Environmental Benefits

Comparison with Hot Oxide Method

PROPERTY	BLACKFAST	HOT OXIDE
Room temperature operation	YES	NO – 140°C
Low energy operating cost	YES	NO – high heat up and maintenance cost
Safe and easy chemical addition	YES	NO – addition of water and chemicals needs close control to avoid eruptions and splattering
Non-fuming baths	YES	NO – extraction necessary
Instantly ready for use	YES	NO – bath requires to heat up to 140°C
Low capital cost to set up	YES	NO – expensive tanks, heaters, controls and extraction required
No heat distortion of parts	YES	NO – distortion can occur
Convenient to set up an in-house operation	YES	NO – requires power, services and extraction
Blackens cast iron	YES	NO – causes red/brown finish

Benefits of changing from hot blacking

Those companies that operate their own hot blacking line, or are considering changing their finishing process, can benefit in the following ways by adopting a room temperature blacking line:

• There is no expensive capital equipment required – plastic or rubber lined tanks will work.
• Extraction equipment is either minimal or not necessary as there is no damage to the fabric of the facility – a common fault given the corrosive nature of the fumes from the hot blacking line.
• There are no heating costs, the solution can be used immediately and does not require 2 hours to reach operating temperature.
• There are no salts that subsequently leach out into holes and small orifices.
• A short dwell time allows rapid throughput of production and high coverage per gallon.
• The health benefit to the operator is immeasurable.

The Blackfast solution control is simple and replenishment is achieved by topping-up. Dumping is not necessary as with other systems. The Blackfast process is convenient and can be located anywhere without the need for ventilation or complicated control procedure. The solutions are stable, reliable and surprisingly easy to maintain.

User Benefits

No Dimensional Change

Many machined parts are manufactured to a tight tolerance, which means plating or painting are not acceptable.

Corrosion Resistance

The black surface absorbs wax, oil or rust preventative sealants to give corrosion protection.

Sales Appeal

A durable black finish enhances the appearance and value of a wide range of manufactured articles.

Safety

By reducing light glare from moving tooling or machinery, it eases fatigue and contributes to operator safety.

Precision Engineers

A uniform black finish of steel components is extremely popular, adding considerably to the perceived value of the product. This, combined with the unique quality that component dimensions are not altered and an even colour is achieved over blind holes and threads, makes it a must for any precision engineer.

Any precision engineering company manufacturing metal parts which require colouring and corrosion protection without resulting in dimensional change would benefit by installing their own Blackfast, room temperature blacking line.