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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,

Tim Schaefer
mechanical engineer - Houston, Texas
October 26, 2009

Thanks for the responses. I will look into these options.

TIM SCHAEFER [returning]
- DEER PARK, TEXAS

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.

TIM SCHAEFER [returning]
mechanical engineer - Houston, Texas

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,

TIM SCHAEFER
- Houston, Texas, USA

Ed. note: there is now a banner at the bottom of the page which leads to such a company.

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
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
November 9, 2009

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Try old letter no. 24520 -- there are at least two USA companies --Russamer Lab [a finishing.com supporting advertiser] and Prismatic Stainless Steel [from B&M Finishers, a finishing.com supporting advertiser]. Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran.Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia
November 9, 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
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
November 11, 2009

Try browsing the web looking at stainless steel black oxide. There are some companies doing this commercially.

Wayne McKee
- Milton, On, Canada
December 2, 2009