Clear Anodizing Producing Poor Finish
Clear Anodizing Producing Poor Finish
(OP)
Greetings-
I recently recieved some samples of 6061-T6 Aluminum from a anodizer that were given this military specification: MIL-A-8625F Type II Class I. They showed up like this:
http:/ /www.zipti ed.com/Cop permine/al bums/userp ics/11079/ Photo_0916 08_009.jpg
If you can't see, the finish is very bad. Basically it has these water spots that my customer will NOT accept. What I was wondering is:
1. Is finish typical for the spec I called out above?
2. If so, is there an additional etching spec I should be calling out to prevent this?
Thanks in advance
I recently recieved some samples of 6061-T6 Aluminum from a anodizer that were given this military specification: MIL-A-8625F Type II Class I. They showed up like this:
http:/
If you can't see, the finish is very bad. Basically it has these water spots that my customer will NOT accept. What I was wondering is:
1. Is finish typical for the spec I called out above?
2. If so, is there an additional etching spec I should be calling out to prevent this?
Thanks in advance





RE: Clear Anodizing Producing Poor Finish
coloration resulting from anodic treatment with the various alloy compositions
shall not be considered coloration. The characteristic color Imparted by the
sealing process shall also be considered as non-dyed."
I would argue that the part meets the spec. For true color control class 2 should have specified.
RE: Clear Anodizing Producing Poor Finish
After machining, we normally do some type of surface conditioning to remove machine marks or to give a bighter finish. You might want to consider the same to improve the overall appearance. But I think we would both agree that it must be reworked. If the anodizer it not successful in fixing this problem, I would take my business somewhere else.
RE: Clear Anodizing Producing Poor Finish
Skylerf-
You spoke about some surface conditioning. Can you elaborate? I was going to sand off the scratches before I send them out but if you know something better....
RE: Clear Anodizing Producing Poor Finish
We use vibratory tumbling with plastic media, which does an excellent job of removing machine marks (lathe or milling).
For a rough/satin finish, beadblasting is excellent.
For a mirror finish, buffing with a cotton wheel and polishing compound is excellent. Anodizing will actually give a slightly frosted finish (with a short hot etch cycle time).
There are a lot options out there to look at.