Summary for anodizing one tapped hole Discussion
Anodizing one tapped hole after anodizing is complete is tricky because, as the reply notes, experts will usually say never anodize threads. Danny J. D'Hont asked whether a missed masked tapped hole in a tight-tolerance 6061 aluminum part could be re-run through anodizing or covered another way. The answer advises that the best practical fix may be to install a stainless steel PEM in the hole if that would satisfy the customer, since that could solve the issue for all tapped holes. If the part is valuable, the suggestion is to completely remask the part and anodize only the one hole; if it is inexpensive enough, it may be possible to put it back in the anodizing tank at low current. However, for aerospace or similarly critical parts, the answer warns that scrapping the part may be necessary if a variance or special processing approval is not practical.
Q. Completed anodized part, tight tolerances. There are many masked holes. We anodized but forgot to anodize 1 tapped hole (we masked it and we should not have masked it). Can i run through anodizing again? Or you have other technique to “cover” the bare material, in this case aluminum 6061.
Danny J. D’Hont
Owner of manufacturing business – Pitsanulook – Thailand
December 17, 2024
A. Hi Danny. If any anodizing experts reply, they’re probably going to tell you: “Never anodize threads!”.
Is there any possibility that putting a stainless steel pem in this hole will satisfy your customer? … because that is probably the best solution, in fact, it’s probably the best solution for all of the tapped holes.
If this is a really valuable component, you’ll probably have to completely mask it to anodize that one hole. If it’s inexpensive enough to take a chance, just put it back in the anodizing tank at low current. If it’s an aerospace part though, you may have to scrap it because getting a variance for the special processing may not prove practical.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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