SUFRFACE FINISHING SERVICE
MAYA Prototype is your one-stop solution for both manufacturing and surface finishing of your custom CNC machined parts.
Find below a quick sheet of all the surface finishes available and the material compatibility. Different surface finishes can be applied to different materials.
| Name | Material compability | Name | Material compability |
| As machined | All plastics and metals | Black oxide | Stainless steel and copper |
| Smooth finish | All plastics and metals | Spray painting | All plastics and metals |
| Abrasive Blasting | All metals | Brushing | All metals |
| Powder Coating | All metals | Electropolished | Nearly all metals |
| Anodizing type II | Aluminum alloys | Nickel plating | Steel and stainless steel |
| Anodized Hardcoat type III | Aluminum alloys | Zinc plating | Steel and stainless steel |
| Alodine | Aluminum alloys |
As machined
The workpiece is delivered in the same conditions as how it comes out of the CNC machine. Tool marks can be visible but parts are technically very accurate and the have a surface roughness (Ra) of 3.2 μm
All sharp edges are removed and parts are deburred.
Smooth finish-Sanding
Applicable materials: all materials.
This finishing process involves fine hand and machine sanding in a variety of grits to reduce the part surface roughness and remove tool marks. The standard smoothing surface roughness (Ra) is 1.6 μm. We obtain a random, non-linear surface texture.
Abrasive blasting ( Bead or Sandblasting)
Applicable materials: all metals.
The color is the same as the raw material. Bead blasting adds a uniform matte or satin surface finish on a machined part, removing the tool marks.
It is used mainly for visual purposes. But it can also improve some of the mechanical properties of metal, by increasing fatigue strength and improving corrosion resistance through shot-peening. It comes in several different grits which indicate the size of the bombarding pellets. Our standard grit is #120.
Masking or plugging is available for areas with tight tolerances. Thin walls should not be blasted, for risk of deformation.
Anodizing type II
Applicable materials: aluminium alloys.
The default colors are clear or black. But you can also choose between red, blue, gold, green or give us a RAL code or Pantone number.
Anodizing is mainly used to produce parts with a uniform, aesthetically pleasing surface and provides good corrosion and limited wear resistance. It has insulative properties, meaning anodized parts offer poor or no electrical conductivity.
It is an electrolytic passivation process that grows the natural oxide layer on aluminum parts. After the process is complete, the oxide layer is integral to the aluminum substrate below, which means it won’t chip or flake.
The anodizing does not cover machine marks so parts must be bead blasted before to have a uniform anodizing finish.
Plugging threaded holes is not required unless tolerances are very tight, as thickness change is minimal (between 1.8 - 25 μm half in half out). If you require specific areas to be masked or plugged, please include a technical drawing.
Parts without holes are hung on conductive racks with spring clamps, wire wrapping, or other methods, which will leave small areas without anodize known as ‘rack marks’.
Hardcoat Anodizing type III
Applicable materials: aluminium alloys.
The color options are black or grey (with thicker coatings being darker).
Type III anodizing provides greater corrosion and wear resistance than type II anodizing because the protective oxide layer is thicker (between 50 - 125 μm). This comes with some trade-offs like an increased cost because it requires more process control than with Type II and an impact on tolerances. Even the thinnest Type III can impact a tight tolerance on a reamed bore, render a threaded hole non-functional, etc. Therefore, plugging holes and masking sensitive surfaces is almost always employed with this type of anodizing.
Anodize has insulative properties, meaning anodized parts offer poor or no electrical conductivity.
Parts without holes are hung on conductive racks with spring clamps, wire wrapping, or other methods, which will leave small areas without anodize known as ‘rack marks’.
Powder coating
Applicable materials: all metals.
Color: The default colors are white or black. But we can also make any RAL code for small to medium production runs.
It is a dry powder applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It creates a hard finish that is tougher than conventional spray paint. We obtain parts with smooth and uniform surfaces and excellent corrosion resistance.
This process adds substantial thickness to a part’s surface, so plugging and masking threaded/reamed holes or other critical surfaces is recommended.
Powder coating polymers are usually insulative and offer poor electrical conductivity.
Brushing
Applicable materials: all metals but commonly applied to aluminum.
The color is the same as natural metal color but with a satin finish.
Brushing is a surface treatment process in which abrasive belts are used to draw unidirectional traces on the surface of a material for aesthetic purposes. The grit of the abrasive belts usually are between #80-120.
Brushing is not recommended for parts needing a high level of corrosion resistance.
Electropolishing
Applicable materials: nearly any metal.
The color is the same as natural metal color.
Process: Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that removes material from a metallic workpiece, reducing the surface roughness by levelling micro-peaks and valleys, improving the surface finish. This process can polish, passivate, and deburr the metal parts. It is often described as the reverse of electroplating.
Electropolishing is very useful in polishing irregular parts with hard to reach surfaces. Additionally, only a small amount of material is removed, so tolerances will not be greatly affected by this process.
Chromate conversion coating-Alodine
Applicable materials: aluminium alloys.
Color can be clear or greenish-gold (this color does not comply with RoHS due to the presence of hexavalent chromium).
Chromate conversion coating, known also as Alodine, is a chemical coating that passivates and protects aluminum from corrosion. It is also used as a base layer before priming and painting parts.
This protective layer is much thinner than an anodizing layer and is a slightly cheaper process than anodizing, though it is more prone to scratches, wear, and cosmetic damage.
Alodine coatings offer a much greater electrical conductivity than bare aluminum.
Plugging threaded or reamed holes is not required unless tolerances are very tight, as thickness change is minimal (0.25-1.0 µm). Bead blasting parts before Alodine is recommended to create a more consistent coating that hides small machine marks.
Black oxide
Applicable Materials: Steel, Stainless Steel and copper alloys.
The color is matte black.
Black oxide is a conversion coating used mainly for appearance and to improve corrosion resistance. It also minimizes light reflection. Black oxide impregnated with oil can provide the highest amount of corrosion resistance. Is formed in a process similar to anodizing, where the parts are dipped into various hot baths of chemicals that convert the surface of the material into magnetite, which creates the black color.
Black oxide does not have a significant dimensional impact, therefore masking parts is not necessary.
Nickel Plating
Applicable materials: steel and stainless steel.
It has a silvery appearance with a “yellow/brown” hue.
Nickel plating is a process used to electroplate a thin layer of nickel onto a metal part. This plating can be used for corrosion and wear resistance, as well as for decorative purposes. Once parts are cleaned of debris, they are submerged into an electrolyte solution. A nickel anode is then dissolved into the solution and deposited onto the part, which acts as the cathode in the reaction.
Zinc plating
Applicable materials: steel and stainless steel.
Is available in clear/blue, yellow/gold and black.
Zinc plating, which is also known as galvanization, is applied to prevent the surface from oxidizing or corroding. It is a process in which a layer of zinc is bonded to steel in order to protect against corrosion. The process involves electroplating, running a current of electricity through a saline/zinc solution with a zinc anode and steel conductor.
Its anti-rust and anti-corrosion ability is much stronger than black oxide but it is thicker (50µm or more). It is also very economical.
As machined
The workpiece is delivered in the same conditions as how it comes out of the CNC machine. Tool marks can be visible but parts are technically very accurate and the have a surface roughness (Ra) of 3.2 μm
All sharp edges are removed and parts are deburred.
Smooth finish-Sanding
Applicable materials: all materials.
This finishing process involves fine hand and machine sanding in a variety of grits to reduce the part surface roughness and remove tool marks. The standard smoothing surface roughness (Ra) is 1.6 μm. We obtain a random, non-linear surface texture.
Abrasive blasting: bead or sandblasting
Applicable materials: all metals.
The color is the same as the raw material. Bead blasting adds a uniform matte or satin surface finish on a machined part, removing the tool marks.
It is used mainly for visual purposes. But it can also improve some of the mechanical properties of metal, by increasing fatigue strength and improving corrosion resistance through shot-peening. It comes in several different grits which indicate the size of the bombarding pellets. Our standard grit is #120.
Masking or plugging is available for areas with tight tolerances. Thin walls should not be blasted, for risk of deformation.
Anodizing type II
Applicable materials: aluminium alloys.
The default colors are clear or black. But you can also choose between red, blue, gold, green or give us a RAL code or Pantone number.
Anodizing is mainly used to produce parts with a uniform, aesthetically pleasing surface and provides good corrosion and limited wear resistance. It has insulative properties, meaning anodized parts offer poor or no electrical conductivity.
It is an electrolytic passivation process that grows the natural oxide layer on aluminum parts. After the process is complete, the oxide layer is integral to the aluminum substrate below, which means it won’t chip or flake.
The anodizing does not cover machine marks so parts must be bead blasted before to have a uniform anodizing finish.
Plugging threaded holes is not required unless tolerances are very tight, as thickness change is minimal (between 1.8 - 25 μm half in half out). If you require specific areas to be masked or plugged, please include a technical drawing.
Parts without holes are hung on conductive racks with spring clamps, wire wrapping, or other methods, which will leave small areas without anodize known as ‘rack marks’.
Hardcoat Anodizing type III
Applicable materials: aluminium alloys.
The color options are black or grey (with thicker coatings being darker).
Type III anodizing provides greater corrosion and wear resistance than type II anodizing because the protective oxide layer is thicker (between 50 - 125 μm). This comes with some trade-offs like an increased cost because it requires more process control than with Type II and an impact on tolerances. Even the thinnest Type III can impact a tight tolerance on a reamed bore, render a threaded hole non-functional, etc. Therefore, plugging holes and masking sensitive surfaces is almost always employed with this type of anodizing.
Anodize has insulative properties, meaning anodized parts offer poor or no electrical conductivity.
Parts without holes are hung on conductive racks with spring clamps, wire wrapping, or other methods, which will leave small areas without anodize known as ‘rack marks’.
Powder coating
Applicable materials: all metals.
Color: The default colors are white or black. But we can also make any RAL code for small to medium production runs.
It is a dry powder applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It creates a hard finish that is tougher than conventional spray paint. We obtain parts with smooth and uniform surfaces and excellent corrosion resistance.
This process adds substantial thickness to a part’s surface, so plugging and masking threaded/reamed holes or other critical surfaces is recommended.
Powder coating polymers are usually insulative and offer poor electrical conductivity.
Brushing
Applicable materials: all metals but commonly applied to aluminum.
The color is the same as natural metal color but with a satin finish.
Brushing is a surface treatment process in which abrasive belts are used to draw unidirectional traces on the surface of a material for aesthetic purposes. The grit of the abrasive belts usually are between #80-120.
Brushing is not recommended for parts needing a high level of corrosion resistance.
Electropolishing
Applicable materials: nearly any metal.
The color is the same as natural metal color.
Process: Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that removes material from a metallic workpiece, reducing the surface roughness by levelling micro-peaks and valleys, improving the surface finish. This process can polish, passivate, and deburr the metal parts. It is often described as the reverse of electroplating.
Electropolishing is very useful in polishing irregular parts with hard to reach surfaces. Additionally, only a small amount of material is removed, so tolerances will not be greatly affected by this process.
Chromate conversion coating-Alodine
Applicable materials: aluminium alloys.
Color can be clear or greenish-gold (this color does not comply with RoHS due to the presence of hexavalent chromium).
Chromate conversion coating, known also as Alodine, is a chemical coating that passivates and protects aluminum from corrosion. It is also used as a base layer before priming and painting parts.
This protective layer is much thinner than an anodizing layer and is a slightly cheaper process than anodizing, though it is more prone to scratches, wear, and cosmetic damage.
Alodine coatings offer a much greater electrical conductivity than bare aluminum.
Plugging threaded or reamed holes is not required unless tolerances are very tight, as thickness change is minimal (0.25-1.0 µm). Bead blasting parts before Alodine is recommended to create a more consistent coating that hides small machine marks.
Black oxide
Applicable Materials: Steel, Stainless Steel and copper alloys.
The color is matte black.
Black oxide is a conversion coating used mainly for appearance and to improve corrosion resistance. It also minimizes light reflection. Black oxide impregnated with oil can provide the highest amount of corrosion resistance. Is formed in a process similar to anodizing, where the parts are dipped into various hot baths of chemicals that convert the surface of the material into magnetite, which creates the black color.
Black oxide does not have a significant dimensional impact, therefore masking parts is not necessary.
Nickel Plating
Applicable materials: steel and stainless steel.
It has a silvery appearance with a “yellow/brown” hue.
Nickel plating is a process used to electroplate a thin layer of nickel onto a metal part. This plating can be used for corrosion and wear resistance, as well as for decorative purposes. Once parts are cleaned of debris, they are submerged into an electrolyte solution. A nickel anode is then dissolved into the solution and deposited onto the part, which acts as the cathode in the reaction.
Zinc plating
Applicable materials: steel and stainless steel.
Is available in clear/blue, yellow/gold and black.
Zinc plating, which is also known as galvanization, is applied to prevent the surface from oxidizing or corroding. It is a process in which a layer of zinc is bonded to steel in order to protect against corrosion. The process involves electroplating, running a current of electricity through a saline/zinc solution with a zinc anode and steel conductor.
Its anti-rust and anti-corrosion ability is much stronger than black oxide but it is thicker (50µm or more). It is also very economical.