Metal Face Finishing
Brushed aluminium, sand blasted or polished stainless steel, plus laser etching, laser cutting and CNC machining.
The three finishes buyers actually ask for
Brushed aluminium, sand blasted stainless steel and polished stainless steel are the most popular choices. All three run off the same blank, so a finish change is a process change rather than a tooling change.
Cutting the blank
We laser cut thin material and CNC machine thicker sheets to be used for our finisher plates. Which route a part takes is a thickness decision, and it is made before the first prototype.
Logos and part marks
Many of our customers require aesthetic logos to be present upon their parts; our facilities offer laser etching for steel components. On plastic components the equivalent is colour printing.
Other capabilities
Overmoulded Finisher Plates
Rubber moulded directly onto a steel or aluminium face, so the insert cannot be levered out.
Press Fit Finishers
A separately moulded rubber insert pressed into the finisher plate — the lower-tooling route to the same look.
Rubber Compound Selection
EPDM, SBR, TPE, TPE-SEBS, PVC and PP — and the test data that tells you which one the part actually needs.
Prototype to PPAP
Parts from a prototype tool in 4 weeks; full PPAP to ISO/TS 16949 or VDA typically in 8 weeks.
In-House Tooling
Every tool behind these parts was designed and built in our own shop.
Questions buyers ask
Is this quoted separately or inside the part price?
Inside the part price, unless it is a one-off engineering activity such as tooling. Tooling is always quoted as its own line.
How early do I need to decide this?
Before the production tool is cut. The prototype stage — parts 4 weeks from a prototype tool — exists precisely so these decisions can still be changed.
Who do I talk to about it?
Our designers, not only a salesperson. The team works in SolidWorks, Pro-E and UG and sits in the same buildings as the tool shop in Shanghai and Beijing.
Need metal face finishing?
Send the drawing or the sample and we will tell you what it takes to make it here — tooling, compound and timing.