What is surface treatment?​

Surface treatment is a procedure that adds new characteristics to a material’s surface, such as corrosion and wear resistance, or improves the ornamental characteristics to improve its appearance. Painting on an automobile’s body, printing the manufacturer’s name and other information on the surface of home appliances, and “plating” put under the paint on guardrails are all instances of surface treatment. Surface treatment includes heat treatment, such as quenching, applied to metal objects like gears and blades. Surface treatments are divided into two types: removal techniques, such as scraping or melting the surface, and additive methods, such as painting, that add something to the surface.  
CNC Machining
CNC Turning
Swiss Type CNC Machining
Surface treatment

Finishing

Methods of surface treatment

The following are some of the most regularly utilized surface treatments. The table shows surface treatments that use electricity and require a separate power source in red characters.

CategoryProcessExplanation
CleaningCleaningCleaning is a process to remove oil, surface oxides, burrs and foreign substances. It can prolong the life of painting and plating. Among the cleaning processes, blasting and honing use abrasives and grinding wheels, respectively, so these processes can be said to be both cleaning and polishing.
Blasting
Honing
PolishingMechanical polishingPolishing the surface to make it smooth.
While polishing is generally associated with rubbing with a grinding stone or brush, chemical or electropolishing slightly dissolves the surface to make it smooth.
Electropolishing uses electrolysis to dissolve the surface of the part in a solution.
Chemical polishing
Electropolishing
PaintingSpray paintingThis is the process of adding paint to a surface.
This is done to improve corrosion resistance and decorative properties.
Electrostatic coating is a type of coating in which the paint is charged and adheres efficiently with the force of static electricity.
Powder coating is also a type of electrostatic coating.
Electrodeposition coating is a method of depositing paint on the surface of a part by electrolysis of a solution of special paint and is used for the base of automobile bodies.
Electrostatic coating (Electrostatic painting)
Electrodeposition coating
PlatingElectroplating (electrolytic plating)Plating is the process of covering the surface of a component with a thin film of another metal.
Electroplating is a method of depositing a coating on the surface of a part by electrolyzing a solution.
This is mainly done on metals such as iron to provide corrosion resistance and decorative properties.
In some cases, plating is applied to the surface of plastics for decorative purposes, but the number of such applications has been decreasing in recent years due to improvements in coating technology.
Chemical plating
Hot dip coating
Heat treatmentSurface quenchingThis is a treatment that hardens the surface of metals to improve their resistance to wear and fatigue.
By heating and cooling the metal, the structure of the metal surface is changed, making it harder.
In surface quenching, there is a method called high-frequency quenching, in which a high-frequency current is applied to a coil, heating the part in the manner of a so-called induction heater.
CNC machined parts surface treatment