Finishing Services

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Solutions Manufacturing offers several value-added metal finishing services to complement our core manufacturing capabilities. From anodizing and plating to painting, powder coating, and silk-screening, these services allow us to deliver complete solutions for every client’s request. Our start-to-finish manufacturing approach means we also assist with design for manufacturability, prototyping, process development, and project scheduling.

Value-Added Finishing Services

Value-added services are designed to supplement or enhance a product before its final delivery to the customer. In the CNC machining industry, these services often involve adding finishing touches to a part to maximize its value and performance for a specific application. Value-added services allow the manufacturer to provide high-quality, ready-to-use solutions that meet the customer’s exact specifications.
Benefits of choosing a manufacturer with value-added finishing capabilities include:
●  Time-tested partnerships: Value-added finishing services allow the customer to feel confident that their product is receiving the time and attention it requires to fully succeed in its application. Finishes are often critical to a part’s performance, especially in harsh industrial environments. At SMI, we use high-quality vendors, held to the strictest standards, to achieve the desired finish for your components.
●  Better customization:  Manufacturers with finishing capabilities can provide custom recommendations for improving the final product’s functionality and appearance.
●  Cost savings:  Value-added services cut costs by streamlining production and minimizing the number of vendors required to complete the product.
●  Simplified production:  Manufacturers with value-added finishing services work with the customer to configure the optimal combination of manufacturing and finishing services that will streamline overall production.

Metal Finishing Capabilities

Our value-added metal finishing services are aimed at enhancing the performance and appearance of precision metal components. Specific services include:
●  Anodizing:  Anodizing is an electrolytic process that creates a corrosion-resistant, attractive, and durable layer on the metal’s surface. Hard anodizing is a subtype of this process that produces a thicker anodized layer, which offers enhanced abrasion resistance.
●  Chem-film coating:  Chem-film coating is a chromate conversion coating created by a chemical reaction at the metal’s surface. Usually performed on aluminum parts, chem-film coating improves corrosion resistance while also providing a more suitable surface for paint adhesion.
●  Electropolishing:  Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that dissolves a thin layer from the metal’s surface, to address microscopic imperfections, leaving a smoother and shinier finish. This process is ideal for polishing delicate or geometrically complex components.
●  Painting:  For industrial applications, paint is often added to a metal part to protect the underlying surface from humidity, acid, abrasives, and other chemical or physical stresses.
●  Passivation:  Metal passivation is a chemical treatment that uses nitric acid or citric acid to remove ferrous contaminants such as free iron. This creates a protective oxide layer on the metal’s surface that prevents corrosion, extends the product’s life, and reduces the need for maintenance.
●  Plating:  Metal plating is the process of applying a thin coating of metal to the surface of a conductive workpiece. The coating hardens the part while improving its corrosion resistance and weatherability.
●  Powder coating: Often used as an alternative to painting, metal powder coatings are applied to improve part appearance and durability. An electric charge allows the dry, free-flowing powder to adhere to the metal’s surface, and a subsequent heat treatment ensures a strong bond between the substrate and the powder.
●  Silk-screening:  With silk-screening, a scraper tool/squeegee is used to force ink or paint through a porous fabric onto the underlying material. This process can transfer graphics, labels, or decorative images to the metal component.

Contact Solutions Manufacturing, Inc. for Finishing Services Today

At Solutions Manufacturing, we understand that a high-quality finish can go a long way towards improving a component’s functionality or protecting it from harsh environments. We work with clients across many industries to provide full-service, customized manufacturing and finishing solutions that meet various functional and aesthetic specifications. With a range of in-house equipment and strong relationships with approved finishers, we have the resources and expertise to meet the needs of any project.

Contact us or request a quote to learn more about our value-added finishing services and other capabilities.