The Benefits of Anodising: Why It’s Essential for Metal Finishing

Anodising is a popular finishing process that enhances the durability and performance of metal components. It creates a tough, corrosion-resistant surface while improving aesthetics and functionality.

If you’re looking for a reliable way to protect and enhance your CNC machined parts, anodising could be the perfect solution.

1. Improved Corrosion Resistance

Metals, especially aluminium, can corrode over time due to exposure to moisture and oxygen. Anodising forms a protective oxide layer on the surface, preventing rust and extending the lifespan of components. This makes it ideal for parts used in outdoor or high-moisture environments.

2. Increased Surface Hardness

Anodised surfaces are much harder than untreated metal, improving resistance to wear and abrasion. This is particularly beneficial for parts that experience frequent handling or friction, such as mechanical components and aerospace fittings.

3. Enhanced Aesthetic Appeal

Anodising allows for a range of colour options, providing an attractive finish without compromising durability. Unlike paint, anodised colour won’t chip or peel, making it a long-lasting solution for decorative and functional applications.

4. Better Adhesion for Coatings and Lubricants

The porous nature of anodised surfaces makes them ideal for bonding with paints, adhesives, and lubricants. This improves performance in applications requiring added coatings, such as automotive and aerospace industries.

5. Environmentally Friendly Process

Anodising is a more eco-friendly finishing process compared to painting or plating. It produces minimal waste and does not involve the use of harmful chemicals, making it a sustainable choice for manufacturers looking to reduce their environmental impact.

6. Low Maintenance and Long Lifespan

Once anodised, metal parts require little maintenance. The surface remains intact without the need for frequent refinishing or repairs, reducing long-term costs and downtime.

Why Choose Anodising for Your CNC Machined Parts?

If you need precision-engineered components that offer durability, protection, and aesthetics, anodising is a great choice. At Presto Engineering, we supply high-quality CNC machined and finished parts, ensuring they meet the highest standards of performance and appearance.

Want to learn more? Get in touch with our team today or visit www.prestoeng.co.uk to explore our expert machining and finishing services.

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Why It’s the Most Used Material in Engineering

Aluminium is one of the most versatile materials used in engineering today. Its unique combination of strength, light weight, and corrosion resistance makes it ideal for many industries. From aerospace to automotive and beyond, aluminium plays a crucial role in manufacturing high-quality components.

But why is it so popular?

Let’s explore its benefits and why it might be the perfect material for your next project.

1. Aluminium is Lightweight Yet Strong

One of aluminium’s biggest advantages is its strength-to-weight ratio. It’s about one-third the weight of steel, making it ideal for applications where weight reduction is important. Lighter materials mean better fuel efficiency in vehicles, easier handling in construction, and reduced stress on mechanical components. Despite its light weight, aluminium is strong enough to withstand demanding environments.

2. Corrosion Resistance for Long-Lasting Durability

Unlike some metals, aluminium naturally forms a protective oxide layer, preventing rust and corrosion. This makes it a great choice for outdoor applications, marine environments, and industries exposed to moisture or harsh conditions. For added protection, aluminium can also be anodised or coated, extending its lifespan even further.

3. Excellent Machinability for Precision Engineering

Aluminium is one of the easiest metals to machine, making it perfect for CNC machining. It allows for high-speed cutting, smooth finishes, and detailed precision work. This reduces production time and costs while maintaining accuracy, which is crucial for industries requiring tight tolerances and complex geometries.

4. High Thermal and Electrical Conductivity

Aluminium conducts heat and electricity efficiently, making it a preferred material in electronics, heat exchangers, and automotive cooling systems. It dissipates heat quickly, reducing the risk of overheating in electrical components and improving overall performance in thermal applications.

5. Environmentally Friendly and Recyclable

Sustainability is a growing concern in manufacturing, and aluminium stands out for its recyclability. It can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality, reducing waste and energy consumption. Using recycled aluminium requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce new aluminium, making it an eco-friendly choice.

6. Cost-Effective Without Compromising Quality

Compared to other metals like titanium or stainless steel, aluminium is relatively affordable. Its availability, ease of machining, and low maintenance costs make it a budget-friendly option for many industries. Choosing aluminium can help manufacturers balance performance and cost efficiency.

Is Aluminium Right for Your Project?

Whether you need lightweight components, corrosion-resistant parts, or precise machining, aluminium is a reliable choice. It’s used in countless applications, from aircraft and medical devices to consumer electronics and industrial machinery.

At Presto Engineering, we specialise in CNC machining of high-quality aluminium components. If you’re unsure whether aluminium is the right material for your project, our experts can help you find the best solution.

For more information, visit www.prestoeng.co.uk or get in touch with our team today!

Contact Us

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Aluminium History

Aluminium is the most widespread metal on Earth, making up more than 8% of the Earth’s core mass. It’s also the third most common chemical element on our planet after oxygen and silicon. The Persians made extra strong pots from clay containing aluminium oxide, dating back to 5300BC. The ancient Greeks and Romans used alum in medicine as an astringent and in dyeing processes. But  Aluminium does not occur naturally in its purest form. It wasn’t until the 19^th Century  with the developments in chemistry and the advent of electricity that aluminium was discovered. It is generally found  in minerals and compounds such as feldspar, beryl, cryolite, and turquoise.The primary raw material for aluminium production is  Bauxite. Bauxite is generally  found in topsoil located in various tropical and subtropical regions, reserves are most abudant  in Africa, Oceania and South America.

In the first stage of aluminium production bauxite is processed into alumina, or aluminium oxide. Alumina looks like white powder and it is then processed into aluminium at aluminium smelters using electrolytic reduction. Aluminium ingots are produced in various shapes and sizes depending on their end use. They may be rolled into plate, sheet, foil, bars or rods.

Aluminium Smelting

Benefits

Lightweight

A known lightweight metal, it has a specific weight of approximately 2.71 g/cm3. It’s about a third of the weight of steel, which makes it easier and cheaper to transport than most other metals. The strength of aluminium can be adapted using varying alloying elements to provide better benefits including higher strength or easier formability.

Corosion Resistance

Aluminium is a corrosion resistant metal that naturally generates a protective coating. The coating formed is extremely thin and is generated when aluminium comes into contact with an oxidising environment. This protective aluminium oxide layer helps protect the surface of the metal from corrosion. Additionally, getting surface treatment such as painting or anodising can further improve the overall corrosion resistance of the metal.

Electrical and Thermal Conductivity

It is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Although aluminium is not as conductive as copper  but it is approximately a third of the weight. An aluminium wire with half the weight of a copper wire would have the same amount of electrical resistance. As a result, it is the chosen material for power transmission lines. It is also an excellent conductor of heat. It is used as heatsinks in  applications such as LED lights, electrical products, computer motherboards, etc.

Reflectivity 

Another benefit of Aluminium is that it serves as a good reflector. Aluminium is used in rescue blankets and light fittings because of its ability to reflect both light and heat.

Odourless and Impermeable

Even with 0.007 mm thickness of aluminium foil, it is still impermeable and doesn’t have a substance taste or smell. This is non-toxic and often used for packaging of the sensitive products including pharmaceuticals and food.

Recyclability

Aluminium is a 100% recyclable and during the recycling process, it retains all of its original properties. It is more cost-effective to use recycled metal than prime metal out of the ground.

For more information about Presto Engineering please visit our website here and if you would like a quote or to discuss a project with us please call us on 01865 883508 or e-mail: sales@prestoeng.co.uk.

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Extrusion is defined as the process of shaping material. In this case aluminium, by forcing it to flow through a shaped opening in a die.  Extruded material emerges as an elongated piece with the same profile as the die opening.  The extrusion process makes the most of aluminium’s durability, flexibility and light weight.  Its malleability allows it to be easily machined and cast. Aluminium is one third the density and stiffness of steel so the resulting products offer strength and stability.

Why use Aluminium Extrusion?

The aluminium extrusion process provides almost unlimited opportunities to the product designer with the added benefit of low tooling costs and short lead times.  Components can be designed to incorporate extra features that provide fixings, channels and interlocking systems that preclude the need for additional parts.  These features can even be incorporated so that they enhance the structural strength of the assembly.

The use of  extrusions in combination with novel fabrication techniques can be a low cost tooling solution.  The prototype costs can be reduced during design and the manufacturing technology is easily transferred into full production.

It is not just in new product design where the benefits of aluminium extrusions can be appreciated.    In existing products the substitution of other materials and processes with aluminium extrusions can result in cost saving through fewer components, reduced finishing, simplified assembly and improved supply chain logistics.

The Extrusion Process

There are two main methods of extrusion – direct and indirect.  Direct extrusion is the most frequently used  whereby the die head is held stationary and the aluminium billet is forced through the die using a moving ram.  In indirect extrusion, the aluminium billet is held stationary and the ram moves the die to exert pressure in the stationary billet.

Direct extrusion is commonly used in the manufacture of solid rods, bars, and hollow tubes. The design of the die can be modified to produce a wide variety of solid and hollow profiles.

The material for making extrusions is the aluminium log.  These are cast in lengths of up to 7 metres and available in a wide range of alloys and diameters.  After casting they are further heat treated (homogenised) before being supplied to the customer.

The first operation is to cut the long extrusion log into suitable lengths for extrusion based on press capacity and the final extruded length which is typically 400mm to 1000mm.  The cut log (or billet) is fed into the billet heater where it is heated to 400-500^oC.  The exact temperature will depend on the alloy shape, complexity and other process parameters.

Extrusion involves pressing a preheated  ingot (450-500^oC) under high pressure (1600-6500 tons depending on the size of the press) through a die the opening of which corresponds to the cross-section of the extrusion.  In the traditional direct method of extrusion the die is stationary.  The length may be as long as 50 metres and may consist of one strand or multiple strands of the same section.

The extrusion is cut and moved along the cooling table.  When cooled it is  moved to the stretcher which straightens the extrusion and performs ‘work hardening’ or molecular re-alignment which gives it increased hardness and improved strength.

Some of the benefits of using Aluminium Extrusion

In general and extrusions in particular, offer a number of benefits relative to alternative materials and processes including:-

Lightweight 

Aluminium is about 1/3 the weight of iron, steel, copper or brass. Making  extrusions easier to handle, less expensive to ship, and an attractive material for use in applications where weight reduction is a priority such as transportation and other applications involving moving parts.

Strong

Aluminium extrusions can be made as strong as needed. Due to the nature of the extrusion process, the strength can be concentrated where it is rquired by including varying wall thicknesses and internal reinforcement in the profile design.  Cold-weather applications are particularly well served by extrusions, as it becomes stronger as temperatures fall.

High in strength-to-weight ratio

Aluminium extrusions unique combination of high strength and low weight makes them ideal for applications like aerospace and bridges where load carrying is a key performance.

Resilient

Aluminium combines strength with flexibility, and can flex under loads or spring back from the shock of impact, leading to the use of extruded components in automotive crash management systems.

Corrosion resistant

Aluminium extrusions offer excellent corrosion resistance.  They do not rust, and the aluminium surface is protected by its own naturally occurring oxide file, a protection that can be enhanced by anodizing or other finishing processes.

Quick-to-market

Tooling is relatively inexpensive with generally short lead times, facilitating swift prototype development, testing, and product launch.

Easy to fabricate & assemble

Effective design can greatly simplify subsequent fabrication and assembly, and there are a wide variety of fabrication processes that are routinely employed in the production of extrusion-based components and assemblies.

Sustainable

Aluminium can be recycled with no degradation in properties. Aluminium extrusions are often produced with high recycled content without compromise to aesthetics or functionality.

Contact

If you would like further information on Aluminium Extrusion or any other topic relating to CNC milling of aluminium machined components please get in touch at sales@prestoeng.co.uk.

For more information about Presto Engineering please visit our website here and if you would like a quote or to discuss a project with us please call us on 01865 883508 or e mail Julian at sales@prestoeng.co.uk.

The post The Ins and Outs of Aluminium Extrusion first appeared on Presto Engineering.

The post The Ins and Outs of Aluminium Extrusion appeared first on Presto Engineering.

Example of an extruded electronics casing manufactured by Presto Engineering.What are the benefits of Aluminium extrusion?

There are many benefits of using Aluminium extrusions these being some of the main ones.

1. Low tooling costs and short lead times.
2. The ability to reduce the number of components and cost in an assembly by using features such as clip fits, screw ports and PCB location grooves.
3. Once the tooling costs are covered the shape of the section is effectively free of charge, as you only pay for the material used.
4. Inherent excellent corrosion resistance means components have a long life span.
5. If aesthetics are important and finishing is required there are a range of options from polishing, bead blasting and brushing through to anodising and painting.
6. Inherent high thermal conductivity so ideal for heat loss applications such as heatsinks.
7. Good ductility and low melting point make Aluminium easy to work with, and able to be extruded into open, semi closed and closed profiles.
8. High strength to weight ratio which can be adjusted with the use of alloys to give the strength of steel with only one third the weight.
9. Environmentally friendly as end of life components can be 100% recycled.
10. Extrusions can be easily machined or worked using a variety of methods.

Some common applications.

• Building Industry.

– Profiles used in doors, windows, cladding, guttering roofing and skylights.

• Transportation.

-More than a quarter of Aluminium produced is used in the Transportation                                    industry. Originally used for its light weight in aerospace it is now widely used in                      cars, buses, lorries, trains, motorcycles and bicycles.

• Consumer applications.

-Sports equipment, cases, chassis and heatsinks for electronics equipment,                                 furniture.

Example of an Aluminium Panel manufactured by Presto Engineering

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