ANODIZED - Fort Wayne Anodizing's processes

Automotive Finishing, Spring, 2001 by Beverly A. Graves

During vacuum impregnation, a vacuum system is used to draw air and volatile materials from the castings' porosity. Once the vacuum is drawn, a liquid sealant is drawn into the pores of the casting, creating an airtight seal. Impregnation is the fastest and most effective method of eliminating porosity and interior corrosion in metal castings, forgings, powdered metal parts and plastics. FWA claims it can recover up to 95% of rejects using this method. The company has both dry (vacuum and pressure) and wet (vacuum only) processes.

In addition to vacuum impregnation and hard coat anodizing, FWA offers sulfuric acid anodizing, dying, chromate conversion coating and its new Metabrite process (see sidebar). And the company is always growing. "When I started here in 1974, we had 4 employees, maybe 3 customers and did about $150,000 in business. In 2000, we did $6,000,000 worth of business with 656 different customers across the United States," noted Mr. Branstrator. "We are an ISO 9002 certified job shop. We handle small runs; we handle jobs with millions of pieces. If it needs anodizing, we can do it."

Each customer of Fort Wayne Anodizing, large or small, is unique and poses its own challenge. The company welcomes the challenge of meeting each customer's requirements with on-time delivery and competitive prices. An on-line tracking system is integrated throughout the plant to provide instant product traceability. Using this system, the company can schedule and consistently monitor the status of production to meet the demanding deadlines of its customers, including the automotive manufacturers.

Metabrite is an environmentally friendly, chemical/mechanical process that gives diecast and sand-cast parts the same bright, high-luster finish. It can be used as an alter native process to painting, powder coating, buffing and polishing. When combined with anodizing, the resulting parts meet or exceed ASTM and military standards for strength and corrosion resistance. It meets a minimum salt spray of 336 hr per ASTM B117.

The process allows engineers to design components that combine diecast and sand-cast parts into one assembly. The coating will not flake or shed. Also, labor is minimized because no masking is required.

During the process, contaminants that inhibit anodizing, such as silicone, are brought to the surface. Mechanical finishing is used to remove the contaminants, resulting in bright, shiny parts. As a finishing process it can be a standalone final production step. However, it can also undergo additional finishing such as anodizing and chromate conversion coating. "Usually, an anodized part looks like a piece of charcoal," commented Mr. Branstrator, vice president of operations at Ft. Wayne Anodizing. "With the Metabrite process we can take a sand or diecast part and anodize it and dye it black and it looks as though it is plastic or it has been painted."

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