Hey all, hopefully I’m posting this in the correct area.
We have been having inconsistency with our 7075 T6 aluminum parts with both Type 2 and Type 3 anodizing. The finish is very consistent aesthetically, but it does not hold as well as it has on our 6061 parts. The finish chips easily. Our experience with Type 3 is short of hitting it with a file, the anodizing takes very well and is generally durable. This has not been the case with 7075 parts.
The part is under 10 inches tall, and under 6 inches wide. It has many sharp edges, as well as curves. The flaking typically happens close to sharp edges. We have radius’d these problematic areas in an attempt to help but the flaking still persists. It may be worth noting that on the interior of the part, it is harder to remove the finish/get it to chip.
We were told that the substrate of the 7075 is too soft to properly/easily take Type 2/3 anodizing. We had a suggestion with clear coat and then anodizing, but I would like to avoid adding extra steps, and even then I’m not sure if that will fix our problem.
Any suggestions as to how we can get this resolved?
Thank you in advance.
We have been having inconsistency with our 7075 T6 aluminum parts with both Type 2 and Type 3 anodizing. The finish is very consistent aesthetically, but it does not hold as well as it has on our 6061 parts. The finish chips easily. Our experience with Type 3 is short of hitting it with a file, the anodizing takes very well and is generally durable. This has not been the case with 7075 parts.
The part is under 10 inches tall, and under 6 inches wide. It has many sharp edges, as well as curves. The flaking typically happens close to sharp edges. We have radius’d these problematic areas in an attempt to help but the flaking still persists. It may be worth noting that on the interior of the part, it is harder to remove the finish/get it to chip.
We were told that the substrate of the 7075 is too soft to properly/easily take Type 2/3 anodizing. We had a suggestion with clear coat and then anodizing, but I would like to avoid adding extra steps, and even then I’m not sure if that will fix our problem.
Any suggestions as to how we can get this resolved?
Thank you in advance.