Written by Tracy Nester, COO, Global Metal Finishing, Inc. The daunting requirements for meeting Government compliance are challenging for any business–even more so for a small business. Secure processes and systems are required to meet compliance for DoD, DFARS, ITAR, NIST, and CMMC 2.0. Simply understanding each requirement is where extreme complexity begins. Global Metal […]
Read moreHere in the metal finishing world, we see significant confusion among customers regarding anodizing and hardcoat anodizing. While many of the customers we work with are renowned precision machine shops that are masters of their craft, they understandably don’t know all the ins and outs of metal finishing. Processes like anodizing and hardcoat anodizing involve […]
Read moreWhen new customers come to us for metal finishing services, one of their biggest concerns is color fading. Anodized aluminum parts can fade once exposed to sunlight, but in many cases, the fading can be minimized—with the right color selections and the right metal finishing partner. Today, we’ll explore a critical concept known as lightfastness […]
Read moreAluminum anodizing is complex because many variables affect the finished product, including the alloy’s purity and the metal’s temper. Therefore, machine shops and metal finishers should work together to understand the desired outcome, allowing the finisher to manage the process and achieve the best possible results. One of the benefits of anodization is its ability […]
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Want to minimize back and forth during the metal finishing quoting process? Be sure to provide as much information as possible when requesting a quote. This advice applies to any customer seeking metal finishing services, but it’s especially important for machine shops requesting these services on behalf of their customers. The longer the supply chain, […]
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When a machine shop requests a quote for metal finishing, the engineer or estimator sending the RFQ is often hesitant to include a 3D model of their part. Understandably, they want to protect the proprietary information contained in these highly detailed files, so they send 2D PDF files only. These PDF files do contain sufficient […]
Read more“What coating thickness range can I expect from anodizing or hardcoat anodizing?” When engineers and machine shops need anodizing services, this is one of the most common questions they ask their metal finishing partner. Anodized coatings change the dimensions of a part, so customers understandably need to know how much growth to account for in […]
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Sending parts to a metal finishing shop for anodizing, chemical passivation, or chromate conversion coating often relies on third-party shippers like UPS, FedEx, or LTL carriers. While these standard shipping methods get the job done sufficiently in most cases, there are significant variables involved that customers must consider. Responsibility lacks when using 3rd party transportation. […]
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[September 2021, Roanoke, VA.] – Each year, major coating and finishing shops across North America participate in Products Finishing’s Top Shops Benchmarking Survey, a program designed to aid finishing shops in measuring their key operating metrics against others in the industry. Launched in 2015, Products Finishing’s Top Shops program helps finishers identify optimal shopfloor practices and […]
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Anodizing is a complex process whose efficacy depends on several different variables. Material surface in particular can have a major impact on the end result of anodizing. Unlike processes such as painting and powder coating, which can mask a part’s imperfections, anodizing has the tendency to highlight any surface issues that occur during machining. In […]
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