Many industrial operations choose to invest in die casting surface treatment for their parts. Here are a number of worthwhile casting surface finish options to consider:

1. Paint: Paint or powder coat paint is a natural coating for your die cast parts. When you apply paint or powder coat paint to a pre-treated or non-treated metal surface, you get a part that looks great and that you can customize to suit your brand.

2. Aluminum Passivation: This coating for aluminum parts, also called conversion coating, is a thin film added to your part for corrosion resistance without dampening the conductivity of the part.

3. Anodizing: There are three kinds of anodizing that we commonly use when coating metal parts. Type I anodizing, also called chromic acid anodizing, involves the use of toxic chromic acid and is therefore typically only used in situations where maximum corrosion resistance is needed. Type II anodizing is the most common type and provides corrosion resistance while improving the appearance of your part. Type III, or hard coat anodizing, is a hard coating that significantly increases the surface hardness of your part to reduce metal abrasion and wear.

4. Casting Impregnation: Some porosity is often unavoidable during metal casting. In many cases, small pores will not significantly affect the structural integrity of your part and can be ignored. However, if your part must be absolutely solid and pressure tight, you must take measures to eliminate porosity. Casting impregnation fills in and seals tiny pores in parts that must be completely pressure-tight.

5. Ecoat: This method uses electrical current to deposit the paint. It provides corrosion protection over long periods of time and is generally cheaper than other painting options.

Additional coating options that can protect your die cast part from abrasion, improve corrosion resistance or increase the cosmetic appeal of your part can include:

Chrome plating

Nickel Plating

Teflon®

Chemical Wash

Naturally, adding a coating to your parts will increase the cost, so you will have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see if the coating is worth it. A properly cast part made of high-quality materials usually does not need a coating. An uncoated metal part can serve quite well in many industrial applications.

However, the right coating will certainly increase the value of your part and in some cases you may find that it significantly improves your process. Depending on your application, you may even find the right coating to be crucial.