Why is anodised aluminium so widely used in manufacturing?

Aluminium is the most abundant metal element on planet earth – this is somewhat fortunate as it is currently being consumed in prodigious quantities across the globe: in excess of 40 million tons of aluminium are smelted each year.

Key characteristics

Aluminium is a lightweight, highly conductive, reflective and non-toxic metal that can be easily manipulated and machined. The metal is highly durable and has numerous properties that make it an ideal material for many industrial applications.

Applications and uses

Aluminium is widely used across many industries and found in a vast array of applications and products. Anodised aluminium parts are commonly found in aviation, automotive, marine and construction components, as well as consumer goods such as domestic appliances, sports equipment and electronics to name but a few.

What is Anodising?

Anodising is a method of increasing the corrosion resistance of a metal component by forming a layer of oxide on its surface. Anodising increases resistance to corrosion and wear, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than bare metal does.

How is Anodising performed?

An electrolytic process is used to create the protective oxide coating. The aluminium component that is being treated forms the anode of an electrical circuit. The component is submerged in an electrolytic solution bath along with a cathode. When a current is passed through an electrolytic solution, hydrogen is released from the cathode and oxygen forms on the surface of the aluminium anode. This results in a metal oxide film growing on the surface of the aluminium component being processed.

Benefits of Anodising

Anodised aluminium provides a large number of benefits over non-anodised components including:

• an extremely durable, hard and abrasion resistant
• the anodised finish does not peel or chip
• a very thin coating compared to paints and powders
• a much harder surface than paint and powders
• longer life-span, lasts indefinitely
• inexpensive compared to painting and powder coating
• environmentally friendly, can easily be recycled

Anodised aluminium nameplates

Because anodising provides greater resistance to chemical attack and scratching, it makes it ideal for applications where the environment is more severe and traditional printed plates may not be suitable, and hence why we use it extensively in our nameplates. Aluminium also makes for an ideal material for simple data tags, through to large one-off signs.

For advice or to find out more about our anodised aluminium nameplates, call us on 01473 820060 or email sales@Informproducts.co.uk

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