Surface treatment of aluminum materials

Various metal materials are increasingly used in various existing products because their unique luster and hardness can better reflect the value and protection of products. Among many metal materials, aluminum is easy to process, has good visual effects, and has rich surface treatment. Below, we will talk about the surface processing of aluminum in commonly used products.


Sand blasting (shot blasting) is the process of cleaning and roughening metal surfaces using the impact of high-speed sand flow. This method of surface treatment for aluminum parts can achieve a certain degree of cleanliness and different roughness on the surface of the workpiece, improve the mechanical properties of the workpiece surface, thereby improving the fatigue resistance of the workpiece, increasing the adhesion between it and the coating, prolonging the durability of the coating film, and also conducive to the leveling and decoration of the coating. We often see this process in various products of Apple.


Polishing is a machining method that utilizes mechanical, chemical, or electrochemical effects to reduce the surface roughness of a workpiece and obtain a bright and flat surface. The polishing process is mainly divided into: mechanical polishing, chemical polishing, Electropolishing. Aluminum parts can approach the stainless steel mirror effect after mechanical polishing+Electropolishing. This process gives people a sense of high-end simplicity and fashion in the future.


Wire drawing, metal wire drawing, is the manufacturing process of repeatedly scraping aluminum plates with sandpaper to create lines. Drawing can be divided into straight pattern drawing, random pattern drawing, spiral pattern drawing, and thread drawing. The metal wire drawing process can clearly show every tiny trace of hair, resulting in a dense hair luster in the metal matte. The product combines fashion and technology.


High gloss cutting, using a precision engraving machine to reinforce the diamond knife on the high-speed rotating (usually 20000 rpm) spindle of the precision engraving machine to cut parts, creating local bright areas on the surface of the product. The brightness of the cutting highlight is influenced by the speed of the milling drill bit. The faster the drill bit speed, the brighter the cutting highlight, and vice versa, the darker it is and easier to produce tool lines. High gloss and high gloss cutting are particularly common in the application of mobile phones, such as the iPhone 5. In recent years, some high-end TV metal frames have adopted high gloss milling technology, coupled with anodizing and wire drawing processes, making the TV full of a sense of fashion and technology sharpness.


Anodic oxidation refers to the electrochemical oxidation of metals or alloys, in which aluminum and its alloys form an oxide film on aluminum products (anodes) under corresponding electrolytes and specific process conditions under the action of external current. Anodizing not only solves defects in surface hardness and wear resistance of aluminum, but also prolongs its service life and enhances its aesthetics. It has become an indispensable part of aluminum surface treatment and is currently the most widely used and successful process.


Dual color anode refers to anodizing on a product and assigning different colors to specific areas. The dual color anodizing process is less commonly used in the television industry due to its complexity and high cost; But by comparing the two colors, the high-end and unique appearance of the product can be better reflected.