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Seeking alternative to painting for coloring SS
Hello, all,
I am working for a company that produces gauges, among other things. One of our products currently uses 400 series SS that is stamped into small rectangular pieces that are then assembled into an array in a frame. One side of these SS pieces are spray-painted red after being stamped & formed. I am looking for a process that may allow for coloring of the SS sheets prior to stamping out the small pieces. Temperatures up to 600F.
Thanks,
mechanical engineer - Houston, Texas
^- Privately contact this inquirer -^
First of two simultaneous responses -- October 28, 2009
Try heat tinting or anodic oxidation.Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija- Zagreb, Croatia
Second of two simultaneous responses -- October 28, 2009
Stainless steel sheets can be titanium color coated in various finishes: True #8, Super #8 Mirror, No. 4 Satin, Bead Blasted, Vibration, etched designs. Titanium colors can range from black, blue, copper, bronze and gold.
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Michael Liu Taylor specialty stainless steel distributor Dallas, Texas |
November 2, 2009
Thanks for the responses. I will look into these options.
TIM SCHAEFER- DEER PARK, TEXAS
November 4, 2009
I have looked into powder coating and that would have been perfect except that my material (400 series stainless sheet) is only .010 thick. I am told that this is too thin to withstand the blasting required to provide an anchor pattern for the PC.
Any solution to this obstacle?
thanks.
mechanical engineer - Houston, Texas
November 5, 2009
Purple red colour-heat your object to 420 C.With anodic oxidation reddish brown can be obtained in 30 minutes(solution 1 lit H2SO4/d.1,24/ -7,5 gm sodium bichromate,lead anodes,95 C/O,o6 A/dm2, 1,3 v). Alkaline solutions can be used too(NaOH based,KMnO4 as oxidizer).Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija- Zagreb,Croatia
November 6, 2009
Goran,
Thanks for the recommendation. I had done a search for Anodic Oxidation, but had not found much that caught my attention. I gave it another look, but the information on the application to stainless is not plentiful, with most of it being related to studies rather than manufacturing. How common a procedure is it, and might you have some recommendations for companies here in the US that could do this?
Regards,
- Houston, Texas, USA
Ed. note: there is now a banner at the top of the page which leads to such a company.
November 9, 2009
There are some download free expired USA patents on that subject too-try www.uspto.gov website.Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija- Zagreb, Croatia
November 9, 2009
Try old letter no. 24520 -- there are at least two USA companies --Russamer Lab and Prismatic. Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran.Budija- Zagreb, Croatia
November 11, 2009
Potassium hydroxide based solutions can be used to anodize stainless steel too(no chromates, RoHS-compliant process).200-300 gm KOH/ 1 lit water,up to 0,45 A /dm2,125- 200 F temp.,up to 15 minutes immersion,SS 316 cathode.Different golden shades,brown,blue,red.Hope it helps and good luck!
Goran Budija- Zagreb, Croatia
December 2, 2009
Try browsing the web looking at stainless steel black oxide. There are some companies doing this commercially.
Wayne McKee- Milton, On, Canada