You are working hard to design every dimension and feature of your metal part so that it operates as required. Before you proceed, here is a helpful reminder from our Estimating Team with more than 50 years of combined manufacturing experience.
Remember to include in your design plans the appropriate metal finish that meets your part’s cosmetic, quality, and performance standards. A key aspect of selecting the right finish for your metal part is determining the criteria that are most important to that specific part. Of course, a highly-cosmetic part requires a more scratch and rust-resistant finish, but you also need to consider cost. And since most metal parts are components in an assembly, the thickness of the finish also needs to be evaluated because it can affect fit in the final product.
In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of two metal finishes that are regularly applied on parts Ultra metal stamps. And at another time, we will highlight two other finishes routinely used in metal stamping.
PRECOATED GALVANIZED
This finish is already adhered to the metal coil when it arrives at Ultra’s stamping presses. This eliminates the need to send out metal parts for secondary services, reducing costs and improving turnaround times.
Advantages:
- Inexpensive
- Corrosion resistance
- Durable
- Different thicknesses are available
Disadvantage:
- Limited corrosion resistance on the cut edges
Here is a part we metal stamp with the precoated galvanized finish.
This metal part has a precoated galvanized finish and is stamped on our 200-ton press.
POST PLATED ZINC
This finish is applied after metal stamping. This plating process occurs in a large barrel that is continuously moving the parts around to apply evenly.
Advantages:
- Inexpensive
- Available in different thicknesses and colors
- Dulls a portion of the stamping burrs
- Perfect for small, durable metal parts
Disadvantages:
- Damage to fragile parts or parts with protruding features
- Unable to handle larger parts
This engine component stamped on the 800-ton press is zinc plated.