What
about textured surfaces and gloss levels?
The Armoloy
coatings, due to their thinness, will not "fill in" a
textured surface; they will evenly coat the texture to which
they are applied. They will as well impart increased wear resistance
to that textured surface, allowing the tool to perform longer
and more efficiently without expensive re-texturing.
Gloss levels,
from matte to high-gloss, are strictly maintained by Armoloy
of Western Pennsylvania throughout the coating cycle. It is
always helpful to send Armoloy a formed plastic part from the
component whose gloss level is at issue, to use as a benchmark
for the desired gloss level.
Can
tools of different types/dimensions be coated in the same
lot?
Yes. Armoloy
fixtures each tool separately according to its design. It is
not a
"batch" or "barrel" process. Armoloy would likely
issue a "processing charge" that would cover the entire
lot, including the various set-ups/tooling requirements necessary
to accommodate the different part geometries involved.
What temperatures
can the coatings withstand?
Both Armoloy® TDC
and XADC-Armoloy® will withstand temperatures from –400F
to 1600F
Can the
coating be stripped? What if a repair/design change is necessary?
Armoloy can
and does strip and reapply its own coatings, via a proprietary,
mild, non-acidic bath. Armoloy will selectively strip the coatings
of its competitors, but requires as much information as possible
to do so, including type of coating, coating thickness, and
the base metal on which the coating is applied.
Parts that
have been stripped/recoated many times, that have been welded,
that suffer from metal fatigue, or that have not been properly
stress-relieved may incur adverse effects from the stripping
process. It is always in your best interest to provide Armoloy
with as much information as possible in regard to stripping.
An Armoloy
TDC or XADC-Armoloy® coated part may be repaired/machined/welded
while coated. In the case of welding, the coating will vaporize
at the point of the weld, leaving the balance of the coated
surfaces intact and functional. When machining a coated surface,
and especially in the case of XADC-Armoloy®, keep in mind
that the first .0001/.0003"
of the machinable surface is 78/98 Rc. When machining a coated
surface, flood that surface with coolant and take very thin cuts.
Can an
Armoloy TDC or XADC-Armoloy® coated surface be polished?
Yes. It is
essential, to achieve a desired surface finish after coating,
that the part be finished to that degree before coating.
Both coatings
can be diamond-polished back to an SPE #2 (mirror finish) after
coating only if this same finish appears on the part before
coating. |
