As one of the cheaper and more versatile metals on the market, aluminium is a popular choice for a wide variety of construction and engineering projects. Not only is it cost-effective, it is also rust and corrosion resistant and highly-recyclable. Another quality it possesses is its natural shine. Even in its unprocessed state, aluminium is highly reflective. For some applications, an even brighter finish is required. In these instances, chemical brightening is the answer.
Here at Karas Plating, we provide chemical brightening services to companies all over the UK and from a wide range of industry sectors. We have our own team of highly-trained and experienced chemical technicians operated our chemical brightening process. Between them, they have decades of hands-on experience in the industry, guaranteeing quality work on every order.
Industrial Chemical Brightening Solutions
Here at Karas Plating, we have a long history providing chemical brightening for our customers across the UK.
Here is a few examples of what your can expect from the process….
Cleaning
As with most finishing procedures, the aluminium substrate must be free of all contaminates if the chemical brightening process is expected to stick. This includes grease, oil and paint as well as fingerprints and dust. We use a range of techniques including acid baths and washes to get your substrate completely clean prior to application.
Mechanical Polishing
The next step is to polish the substrate using a mechanical buffer or polisher. While this may seem redundant, given we will be subjecting the material to a full chemical treatment, it is an effective way to kickstart the process. Mechanical polishing removes any imperfections from the immediate surface of the aluminium that may have escaped the cleaning process.
Chemical Brightening
With the substrate polished, it is lowered into a specialist chemical solution for brightening. This solution gently dissolves microscopic fragments of aluminium off the surface level of the substrate. This slow dissolution creates an even and uniformed finish to the metal, which is responsible for its subsequent brightness.
The Benefits of Chemical Brightening
There are many reasons to have your aluminium substrate chemically brightened by the team at Karas Plating. Here are some of the more common ones…
Aesthetics
While we concern ourselves with industrial plating processes, many industries – the automotive sector being one of them – require their aluminium substrate to be visually appealing. Other techniques generate such an effective sheen as chemical brightening.
Reflectiveness
Of course, when we talk about brightness, we are really talking about how well the substrate reflects light. Mirrored edges and a strong metal core make chemically brightened aluminium a popular choice in many electronic, scientific, and medical applications.
Reduced Smoothening
Getting a brilliant sheen on aluminium was traditionally achieved using mechanical buffers and polishers, such as we use in the preparation phase. However, these can often smooth out etches, valleys and lines in the substrate, as they operate through friction. Chemical brightening does not take the same kind of toll on the metal.
Hardness
As well as producing an impressive shine on the aluminium, chemical brightening can also harden the substrate itself. While not comparable to plating techniques with this goal in mind, it does add extra durability to the metal.