SURFACE FINISHING

Mechanical Finishing

Mechanical finishing involves using one or more processes to physically alter the surface of a material. Unlike chemical treatments, mechanical finishing uses physical forces like abrasion, pressure, or friction to accomplish the goal.

Some of EMI's mechanical finishing methods include:

• Deburring
• Sanding
• Tumbling
• Polishing
• Media Blasting
• Passivation
• Grinding, Honing & Lapping [link]

Chemical Finishing

Chemical finishing uses controlled chemical reactions to create a protective layer on or alter the part's surface.

• Additive
  • Certain chemical finishing processes are additive, applying a layer of material to the base part. Examples include electroplating, anodizing (Types II and III), conversion coatings, paint and powder coating.
• Subtractive
  • Some chemical finishing processes are extractive, removing ions and molecules to achieve the desired end state. A good example of this is pickling.
• Neither Additive nor Subtractive
  • A subset of chemical finishing methods results in essentially no dimensional change. These are passivation, electropolishing and Type I chromic acid anodizing, chem films including alodine and other specialized processes like tiodize.

A partial list of EMI's chemical finishing methods includes:

• Electropolishing
• Electrolytic & Electroless Plating
• Anodizing
• Pickling
• Passivation
• Chem Films
• Conversion Coatings
• Black Oxide
• Phosphating
• Paint
• Powder Coating

Of course, if you need a specialty coating and you don't see it above, reach out anyway. Chances are good that we can make it happen.

A Final Word About Finishing

It's the final result that matters. Whether your project requires mechanical surface finishing, chemical surface finishing, or both, in all cases EMI will determine the best combination of machining and finishing to achieve the final tolerances required.