Anodizing quality issue

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12-17-2016, 01:08 AM
professorquack

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Anodizing quality issue

Hi I recently got a 6061 part that was just machined and bead blasted by another company (very good quality)to be re-bead blasted and anodized. I got them to re blast the part and anodize type 2. Prior the finish was great but it wasn't anodized, now that it's anodized it has patches on it. (They look like news paper texture, or water stains and not uniform dots like prior to bead blast) What reasons would the patches come in, and is it possible to get it fixed? I attached a photo.
Thx
prof quack
12-17-2016, 01:31 AM
mactec54

Re: Anodizing quality issue

Quote:

Originally Posted by professorquack

Hi I recently got a 6061 part that was just machined and bead blasted by another company (very good quality)to be re-bead blasted and anodized. I got them to re blast the part and anodize type 2. Prior the finish was great but it wasn't anodized, now that it's anodized it has patches on it. (They look like news paper texture, or water stains and not uniform dots like prior to bead blast) What reasons would the patches come in, and is it possible to get it fixed? I attached a photo.
Thx
prof quack

Bead Blasting can cause that to the Finish, and also the anodizing process, Bead Blasting is a bad idea, unless you have clean uncontaminated Beads, just for doing aluminum, and you get a perfect uniform finish, which is hard to do, water bead blasting is the best, as it takes away the oxides and leaves a clean surface

To fix it, it would have to be stripped, and try to reblast it, or have the anodizer etch it
12-17-2016, 01:47 AM
professorquack

Quote:

Originally Posted by mactec54

Bead Blasting can cause that to the Finish, and also the anodizing process, Bead Blasting is a bad idea, unless you have clean uncontaminated Beads, just for doing aluminum, and you get a perfect uniform finish, which is hard to do, water bead blasting is the best, as it takes away the oxides and leaves a clean surface

To fix it, it would have to be stripped, and try to reblast it, or have the anodizer etch it

Thx for the quick reply, I saw the prior bead blast result ((from original machinist) and it was pristine except for a minor smudge so the anodizer company said they should reblast it. I didn't see their blast job before they anodized it so I don't know the quality. Will stripping and redoing it make things worse? (Possibly I mean) these are one off prototypes and were a penny so I'd want to minimize the damage.