Six Types of Surface Treatments

Surface treatments range from industry to industry, and can cover all sorts of budgetary requirements. We’ve compiled the six most common types in this article.

Coating Application

This process is used to add a protective layer onto a substrate, typically with the intent of adding durability, resistance to corrosion and rusting, or simply aesthetic appeal with a paint job. It is vital in the aerospace and automotive industries, helping prevent rusting on cars, and keeping aircraft intact through extreme fluctuations in temperature.

It is a fairly diverse process, but more information and services for these surface treatments can be found online, such as here: www.poeton.co.uk/standard-treatments/.

Sanding

To help smoothen out or mould a material into a more desirable shape, abrasive materials such as sandpaper are used to scrape away unwanted matter from the surface.

This process is applicable to woods, plastics, and composites – alongside metals, of course. This makes it ideal for industries ranging from woodworking all the way up to automotive manufacturing, where it can be done automatically through sanding belts and machines.

Blasting

Similar to the abrasive smoothing of sanding, blasting – as the name would suggest – barrages a surface with abrasive material to help with cleaning or texturing. This process is most commonly used to prepare surfaces for paint in automotive industries.

Laser Ablation

Going up yet another tier in aggressive removal methods, laser ablation is the next step up from blasting, where concentrated lasers allow for powerful and precise removal of unwanted material. More details on the process are available here:

Grinding

Taking a step back from the futuristic laser sculpting, grinding uses wheels or belts with abrasive particles to scrape away imperfections and create a more uniform surface. This method is ideal for metals and ceramics, and aside from aerospace and automotive industries, it’s also commonly used for tool-making.

Deburring

Burrs are the unwanted materials we’ve been repeatedly referencing, and deburring is a method for removing these imperfections. Most commonly employed in industries that require extreme precision, like aerospace and pharmaceuticals, this process commonly uses robotic arms to find faults that may compromise the product.