One of the unique traits of aluminum is its ability to be "anodized", a process like no other.  It was used by the US Military in WWII as a finish to protect against corrosion on its aircraft.  It is an interesting irony that anodizing is controlled corrosion of the aluminum surface that actually protects aluminum and makes it thicker.  The process: Aluminum is first cleaned, and then submerged in a tank where acid is electrically charged while the aluminum is grounded.  The resulting chemical reaction changes aluminum oxide to aluminum hydrate.  This forms in the grain of the aluminum which gives it an extremely hard surface, called Clear Anodize.  If an earth tone color is desired, the clear anodize metal is dipped in a color tank before sealing (each tone has an acceptable range of variance).  The third and final process is a dip solution that seals the new, harder surface.  Anodizing reveals the natural character of extruded aluminum, especially Clear Anodize.  This finish is often chosen because of its less than uniform appearance.  If exact color uniformity is desired, painting is the better choice.

The paint process we use to coat our products is not like typical painting.  If cared for properly, the factory finish can last a lifetime.  A brief explanation of the process follows: First, each length of aluminum is covered with an aledyne primer.  Each length is then placed on a hanging rack and sprayed with the paint chosen by our customer.  In this spraying method, the paint is charged while the aluminum is grounded.  Robotic automation sprays each part for uniform coverage.  The final step is to cure the painted parts in a specially designed large oven.  Once cured, your custom colored extrusions are ready for fabrication.  Since white paint does not contain color pigments, our stock white is polyester grade.  However, we will ONLY supply an extraordinary paint blend on custom colors.  Many know of this blend as "Kynar 500".  This is the same paint which high-rise buildings around the world demand because of its exceptional color retention and salt air protection.  Its unique ingredient is a 70% fluoropolymer resin.