Futura Industries has an anodizing facility in-house to handle everything from the smallest cut length component, up to the longer lineal product that we extrude.

Capabilities

Futura Industries process incorporates both sulfuric anodizing with organic and inorganic coloring methods. This process yields the traditional range of attractive and durable colors.:

• You can utilize our anodizing line for cleaning parts, when a given part cannot have any machining oils on them, but it doesn’t require an anodized finish.
• We incorporate dozens of different racking styles and methods to handle a wide variety of anodizing applications.
• We have plugging for tight-tolerance and fine-threaded holes.
• We verify color accuracy before delivering product to the next operation.
• We integrate environmental protection and wastewater treatment equipment, which allows us to be a good corporate neighbor within our community and meet state and EPA guidelines.
  
   
• The 2-step anodizing process is a method of coloring the anodized aluminum black or various shades of bronze, including champagne. The first step of (2-step) is anodizing. The second step involves plating metal, in this case, tin, into the anodic coating. This is achieved by applying an electric current to the anodized aluminum while it is immersed in a solution of dissolved tin. The color produced by this process is superior to dyed finishes. The color will not fade for at least 25-30 years. Dyed finishes typically fade in 1-3 years. This type of finish is used in architectural and automotive markets.

Anodizing, What is it?

Anodizing successfully combines science with nature to create one of the world's best metal finishes.

It is an electrochemical process that thickens and toughens the naturally occurring protective oxide. The resulting finish, depending on the process, is the second hardest substance known to man, second only to the diamond. The anodic coating is part of the metal, but has a porous structure which allows secondary infusions, (i.e. organic and inorganic coloring, lubricity aids, etc.)

• It is the electrochemical oxidation of the aluminum surface to produce a stable film of oxide. The metal is artificially and uniformly “rusted” by running an electrical current through the metal while it is immersed in an acid solution.

Anodizing's Benefits

The unique anodized finish is the only one in the metals industry that satisfies each of the factors that must be considered when selecting a high performance aluminum finish:

Durability
Most anodized products have an extremely long life span and offer significant economic advantages through maintenance and operating savings.

Color Stability
Exterior anodic coatings provide good stability to ultraviolet rays, do not chip or peel, and are easily repeatable.

Ease of Maintenance
Scars and wear from fabrication, handling, installation, frequent surface dirt cleaning and usage are virtually non-existent.

Aesthetics
Anodizing offers a large increasing number of gloss and color alternatives and minimizes or eliminates color variations.

Cost
A lower initial finishing cost combines with lower maintenance costs for greater long-term value.

Other Finishes

If your product requires a finish other than our standard anodizing, or architectural (2-step) anodizing, Futura Industries can provide this (although we outsource these other finishes, we manage the entire process as a service to you).

Why Choose Futura Industries?

After extruding and fabricating your extrusions, they are typically processed within 24 hours.

Less Scrap
If you source your anodizing, fabrication, and extrusion needs from various vendors, then you’ll likely be paying for scrap overages from each vendor, in addition to the freight damage that could occur. By sole sourcing with Futura Industries, scrap overages and freight damage will be reduced.

Quality Controls
We conduct shift-by-shift monitoring of our anodizing process parameter (pH, temperature, titrations etc.), and conduct pH and flow control testing for our water and wastewater quality control.

Reduced Administrative Headaches, One-Stop Shop
If you source your extrusions, fabrication and anodizing from various vendors, you may run into problems if you find defects at the final assembly process. With various vendors involved, you’ll likely encounter a lot of “finger-pointing” as to who is responsible for the defects. Single-sourcing all of your anodizing, fabrication and extrusion needs with Futura Industries will eliminate this.

While the anodizing process itself is fairly straightforward, there are a number of things that can be done to maximize throughput and reduce lead-times to you, the customer. Rack design and racking methods are the biggest factors affecting cost and lead-time.

Every extrusion that gets anodized needs to be securely fastened to an anodizing rack. Attaching an extrusion to a rack takes time, which affects lead-times and cost. We make every attempt to incorporate this racking process into the previous operation, like a manufacturing cell or CNC machining operation. By incorporating the anodize racking step into other operations, the labor costs to you can be significantly reduced or even eliminated. This also allows us to get your product to you even faster.

Rack design is also important in a lean environment. The easier it is to secure an extrusion to an anodize rack, the quicker we can move product through our plant, and to your dock.