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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 | +10% |
Bead blasting | All metals | +5% |
Powder coating | All metals | +15% |
Anodizing clear (type II) | Aluminum alloys | +15% |
Anodizing color (type II) | Aluminum alloys | +20% |
Anodizing hardcoat (type III) | Aluminum alloys | +30% |
Brushing + Electropolishing (0.8 Ra μm/32 Ra μin) | All metals | +15% |
Black oxide | Stainless steel and copper alloys | +10% |
Chromate conversion coating | Aluminum and Copper alloys | +10% |
Brushing | All metals | +5% |
*Price increase estimates are based on one-off parts. Bulk pricing also applies to surface finishes.
Here is a list of standard surface finishes. For custom surface finishes such as electroplating or polishing, please contact sales@3dhubs.com.
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.
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 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 |
Type II anodizing is mainly used to produce parts with a uniform, aesthetically pleasing surface and provides good corrosion and limited wear resistance. Parts are bead blasted to #120 grit prior to anodizing.
Requirement | Specification |
---|---|
Thickness | 8 - 12 μm (clear), 4 - 8 μm (color) |
Color | Black, clear or any RAL code or Pantone number |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Type III anodizing provides excellent corrosion and wear resistance, suitable for functional applications.
Requirement | Specification |
---|---|
Thickness | 50 - 125 μm |
Color | Black or clear |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing |
Powder coating is a strong, wear-resistant finish that is compatible with all metal materials and can be combined with a bead blasting to create parts with smooth and uniform surfaces and excellent corrosion resistance.
Requirement | Specification |
---|---|
Thickness | 18 - 72μm |
Color | Black or any RAL code or Pantone number. |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing. |
Electropolishing is an electrochemical process used to polish, passivate and deburr metal parts. It is useful to reduce surface roughness.
Requirement | Specification |
---|---|
Color | Natural metal color. |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing. |
Black oxide is a conversion coating used to improve corrosion resistance and minimize light reflection.
Requirement | Specification |
---|---|
Color | Black. |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing. |
Chromate conversion coating is used to increase the corrosion resistance of metal alloys while maintaining their conductive properties.
Requirement | Specification |
---|---|
Color | Clear |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing. |
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 | 0.8 - 1.5 μm |
Grit | #80-120 |
Part masking | Indicate masking requirements in technical drawing. |
Get in touch with our team to access these services:
Call us directly on , or email us at sales@3dhubs.com
Upload your designs, select your material and surface finish and get your parts into production in less than 5 minutes.