It’s impossible to send off work for surface treatment without being given a lead time for the completion of the work, but unfortunately this can often vary from the actual time it takes to complete the work. Understanding what causes these delays will help you plan better.
Baseline Times Vary by Process
Different surface finish processes have typical turn-around times for completion. Anodising may typically be completed within 3-5 working days. Electroless nickel and other chemical surface finishes typically have a lead time of 5-10 days. Thermal spray processes can have the longest lead time and typically are completed within 1-3 weeks.
Batch Size Affects Queue Position
For anodising a large batch can take a long time to load onto a tank, and may be run in parts over several days. In contrast, small, urgent orders will often get loaded onto a spare tank, ahead of larger orders. It’s worth checking with the surface finisher what batch size is best for the tank to maximise the use of the processor’s time.
Incomplete Specifications Stall Jobs at the Desk
Inadequate information to complete surface treatment can cause delays. All necessary information must be provided such as alloy grade, drawings and specific requirements for threads and bearing surfaces, masking out etc. This information must be complete and up-to-date.
Pre-Treatment Problems Add Unplanned Time
They can also be delayed due to prior surface finish not being clean enough or the previous coating being stripped off for some reason. Also prior machine finished surfaces can be outside of the specified tolerance for the pre-treatment process and therefore require additional work before they can be coated.
Certification Hold Points Cannot Be Rushed
And don’t misjudge the ‘first article inspection’ hold-downs for components going into highly regulated industries. They are outside the finisher’s control. For Surface Treatments, visit www.poeton.co.uk/surface-treatments.
A realistic lead time is based on accurate data being provided upfront and a program schedule which takes account of the process time.
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