Want a process for aluminum coating of steel

I'd like to apply a coating of aluminum to a steel substrate and then brush and anodize it. The coating is cosmetic at the request of a customer. While it needs to be resistant to atmospheric corrosion, it need not possess chemical resistance. Is aluminum coating of steel a long standing process in industry or is this a risky approach?

Your idea looks good, smells good and feels good, but is not practical. There are three methods of coating steel with aluminum. 1, plating- has to be done in a closed tank, so is basically limited to small parts and application is not very thick. 2, vapor deposition- very thin. 3, Thermal spray- thick and fast, but rough and a degree of porosity. The thin coatings would be consumed in the anodizing process. The thick coating would not be very appealing without a lot of extra machine work and porosity might lead to rust. So, A more conventional finish would be more cost effective.

James,

I'd respectfully disagree. The electroplating process works pretty well, (done by AlumiPlate) although it's rightfully more expensive than alternative methods of coating steel with aluminum. A few mils can be applied, and anodizing might only consume a portion of that. It's certainly worth a phone call.

Also, we have a number of parts IVD coated, and often apply a chromic anodize to them. I've not noticed any problems with the underlying steel rusting while sitting in our storage rooms before shipping.

Finally, there is also pack cementation and hot-dip methods of applying aluminum to steel substrates: I've no first hand experience with these, but my guess would be the surface would be rough- they would need the brush before anodize, likely not necessary with electroplate or IVD.