Gold | Same as before |
$$$ |
|
|
Part Marking |
Part marking is a cost-effective way to add logos or custom lettering to your designs and is often used for custom part tagging during full-scale production. |
All materials |
Custom | n/a |
$$ |
|
Get a feel of our quality-focused custom parts made using precision surface finishing techniques.
A customer’s words have a more substantial impact than a company’s claims – and see what our satisfied customers have said regarding how we fulfilled their requirements.
Our company has been using the surface finishing services of RapidDirect for over 4 years. We are a supplier of food and pharmaceutical processing equipment, so we must always adhere to strict quality assurance for finishes. We rely on RapidDirect for a quick, professional, quality finishing service that is second to none.
Albert Richmond
– Mechanical Engineer
For 3 years now, we have found RapidDirect to be highly reliable, responsive, and efficient. The quality of your bead blasting services has been of the highest standard. We never hesitate to recommend your services to our partners.
Jodie Grubb
– Chief Engineer
The demanding requirement of the automotive industry requires strict adherence to high tolerance standards. RapidDirect understands all of these requirements and has provided top-notch polishing services to us for the past decade. These products can withstand various environmental conditions and stay durable for a very long time.
Cordelia Riddle
– Product Engineer
Hi Henry, on behalf of our company, I want to acknowledge the superb quality work we continuously get from RapidDirect. The chrome plating quality we got from your company far exceeds our expectations compared to other companies we worked with in the past. We will surely come back for more projects.
Maury Lombardi
– Project Manager
I contacted RapidDirect for our anodizing needs, and they were confident they could provide the best solution. From the ordering process, it was clear that this company was different from any other metal finishing companies we had ever used. Although the product was in large volume, RapidDirect completed the finishing perfectly within a short time. Thanks for your service!
Virgil Walsh
– Outsourcing Manager
We have been developing a number of rapid prototypes and low-volume production orders for customers in multiple industries ranging from automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, medical devices, robotics, and more.
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