Finishing
The Electro-Flocking Process
The textural effect which results from the flocking process can be created in a variety of ways. Different techniques are selected, based on the surface or object to be flocked.
Flock fibres are applied to adhesive coated surfaces either mechanically, electrostatically or by a combination of both techniques.
Flock can be random or precision cut providing different pile effects. Common materials used to manufacture flock include: cotton, rayon, acrylic, nylon, polyester.
The feel of the flocked surface is closely related to the size of the fibre and the cutting method. Random cut flock gives a short pile whilst precision cut flock allows for the pile depth to be specified.
The Flocking Process
A wide range of flocking machinery exists for a variety of applications; however, the process fundamentally remains the same.
Step 1 – Pre-treatment of the substrate (where necessary)
Step 2 – Adhesive application
Step 3 – Flock application
Step 4 – Preliminary cleaning (removal of excess flock by suction)
Step 5 – Drying / curing of adhesive
Step 6 – Final cleaning (removal of excess flock by suction, brushing and /or beating)
Advantages of using Flocking.
1. Flocking adhesive can provide a decorative finish.
Flocking can add visual details that enable hard objects to feel soft to the touch. Flocking can give a luxurious look to your finished product.
2. Flocking is the best method for adhering to 3D substrates.
Flocking can be used on various materials, including metals, plastics, fiberglass, vinyl, etc. By adding the flocking material to your product, it can provide strength and toughness. The durability of flocking can ensure your product will be long lasting.
3. Flexibility in flocking allows for a broad assortment of operations.
Flocking has multiple properties that can improve your product. The properties that can enhance the use of your product include anti-slip, absorbency, sealing and receptive characteristics. Flocking can also improve your product for production and quality standards.
Electrostatic Powder Coating Process
The electrostatic powder coating process is a method of applying electrically–charged powder coating materials to grounded parts. Powder is held to the part by this electrostatic attraction until heat is added to flow the powder together and cure it.
Powder may adhere to the workpiece for several hours before curing. If the uncured powder coat is damaged or blemished during handling, powder can simply be blown off with air or vacuumed and a new coat applied.
More and more companies specify powder coatings for a high-quality, durable finish, allowing for maximized production, improved efficiencies and simplified environmental compliance. Used as functional (protective) and decorative finishes, powder coatings are available in an almost limitless range of colours and textures, allowing technological advancements to result in excellent performance properties.
Powder coating is a high-quality finish found on thousands of products you encounter each day. Powder coating protects the roughest, toughest machinery as well as the household items you depend on daily. It provides a more durable finish than liquid paints can offer, whilst still providing an attractive finish. Powder coated products are more resistant to diminished coating quality as a result of impact, moisture, chemicals, ultraviolet light and other extreme weather conditions. In turn, this reduces the risk of scratches, chipping, abrasions, corrosion, fading and other wear issues.
It's tough. It looks great. And, it lasts a long, long time. In addition to being durable, powder coating is an attractive choice due to environmental advantages.
Wet-Spray Painting Process
Wet-spray painting is the traditional process of applying liquid paint to a product for finishing. It is essential that the object is cleaned and prepared before the paint is applied for a high-quality finish. Preparation can include filling, sanding, bead blasting or the removal of existing coating. It is a fast and consistent process in which paint can be applied to almost any surface; a mist of paint is sprayed onto the surface before being left to dry.
There are several benefits of wet-spray painting:
Allows for large, heavy and awkwardly shaped objects to be painted: Wet-spray painting is particularly useful for large, heavy, awkwardly shaped objects which cannot be hung for powder coating.
Speed and efficiency: When it comes to speed and efficiency, wet-spray painting can be beneficial. This is particularly the case when trying to cover large surfaces; wet-spray paint can cover a large surface area in a matter of hours.
An infinite range of colours available: Flexibility when choosing a colour to match your brand requirements can be achieved due to the infinite range of colours available. Unique colours can be achieved via mixing several paints together with a high degree of precision; this is the case with metallic and non-metallic colours.
Can be used for a range of materials: A wide variety of materials can be used for wet-spray painting, from ferrous and non-ferrous metals, to plastic and wooden components.
Particularly ideal for applications which cannot be heated: It is a process which is useful for parts which cannot be heated for powder coating. Wet-spray painting gives you the option to air-dry or bake your product for finishing.
High quality spray finish: Wet-spray painting allows you to achieve a range of gloss levels and textures to achieve a consistent, thorough, high quality finish across the surface area.
Electroplating Process
Electroplating is the process of applying a metal coating on another piece of metal (or another conductive surface) through an electro-deposition process. In electroplating, the deposited metal becomes part of the existing product with the plating / coating. It is done for various purposes, most commonly for corrosion resistance and decorative appearance.
When electroplating, both an anode and a cathode (the metal part to be coated) are immersed in an electrolytic bath that is composed of a solution of salts, including the metal to be plated. A direct current (DC) of electricity is passed through the solution, effecting the transfer of metal ions onto the cathodic surface, plating the metal onto the item.
There are several advantages of this process:
Corrosion resistance: a corrosion-prone substance such as steel can be coated with a layer of non-corrosive material, thereby protecting the original material.
Decorative items: shine and lustre can be imparted to otherwise dull surfaces. This makes for great decorative items.
Improving mechanical characteristics: electroplating can also improve the mechanical characteristics of metals.
Silk-Screening
Screen printing really is unrivalled when it comes to flexibility. You can print on almost anything as a surface (if it’s flat) including plastic, metal and wood to name just a few. Silkscreen Printing is a stencilling method that involves printing ink through stencils that are supported by a porous fabric mesh stretched across a frame called a screen.
Typically, screen printing is great for applications such as: Fascias, metal panels, vinyl stickers, polypropylene wallets and binders and anything requiring a metallic finish. Of course, there are pros and cons to every printing method, and the route you choose should be decided by what kind of project you have and what kind of design you are looking to achieve.
If you are looking to print a simple design, logo or text, then screen printing is the ideal method to choose. Screen printing is best for artwork that has solid colour. Gradients can also be achieved with screen printing and will leave you with a crisp, sharp design.
One of the beauties of screen printing is that the more products you print, you will achieve lower costs. Despite having a complex set up process, screen printing usually only needs to be set up once, so you can prepare your designs, text and go!
While screen printing is ideal for products in high volumes, it isn’t as cost effective if you have only a few items to print. The setup time is complex and involved so printing in low quantities will not necessarily provide you with a cost-effective result.
Anodising
Amongst metals widely used in manufacturing, anodising is unique to aluminium and enhances the surface of the aluminium. One of the biggest advantages of using an anodised finish is the amount of additional strength that it gives to aluminium, because anodising is a surface treatment that integrates completely with the metal’s surface, rather than just coating it. It produces a thick oxide coating that gives an improved surface resistance to wear and corrosion, for environmental conditions or as a decorative finish, that is exceptionally recyclable and therefore more sustainable and eco-friendlier.
Anodised aluminium is used for many purposes, most of which focus on the idea of creating a porous surface. Whenever an aluminium object needs to be painted or dyed, it must be anodised first so that the paint or dye sticks.
Before anodising can be undertaken, the aluminium alloy surface needs to be given a pre-treatment. This pre-treatment will influence the final appearance and properties of the anodised coating. These conventional anodised coatings are porous and clear, and are normally used with coloured dyes to give a decorative coating.
Advantages of anodising
Improved corrosion resistance
Superb colour stability
Low fingerprint sensitivity
Scratch resistance for high value products
Possibility for a different decorative surface, e.g. by colouring
The primary advantage of anodising your aluminium component is increased durability and lifespan.
Engraving Process
The principal advantage of an engraved nameplate or etched sign is that the image is actually cut into the surface of the sign’s material by either a mechanical or chemical process, the end result of which is an image that is permanent and cannot be defaced. The colour of the image is applied after the engraving or etching process has taken place by infilling special paint into the cut away parts of the image.
The durability of an engraved or etched sign is well known, as the process has been used for many years. New developments in machinery and materials have enabled any kind of engraving to suit different budgets, environments, and uses, whilst maintaining the highest standards in quality and production speed.
Depending on the nature of the design you require and it’s complexity, we can choose the most appropriate technique to produce your requirements (engraved or etched). Artwork is not always needed but in some cases it will be required.
Galvanising
Galvanising is one of the most widely used methods for protecting metal from corrosion. It involves applying a thin coating of zinc to a thicker base metal, helping to shield it from the surrounding environment.
Quite simply, galvanising a metal gives it anti-corrosion properties. Without the protective zinc coating, the metal would remain exposed to the elements and potentially oxidize and corrode much faster. Galvanised Steel is a cost-effective alternative to using materials such as austenitic stainless steel or aluminium in order to prevent corrosion.
Galvanising can protect metal in several ways. Firstly, it creates a protective coating that shields the metal from the surrounding environment. The layer of zinc prevents water, moisture and other elements in the air from corroding the steel underneath. Should the zinc coating be scratched deep enough, the metal would become exposed and susceptible to corrosion.
Different Methods of Galvanising
There are several different processes for galvanising metal:
Hot-Dip Galvanising
As the name implies, this method involves dipping the base metal into a molten pool of zinc. First, the base metal must be cleaned, either mechanically, chemically or both to assure a quality bond can be made between the base metal and the zinc coating. Once cleaned, the base metal is then fluxed to rid it of any residual oxides that might remain after the cleaning process. The base metal is then dipped into a liquid bath of heated zinc and a metallurgical bond is formed.
The advantages of this method are that it is economical; it can be performed quickly and to complex shapes. However, the final coating can be inconsistent relative to other galvanising processes.
Pre-galvanising
This method is very similar to hot-dip galvanising but is performed at the steel mill, usually on materials that already have a specific shape. Pre-galvanising involves rolling metal sheet through a similar cleaning process to that of the hot-dip galvanising process. The metal is then passed through a pool of hot, liquid zinc and then recoiled.
An advantage of this method is that large coils of steel sheet can be rapidly galvanised with a more uniform coating compared to hot-dip galvanising. A disadvantage is that once fabrication of the pre-galvanised metal begins, exposed, uncoated areas will become present. This means that when a long coil of sheet is cut into smaller sizes, the edges where the metal is cut are left exposed.
Electro-galvanising
Unlike the previous processes, electro-galvanizing does not use a molten bath of zinc. Instead, this process utilizes an electrical current in an electrolyte solution to transfer zinc ions onto the base metal. This involves electrically reducing positively charged zinc ions to zinc metal which are then deposited on the positively charged material. Grain refiners can also be added which helps to ensure a smooth zinc coating on the steel. Like the pre-galvanising process, electro galvanising is typically applied continuously to a roll of sheet metal. Some advantages of this process are a uniform coating and precise coating thickness. However, the coating is typically thinner than the coating of zinc achieved by the hot-dip galvanising method which can result in reduced corrosion protection.