WHAT IS ANODIZE?

Often Anodize is confused with paint or painting processes. Which is the thought of adding to the surface of the metal instead of actually having the metal treated. Anodize doesn’t actually just make the part(s) appearance look nice but protects it from corrosion. Unlike paint, it sets into the pores of the aluminum through electrolytic oxidation. There is a science to this. The part has electric current passed through that starts the oxidation process and forms a buildup on the part (anodic coating). This coating can range from 0.000.1 to 0.000.7 on Type II sulfuric. Hard Anodize can have a buildup 0.001.0 to 0.003.0. Now, depending on the tank temperature, solution strength, volts, and how long the part is ran in the bath, determines the anodic coating thickness. After the desired thickness is achieved the part is then ran to specification. We have numerous color options to select from. In most cases the color of the parts is to identify where the part is being used on an airplane. After the dye selection has been put the part then is sealed in a boiling hot water/chemical solution which then closes the pores of the oxide coating. This keeps the surface from adsorption and finalizes the anodize process.