The new TRU TEMP Stainless black oxide finishing process from Birchwood Technologies (Eden Prairie, MN) is used as part of a two-stage chemical reaction, beginning with an activation step with a dilute muriatic acid solution. The stainless-steel surface is then oxidized to form the uniform black coating that can be sealed with an appropriate rust preventive topcoat for optimum appearance and corrosion resistance.
TRU TEMP Stainless Black Oxide for stainless steel forms a black magnetite finish when applied on stainless steel parts and is effective for finishing series 200, 300, 400 and 17-4 pH stainless steel. TRU TEMP creates a protective black finish - 0.000020” (1 micron) thick, which has an attractive satin black appearance equal to that of hot black oxide.
Operating effectively at 200° to 210° F, TRU TEMP Stainless finishes parts at much lower temperature than traditional hot black oxide that operates at 250-260° F. What’s more, is that TRU TEMP Stainless uses zero chrome in the formulation unlike other competitive stainless finishes. Additionally, TRU TEMP Stainless uses 30-40% less caustic content than other finishes, making TRU TEMP a more user-friendly and environmentally friendly finishing option.
Finishing parts is fast and in the most common finishing line configuration completes the blackening in under an hour using a seven-step process which includes: clean, rinse, activation, rinse, blackening, rinse, and sealing. Alternate process designs, custom or automated finishing systems can be accommodated for most workflows.
TRU TEMP Stainless finish makes it easy and fast to supply customers just-in-time requirements. By using an in-house finishing system, a company can achieve cycle time reductions, inventory reductions and overall process improvements. ISO accountability is enhanced and TRU TEMP Stainless meets compliance initiatives including MIL-DTL-13924 Class 4 compliant.
www.birchwoodtechnologies.com, 952-937-7931
