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Surface Finishing Service
Our surface finishing capabilities
Use 3D Hubs as your one-stop solution for both manufacturing and surface finishing of your custom CNC machined parts, reducing the risk of production.
Do you need lettering logos or custom tags? Take a look at our part marking service here.
Choose the right finish for your material
Different surface finishes can be applied to different materials. Find below a quick cheat sheet of surface finish and material compatibility.
| Name | Material compatibility | Rough price increase* |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth machining (1.6 Ra μm/64 Ra μin) | All plastics and metals | +5% |
| Bead blasting | All metals | +5% |
| Powder coating | All metals | +15% |
| Bead blasting + Anodizing (type II) | Aluminum alloys | +15% |
| Brushing + Anodizing (type II) | Aluminum alloys | +20% |
| Anodizing hardcoat (type III) | Aluminum alloys | +20% |
| Electropolishing | Stainless steel | +15% |
| Black oxide | Steels | +10% |
| Chromate conversion coating | Aluminum alloys | +10% |
| Brushing | All metals | +10% |
| Polishing | All metals | +30% |
*Price increase estimates are based on one-off parts. Bulk pricing also applies to surface finishes.
Our standard surface finishes
Here is a list of standard surface finishes. For custom surface finishes such as electroplating or polishing, please contact sales@3dhubs.com.
As machined
Our standard finish is “as machined” finish. It has a surface roughness of 3.2 μm (126 μin). All sharp edges are removed and parts are deburred. Tool marks are visible.
Smooth machining (1.6 Ra μm/64 Ra μin)
A finishing CNC machining operation can be applied to the part to reduce its surface roughness. The standard smoothing surface roughness (Ra) is 1.6 μm (64 μin). Machine marks are less evident but still visible.
Bead blasted
Bead blasting adds a uniform matte or satin surface finish on a machined part, removing the tool marks. This is used mainly for visual purposes and comes in several different grits which indicate the size of the bombarding pellets. Our standard grit is #120.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Grit | #120 |
| Color | Uniform matte of raw material color |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Bead blasted + Anodizing type II (Matte)
Parts are bead blasted to #120 grit and then anodized (type II). Ideal for increasing the corrosion resistance of the part. Results in naturally matte colours. For glossy colours, please select the brushed anodizing option.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | Bead blasted with glass beads grit #120 |
| Tolerances | General dimensional tolerances apply after anodizing |
| Thickness | 4 - 8 μm (clear), 8 - 12 μm (color) |
| Gloss Units | 2 - 10 GU |
| Color | Black, clear or any RAL code or Pantone number |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Brushed + Anodizing type II (Glossy)
Parts are brushed and then anodized type II. Ideal for increasing the corrosion resistance of the part. Typically results in a glossy color.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | Brushed with grit #400 |
| Tolerances | General dimensional tolerances apply after anodizing |
| Thickness | 4 - 8 μm (clear), 8 - 12 μm (color) |
| Gloss Units | 10 - 60 GU |
| Color | black, clear or any RAL code or Pantone number |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Anodized type III (Hardcoat)
The anodizing type III coating is applied directly to a surface as machined (no other mechanical finish applied). Type III anodizing provides excellent corrosion and wear resistance, suitable for functional applications.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | "As machined", cleaned and de-greased |
| Tolerances | General dimensional tolerances met before anodizing |
| Thickness | 35-50 μm |
| Color | Black or natural |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Powder coating
Powder coating is a strong, wear-resistant finish that is compatible with all metal materials.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Tolerances | Met before process |
| Thickness | 50-150μm |
| Color | Black or any RAL code or Pantone number |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing. |
Brushed + Electropolished (Ra0.8µm, 32µin)
Electropolishing is an electrochemical process used to clean metallic surfaces and reduce micro-roughness of stainless steel parts. Useful to remove a thin (up to 10μm) layer of material and improve surface finish.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | Brushed |
| Color | Natural metal color |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Black oxide
Applicable on steels, black oxide is a Conversion coating used to improve corrosion resistance and minimize light reflection.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | "As machined", cleaned and de-greased |
| Thickness | 0-30μm |
| Color | Black. |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Chromate conversion coating (Alodine/Chemfilm)
Chromate conversion coating is used to increase the corrosion resistance of aluminium and aluminium alloys while maintaining their conductive properties.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | "As machined", cleaned and de-greased |
| Color | Clear |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Brushing
Brushing is produced by polishing the metal with grit resulting in a unidirectional satin finish. Not advisable for applications where corrosion resistance is required.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface roughness | Ra 1.2μm / Ra 47μm |
| Grit | #400-600 |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Polishing
Parts are manually polished in multiple directions. Surface is smooth and slightly reflective.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Surface roughness | Ra 0.8μm / Ra 32μm |
| Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Alex Vermolen
Director of Sales EMEA
Jennifer Kaari
US Strategic Account Manager
David Nguyen
EMEA Sales Engineer
For businesses of all sizes
Get in touch with our team to access these services:
- Add 3D Hubs as a vendor
- ISO 9001, material certifications, test reports and full dimensional reports
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Urethane casting and part marking
- Sample verification program (learn more)
- Dedicated account manager
Call us directly on , or email us at sales@3dhubs.com
Get your parts machined and finished in as fast as 5 days
Upload your designs, select your material and surface finish and get your parts into production in less than 5 minutes.
