| Question: | What is Anodizing? |
| Answer: | Anodizing is the electrolytic oxidation of an aluminum substrate. |
| Question: | Why do we anodize our extrusions? |
| Answer: | To give us a hard corrosion resistant surface and to give us the ability to color that coating. |
| Question: | What is the Anodic coating? |
| Answer: | It is Aluminum Oxide, one of the hardest compounds known and it is chemically inert to most compounds. |
| Question: | How do we get the gold color we use for our doors? |
| Answer: | The anodic coating is porous, therefore we can absorb the dye into the coating after the extrusion is anodized. |
| Question: | If the coating is hard and inert why do we have problems with loss of color under certain circumstances? |
| Answer: | Two reasons: First the dye is an organic chermical and as such is susceptible to fading due to ultraviolet light (sun light) this means it is not color fast in direct sun light. However, the typical bathroom environment will not be a problem. The second reason is the use of certain chemicals when cleaning the shower. Strong acids or alkalis will attack the coating and literally strip the coating from the extrusion. This is why we have to be very specific when we recommend what cleanser to use. We recommend using Glass Plus or New Comet Cleaner. |
| Question: | How thick is the Anodic coating? |
| Answer: | For shower doors the coating is around .2 mils thick. However, it can be as heavy as .7 mills thick. The heavier coatings would typically be for black or heavy use like Stadium seating. |
| Question: | Why can there be variations in color from one extrusion to another? |
| Answer: | Variations in coating thickness, time in the dye tank and dye concentration or temperature can all effect the amount of dye absorbed into the anodic coating, thereby effecting the color. The color match is controlled by the operator of the crane at the anodizing line and is done by matching a color chip to the extrusions as they come out of the dye tank. |
| Question: | What is spotting? |
| Answer: | Spotting will typically be mineral buildup on the glass or extrusions and can be prevented by wiping the door dry each time it is used. Any chemical that will remove mineral buildup will also attack the anodic coating. |
| Question: | What is sealing and how can one tell if the part is properly sealed? |
| Answer: | Sealing is the last step in the anodizing process. Sealing is the closing of the pores in the anodic film. A properly sealed coating will resist staining and corrosion better and also is necessary for dye retention. The easiest way to tell if the coating is sealed or not is to pick up the extrusion and see if it feels sticky if so it might not be sealed. Lab tests can confirm if the coating is sealed. |
| Question: | What if the color wipes off? |
| Answer: | In this case more than likely the coating has been destroyed, probably by using the wrong cleanser. |