Anodize

Most anodizers have a caustic etch bath in their process line to use for stripping aluminum racks before re-use, activating the surface of parts before going on to be anodized and for many finishers it is used to impart a low gloss appearance to the surface.

Gamma Aerospace has completed a $10 million expansion of service offerings at its Mansfield, Texas operation and its Rapid Anodizing facility in Los Angeles, California. 

Jacqueline Cook, Lab Chemist for Reliant Aluminum Products, provides this presentation on Non-Nickel Seal Alternatives for Dyed Aluminum.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear awarded Perry County Fiscal Court more than $2 million in grants for an expansion at Dajcor Aluminum, a Canadian manufacturer of extruded and fabricated aluminum products based at the Coalfields Industrial Park in Hazard.

The acid etch referred to in this technical data sheet is the process that North American architectural anodizers have been adopting since 2005.

The Aluminum Anodizers Council (AAC) is introducing a new podcast series aimed at educating and informing both anodizing industry professionals and anodizing end users.

Getting the aluminum product that you want means being clear about specifications.

Do you often experience that working with anodizing suppliers can be challenging?

Bowers Aluminum in Battle Creek, Michigan, is planning to expand its manufacturing operations in Battle Creek’s Ft. Custer Industrial Park.

MIL-A-8625 - Anodic Coatings for Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, the primary anodizing specification used in the United States, was revised to MIL-PRF-8625 Revision F and is effective as of Nov. 23, 2020. The specification, as well as previous versions is available for download on the ASSIST online database (assist.dla.mil) and the ASSIST quick search (https://quicksearch.dla.mil/qsSearch.aspx).¹

Valence Everett continues to invest in and diversify its surface treatment capabilities in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of critical Lockheed Martin Aeronautics approved processes in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Water-based chemistries along with electrical power are used to create a coating made primarily of aluminum oxide. The coating actually “grows” out of the metal making the hardness and wear resistance an order of magnitude greater than paint, and unlike paint, both the process and the coating are considered eco- friendly.

Alternative finishes and substitute materials pose market challenges to the anodizing industry.

Valence Seattle successfully completed its expansion and has been offering hard (Type III) anodizing services for the aerospace and defense supply chain in the Pacific Northwest in September 2020.

White spots on black anodized finishes are a common industry problem. There are a variety of reasons why they might occur.

World-renown anodizing subject matter expert Anne Deacon Juhl, Ph.D., is hosting a free webinar about hard anodizing on January 26.