Treatments and Finishes

Surface treatments

A surface treatment is a mechanical, chemical, electrochemical or physical operation that aims at modifying the appearance or function of the surface of materials in order to adapt it to given conditions of use.

• Anodizing: Anodizing allows to protect or decorate an aluminum, titanium or alloy part by anodic oxidation. It gives the materials a better resistance to wear, corrosion and heat.
• Hard anodizing: Hard anodizing is an aluminum anodizing technique that provides a thick passivating layer of alumina to increase oxidation resistance.
• Chromating (Alodine 1200 / 1500 / Surtec 650): Chromating is the conversion coating process of depositing an oxide layer over a metal surface to enable the metal to react with the oxide layer. This forms a layer of passivated metal chromate on the surface of aluminum alloys to improve their corrosion resistance. It is also a very good preparation before painting.
• Phosphating: Phosphating is a chemical conversion process which consists in transforming the surface of certain metals, such as steel, cast iron, zinc, aluminum and titanium, into stable and insoluble metal phosphate.
• Zinc plating: Zinc plating aims at depositing a metallic layer of zinc on metal parts. This treatment mainly allows to fight corrosion and to offer a beautiful aesthetic rendering on steel parts.
• Burnishing: Burnishing consists of depositing a black iron oxide on a metal part in an alkaline environment. It is a treatment of appearance and protection without excess thickness.
• Chrome plating: Chrome plating (less commonly chromium plating) is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness. Hard chromium plating is used in mechanical applications where friction conditions are severe, as an anti-wear coating.
• Nickel plating: Chemical nickel plating is an anti-corrosion surface treatment that also protects mechanical parts from wear.
• Tribofinishing: Also called chemical mechanical polishing, this process enables to modify the surface condition and the edges of metal parts by immersing them in an abrasive mixture set in vibratory, oscillatory or rotary motion in a tank.
• Bead blasting: Bead blasting is a surface treatment process by impact. Bead blasting is the operation of propelling, typically with compressed air, a stream of abrasive material (blast media) against a surface to affect the surface finish.
• Sandblasting: Sandblasting is an industrial technique for cleaning large surfaces using an abrasive projected at high speed with compressed air through a nozzle on the material to be stripped.
• Thread inserts: The installation of a thread insert allows the reinforcement of tapped holes. HELICOIL® thread inserts produce high-strength, wear- and heat-resistant threads of the highest precision.
• Decorative Coating: Most of the time it consists in coating a metal part with a precious metal, such as gold or silver, or a varnish in order to improve its aesthetic qualities or for anti-corrosion purposes.
• Painting