Finishing and Surface Treatment Services

Finishing and surface treatment services pretreat or finish the surfaces of manufactured components to meet roughness or surface condition requirements. Common processes include anodizing, blasting, buffing, polishing, electropolishing, chemical finishing, deburring, deflashing, honing, mass finishing, passivation, pickling, sanding, and grinding. Some finishing and surface treatment services process new components or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. Others restore damaged surfaces or provide services at customer sites or in the field. Finishing and surface treatment services are located across the United States and around the world. Many meet International Standards Organization (ISO) requirements or automotive, aerospace, military, or OEM specifications. 

Finishing and surface treatment services use a variety of systems, equipment, and techniques for finishing and surface treatment. Anodizing uses electrolytic oxidation to improve the corrosion resistance of aluminum and aluminum-based alloys. Blasting uses a power sprayer or tumble chamber to remove all of a metal's visible rust, mill scale, paint and contaminants. Buffing, polishing and other belting processes are smoothing operations that change a metal's surface appearance. Chemical finishing and conversion processes apply black oxide or phosphate coatings to improve surface adhesion. Deburring or radiusing rounds sharp edges or corners. Deflashing removes lines from forging, casting or molding operations. Electropolishing uses a combination of rectified current and a blended chemical electrolyte bath to remove flaws from the surface of a metal part. Honing and superfinishing are precision finishing process that generate very flat, smooth or low Ra surface finishes. Mass finishing processes are used for bulk processing. Oxygen cleaning removes combustible oils, greases or other materials that could cause an accidental fire or explosion when in contact with oxygen. Passivation removes "free iron" contamination left behind on the surface of stainless steel during machining and fabricating. Many finishing and surface treatment services perform processes that use etchants, acids, or acid pickles to chemically remove a layer of surface material or sharp edges. Sanding and grinding processes are used for rough to fine surface finishing.

Finishing and surface treatment services vary in terms of material processing capabilities and certification or quality requirements. Some companies process parts made from aluminum, copper, nickel, iron, cast iron, steel, stainless steel, titanium and precious metals. Others process ceramics, metallized ceramics, composites, carbides, glass, plastics and polymers. Certification and quality requirements for finishing and surface treatment services include ISO 9001:2000, ISO TS16949, AS 9100, and QS 9000. AS 9100 is a set of quality guidelines and requirements published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in cooperation with major aerospace manufacturers. QS 9000 is a quality standard for suppliers of DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation. Companies that meet U.S. military specifications (MIL-SPEC) and comply with OEM-specific requirements also provide finishing and treatment services.

• Effect of Low Plasticity Burnishing (LPB) on the HCF Life of IN718 (.pdf)
  High cycle fatigue (HCF) ultimately limits the performance of aircraft and automotive components, increases maintenance costs and reduces the service life. The HCF life of automotive and aerospace...
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