| Greetings! |
| According to a report released by Research and Markets, the total U.S. consumption value of the
electroplating, plating, polishing, anodizing, and coloring industry for 2006 was $6,830,000,000, with 2,863 establishments making
a gross profit of 31.72%. We want to keep you at the forefront of technology and innovation. This month, we, anodizingracksonline.com, offer you an article on how to
choose between aluminum or titanium
anodizing racks. |
| Aluminum or Titanium Anodizing Racks? |
| Factors that affect your choices. |
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| By Milt Stevenson, Jr. from Anoplate Corp,Syracuse, NY, USA |
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Titanium is a lightweight metal with high strength to weight ratio, good electrical conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance. Racks fabricated from chemically pure titanium should be used. Such titanium
racks do not require stripping and are resistant to attack by most
solutions used in the anodizing process.
Titanium, being higher in
price ($25/lb, August 2007) than the alternative, aluminum alloy
($2/lb), is primarily utilized in high volume, long run production lines.
Compared to aluminum alloy, titanium reduces rack maintenance costs
and is far more economical in the long term.
Aluminum racks, in comparison, bend more easily and
work better for job shops that aren't doing repetitive, run-after-run
of the same part. If you're having to squeeze titanium clips all day
to rack parts, you're looking for a workman's comp wrist case for "repetitive motion syndrome." Also, there is a far greater
variety of aluminum clips available.
Furthermore, when it comes to
hardcoat where current carrying capacity is critical, one square inch
of cross sectional area of aluminum carries 650 amps whereas
titanium
is only about half.
Another factor is how well the unrackers are
willing to squeeze the tips - if they don't and just pull the parts
off the rack, the spring back will gouge the parts far more with
titanium. Each one has its own merits.
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