Guest
I have products made for me in Eastern Europe that use aluminum faceplates. We are talking plates that are about 1 by 2 inches. The former supplier for printing the plates with some text and marks in black ink has gone out of business. I have told the factory to go to a silk screen process.
The report I received today says the plates are cracking when bent 90 degrees, which is a part of the manufacturing/assembly process. The printing shop uses anodized aluminum prior to printing. This I understand is pretty common.
I have no training in metallurgy or coatings. I am a EE. My supplier in Europe is an assembly house that builds to my specs, and they have no knowledge either.
Although the reported quality of the printing is good, I can not live with plates that crack and lose strength as the end use is high vibration. Is the anodizing altering the aluminum, making it less ductile, or are we seeing only surface cracks in the coating that have no effect on the final strength of the aluminum. If so, will the cracks at the point of the bend grow, or will it be only a cosmetic issue restrained to the the single area of the bend?
The report I received today says the plates are cracking when bent 90 degrees, which is a part of the manufacturing/assembly process. The printing shop uses anodized aluminum prior to printing. This I understand is pretty common.
I have no training in metallurgy or coatings. I am a EE. My supplier in Europe is an assembly house that builds to my specs, and they have no knowledge either.
Although the reported quality of the printing is good, I can not live with plates that crack and lose strength as the end use is high vibration. Is the anodizing altering the aluminum, making it less ductile, or are we seeing only surface cracks in the coating that have no effect on the final strength of the aluminum. If so, will the cracks at the point of the bend grow, or will it be only a cosmetic issue restrained to the the single area of the bend?
