Metal Finishing Blog | AOTCO

Metal Finishing Glossary

Written by AOTCO | Jun 13, 2018

When you need polished metal, it can be very confusing to understand what kind of metal finishing in Massachusetts you require, too. Take a look at these commonly used terms to help you understand the differences and also help you decide what you need.

 

Abrasive Blasting

A method of smoothing a surface by shooting abrasive material against the metal surface.

 

Alloy

An alloy is another metal made of two or more elements.

 

Anodizing

A process that converts the metal surface to an anodic oxide. This also prevents corrosion. Anodizing often gets used on aluminum.

 

Conversion Coating

Conversion coating is a process that converts the outer layer of a metal to another elemental makeup. The method can also improve corrosion resistance or conductivity.

 

Corrosion

Corrosion is the deterioration of metal. A variety of reasons can cause it.

 

Electroless Nickel

Another method of plating metal with nickel that doesn't require electricity.

 

Electroplating

A method of plating metal using electrolytic deposition.

 

Electropolish

A method of polishing metal using electricity.

 

Gold Plating

A method of coating metal with gold. The process can also improve conductivity.

 

Hardcoat

Hardcoat is an anodizing process that also creates a durable surface finish on the metal.

 

Masking

A process where only part of the metal gets exposed to the finishing process.

 

Mechanical Cleaning

Mechanical cleaning is a cleaning process that uses abrasives such as sandpaper instead of chemical cleaning agents.

 

Media Blasting

A cleaning that involves blasting the metal surface with abrasives to remove dirt and also grease.

 

Passivation

A metal treatment which also reduces the chemical activity on the metals’ surface.

 

Plating

Plating is another finishing in Massachusetts process. The process involves covering the surface of a metal with another kind of metal.

 

Tin-Lead Plating

Tin-lead plating is another plating method that coats the metal with a layer of tin and also lead.

 

For quality metal finishing in Massachusetts, contact AOTCO today. We're happy to help. Give us a call at (978)-667-8298 and see what we can do for you today!