Pre-Treatment
All of our metals undergo a pre-treatment prior to coating finishes, in order to prepare the surface and improve the quality of finishing coats. This is especially common in applications requiring plating or powder coating.
Mill Finishes
If not stated, our team will determine the right finishing process for your project during initial contract review. Our choice of finishes include:
Pickled and Oiled Mild Steel
Used in applications requiring a high level of surface cleanliness, pickling and oiling removes mill scale and other contaminants. Pickling is undertaken to clean the workpiece surface prior to oiling, which helps protect the clean surface from oxidation.
Hot Rolled Steel
This refers to steel processed above its recrystallisation temperature, resulting in a product that is easier to form and work with. It is suitable across steels and steel grades, oftentimes required because of the product and material specifications.
2B (Stainless Steels)
The 2B finish is a smooth, grey metal finish with reduced shine, achieved on a processing mill. Applications for 2B are most commonly stainless steel where the appearance of the metal is insignificant, however aluminium and brass can also achieve a 2B finish.
Dull Polished (Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Brass)
A dull polished finish is more aesthetic than 2B but is not as bright as a mirror polish. The dull polish is used on stainless steel, aluminium and brass products designed for decorative applications.
Mirror Polished (Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Brass, Copper)
A mirror polish is a highly reflective, bright shine finish. It is used on aesthetic products designed to be seen, such as furniture, shop fitting components, automotive parts and more.
Secondary Operation Finishes
Powder Coating
Powder coating is a common finish that provides a hardened, durable coat on surfaces. It is created by spraying dry powder onto a component, which is then cured. Subcon Laser’s powder coating service is available in a wide range of colours to meet design requirements.
Electro Coating (E-Coat)
Electro coating is a painting process, depositing electrically charged wet paint particles onto the part in a coating bath, before being cured to harden the coating.
Electro coating requires a conductive part material in order to be successful.
Galvanising
Subcon Laser provides galvanisation, coating parts with a layer of zinc to protect them from corrosion. The component is immersed in a bath of molten zinc, and through a metallurgical reaction, a bonded layer of zinc is formed on its surface.
Plating
Subcon Laser utilises a trivalent passivate following zinc plating. Trivalent passivation is more environmentally friendly than outdated alternatives while maintaining the same levels of protection. A highly efficient method of coating, and available in clear (bright sheen) and black. Heavyweight Zinc Trivalent is further available.
Anodising
For increased corrosion protection, as well as improved aesthetic qualities to metal surfaces, we offer anodising. Anodising is an electrochemical process that forms a protective oxide layer on the surface of metals, commonly aluminium.
Electro Polishing
Electro polishing removes material from the surface of the component in order to clean and smooth it, as well as producing a bright polished finish and improving the corrosion resistance of the metal.
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