Aluminum Anodizing - Benefits and Industry Uses

Hard Anodized Aluminum - Photo Credit: GMP Plating, Inc.,
Aluminum Anodizing Company in San Jose, CA.

There are a number of resources about how to protect aluminum materials that you can find online, particularly those processes that are being used in the metal industry - anodizing is one of them. And while there are several types of anodizing process, aluminum anodizing is considered to be one of the most popular in the industry. In fact, it is also popular as a ‘home’ job as there are many instructional resources about how to anodize aluminum at home.

Aluminum anodizing - an important industry process

Metal manufacturers that use aluminum as prime component for production always strive to deliver products of great quality. That means, they have to produce aluminum materials that are more resistant to wear and tear. Aside from that, anodizing can also help for aesthetic purposes, wherein the treated material becomes more aesthetically pleasing - shiny and easy to clean.

How does aluminum anodizing improve the quality of materials

The aluminum anodizing process is used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer of the material being treated - a procedure that can greatly improve its quality. Specifically, the process can help to achieve the following:

• Durability, which is a main ingredient for a longer life-span of the treated material. Thus, it is an economic advantage to entities that use the process.
• Easy to manage materials - anodized aluminum minimizes scars, wear from fabrication, and surface dirt.
• Environment-friendly process - anodizing involves natural process since it is just a reinforcement of a naturally-occurring oxide process.

Industries that are benefiting from anodizing service

There are many metal plating companies that offer anodizing service and they are important to various industries that use aluminum - and their alloys - as a key element for product manufacturing. Specifically, anodizing protects materials used in the following industries:

• Automobile - the automobile industry use anodized aluminum  for various auto-parts applications such as wheels, frames, cylinder heads, wheels, gear box housings, pistons, anti-lock brake components, transmission parts, radiators,  bumpers, etc.
• Construction - the industry also uses anodized aluminum to a number of construction applications, which include frames (door, windows, railings) for buildings, parts of bridges - to name a few.
• Electronics - modern appliances and machines, including computer companies, use anodized aluminum as part of their production requirements to produce a more durable finish.
  
  
  

Solar Cell and Sapphire Processing - Challenges for the New Materials

Solar cell and sapphire production are two processes that are important to the industry particularly to the semiconductor sector. The processing of solar cell is vital for the production of solar panel that is commonly used in satellites and as well as in clean energy-generating system (solar-powered electric system). On the other hand, sapphire is used for the production of wafers needed for semiconductor components found electronic devices.

Every now and then, new materials are introduced in the manufacturing arena in quest for improved production of solar cell as well as in sapphire processing. Materials like metal hydrides are aimed to address the challenges in producing these semiconductor materials, which include the following:

• Cost reduction - while the production of solar cell has come a long way when it comes to reducing costs, it is still relatively high compared to the conventional sources like fossil fuel. Indeed, cost reduction is one of the challenges that this new material is facing for semiconductor-related processes.
• The efficiency challenge - at present solar cells found in the market produce up 20 percent of solar energy converted into usable energy. The introduction of new materials such as metal hydrides aimed at harnessing up to 50% solar energy for power use.
• The environmental challenge - the main goal of using environment-friendly material is to have a cleaner and greener energy program, which is vital for sustainable development. Great people in solar cell and sapphire productions strive for this realization through constant research for raw materials and processes that are more environment friendly. In addition to that, the equipment manufacturing sector is constantly working to supply the semiconductor industry with the latest innovations for the achievement of the very same goal. This is the reason why there is always an improvement to equipment found in the market today - machines like the solar cell photovoltaic manufacturing system, which is popular in the wet process industry today.

Within the next few years, we will probably see unprecedented discoveries in science and new technologies might bring surprising benefits particularly for the semiconductor industry. That is, if people in the industry address the challenges they face today.

Usefulness Of Quartz Wafer Carrier In Wet Process

Some quartz products in the market today.
Photo credit: Imtec Acculine, Fremont, CA

Quartz wafer carrier is an important equipment that is widely used in the wet process industry today. It is useful to various sectors such as in the field of semiconductor, metallurgy, chemical industry, electric light source, photo-communication, medical equipment, and scientific instruments. This tool holds wafers of different diameters on their proper places as they undergo the laboratory processes. It can come in several designs, including the vertical, horizontal, the angle slot, and cage boats.

The use of this tool helps..

• provides no wafer pinching, chipping, micro-cracking, scratching, warping or breaking
• provides no crystal slip lines as well as bonded wafer separation problems
• helps reduce particle generation
• gives no wafer rattling during the boat movement
• gives an improved process uniformity

Why use quartz wafer over other types of wet process carrier? The reason is pretty simple: this material a number of advantages, including the following:

• Impermeability - quartz materials are well-known for their impermeability to most gases; meaning, they are capable of blocking out harmful gases (except for helium, hydrogen, and neon).
• Flexibility - they have properties that can make them into various designs and complex shapes; they can also be used in various temperature ranges  - from high to low temperature to vacuum environments.
• Mechanical properties - quartz materials are also known for their mechanical properties - e.g. extremely strong in compression; their compression property is stronger than 1.1x10 9 Pa (160,000 psi).
• Insulating property - they are considered to be superior when it comes to electrical insulating property; electrical insulation and microwave transmission properties are retained over a wide range of frequencies and even at very high temperatures.
• Reactivity - many wet process facilities choose quartz also because it does not react with other substances, which is ideal for materials used for process environments - materials that require a great deal of precision (e.g. chlorine, bromine, and other acids and metals do not react with quartz at realistic temperature).
  
  

Other quartz products

Aside from quartz boat carrier, there are other quartz products (check out that list from Imtec Acculine, Fremont, CA) that are available in the market today. All of them are useful in the wet process industry.