Glossary
Anodising — definition
An electrochemical process that grows a hard oxide layer on an aluminium surface, which can be dyed.
Unlike paint, the anodised layer does not sit on top of the metal — it is grown from the metal itself. That makes it wear resistant and gives good corrosion protection without adding appreciable thickness.
An important limitation for castings: casting alloys with a high silicon content do not anodise as attractively as rolled or extruded aluminium products. The silicon particles do not oxidise, and the result is darker and less even than customers used to anodised profiles expect.
If a casting is to be anodised and look good, this has to be settled early — both the alloy and the expectation.
We do not anodise in house. It is outsourced, and we manage the step.