Metal Surface Treatment Processes

6. Brushed Metal

Brushed metal is a kind of surface treatment that grinds surfaces of workpieces and forms patterns of very fine lines on workpieces’ surfaces, and brushed metal can make metal parts have decorative effects. Brushed metal can be classified into straight line brushed metal, disorderly line brushed metal, etc., according to the different brushing direction.
 

Technical Features

Brushed metal processes can make surfaces of metal parts have metallic lustre; meanwhile, brushed metal processes can also eliminate fine flaws on metal parts’ surfaces.

 

7. Abrasive Blasting

Abrasive blasting is also known as sand blasting, which is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface of a workpiece under high speed in order to change the outside surface or the shape of the workpiece and to obtain a certain degrees of cleanliness and different roughness.

 

Technical Features

1. Abrasive blasting can remove the tiny burr on the surface of the workpiece, make the surface of the workpiece more smooth, eliminate the hazard of the burr and improve the quality of the workpiece.

 

2. Abrasive blasting can improve the finish of the workpiece and make the workpiece have uniform metal colors, which can make the appearance of the workpiece more beautiful.

 

8. Polishing

Polishing uses flexible polishing tools and abrasive particles or other polishing media to work on surfaces of workpieces.

 

Choosing the appropriate polishing wheel for rough polishing (the basic polishing process) and fine polishing can achieve the best polishing effect and improve the polishing efficiency based on the different polishing process.

 

Technical Features

Polishing can improve dimensional accuracy and geometry accuracy of workpieces, make metal parts’ surfaces have smooth surfaces or specular gloss and eliminate gloss on metal parts’ surfaces.

 

9. The etching

The etching is also known as optical chemical etching, which refers to the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. 

 

Advantages

1. The etching can finely process surfaces of metal parts.

2. The etching can make surfaces of metal parts have special effects.

 

Disadvantages

Corrosive liquids such as acid and alkali which are used for etching processes mostly are harmful to the environment.