A wide variety of products can be subject to bright dip anodizing, including products such as camera and mp3 player cases, food and beverage containment, cookware, architectural accent pieces, sports equipment, framing and automotive construction as well as more industrial components such as manufacturing and plant equipment. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Green Bay Anodizing
Green Bay, WI | 920-857-9701Green Bay Anodizing has grown into an award-winning metal finishing service since our humble beginning in 2007. We offer finishing options like Optical black, salt spray tests, chromate conversion, sulfuric anodizing, hard coat anodizing, and even blasting services for your aluminum projects. We are known throughout the industry for our exemplary customer service and rapid turnaround times.

Mills Metal Finishing Inc.
Columbus, OH | 614-252-0078Mills Metal Finishing is run by professional experts in all things metal. This includes metal plating, coating, and even finishing services around the Columbus area. With over 30 years of experience, our experts are dedicated to providing the highest standards in the industry. So whether it's electroless nickel plating or aluminum anodizing, you can rely on us to provide you with the highest quality product at competitive prices.

Pioneer Metal Finishing Corporation
Green Bay, WI | 877-721-1100Pioneer offers many custom finishing solutions to make your products perform at the highest levels. We are experts in providing specialized finishes to improve the performance for your specific component parts. Whether your product design requirements include finishes to make your product resist corrosion, last longer, look better, slide more freely, bond securely to another material, or many other performance attributes, Pioneer has you covered. Call us today for more information!

Dajcor Aluminum Ltd.
Chatham, ON, Chavies, KY | 877-556-9191Dajcor Aluminum is the leading Canadian supplier of extruded, fabricated/machined and anodized components and assemblies to the automotive, renewable energy, transportation, building trades, military, recreation, and consumer-product industries.

The popularity of this process as opposed to alternatives such as electro-polishing and coating can be attributed to the unique benefits afforded by the bright dip process. Though the results vary, bright dipped aluminum has a glossy, high luster appearance and may even result in a reflective, mirror-like finish.
This gloss is achieved through bright dipping without leaving deposits on the surface of the part as do many other finishing processes. Depending on the grade of the aluminum, the process is also very fast, taking as little as 30 seconds to complete. The most suitable aluminum alloys for bright dipping are 5357, 5457, 6063, 7016 and 7016.
Bright dipping and anodizing are actually completed in two separate steps with bright dipping pertaining to the aesthetic of the metal and anodizing improving hardness and resistance to corrosion and wear. Bright dipping occurs first as a pretreatment to the anodizing process. A relatively simple concept, the aluminum component is dipped into a double walled, stainless steel tank filled with the brightening solution and heated to above 200 deg F.
The solution is a chemical bath that smooths the surface on a microscopic level, resulting in the desired sheen. Though mixes will vary, the basic composition involves phosphoric/nitric acid. Acetic and sulfuric acid are common additives. Due to the use of harsh chemicals and high heat, the bright dipping component of this total process requires careful calculation and is regulated by worker safety and environmental laws. The bath should be carefully racked and agitated in a rocking motion to avoid spotting due to gaseous bubbles on the surface of the part.
Other considerations include proper ventilation and a warm rinse tank. Once the desired shine is achieved, the part must be washed several times prior to anodizing. There are two main ways that metal is anodized: bath anodizing and anodic painting. The more common of the two is bath anodizing, which involves fully immersing the metal in a tub of the anodizing acid.
Once the metal is submerged, a power supply is turned on that introduces an electrical current to the bath. The resulting reaction changes the surface of the metal into a thin film of metal oxide. The total results are increased corrosion and wear resistance as well as cosmetic enhancement.