Quick Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About MICRALOX

 

Only a portion of the amorphous oxide converts to micro-crystalline structures. There is a distinct crystalline layer, which acts as a barrier to chemical attack. Otherwise, the coating is primarily amorphous and performs in adhesion, impact resistance, hardness, and abrasion resistance similar to a sealed anodic coating. In other words, with a MICRALOX microcrystalline aluminum oxide coating, all of the positive properties of a sealed anodic coating are retained, along with the improvements of being thermodynamically stable and with a significantly lower rate of solubility.
MICRALOX has significantly higher dielectric properties when compared to conventional hard coat anodizing. Expected values are greater than 2000 Volts DC (Direct Current).
MICRALOX starts with the SANFORD PROCESS QUANTUM™ hard coat, a unique low voltage hard coat anodizing. The resulting oxide is translucent at greater thicknesses without compromising abrasion resistance and micro-hardness – a significant benefit when the aluminum oxide finish is to be dyed. Whereas conventional high voltage hard coating produces a dark grey or green substrate that can only produce dark, obscure colors, SANFORD PROCESS QUANTUM™ hard coat produces vibrant colors normally associated with decorative (Type II) anodizing.
Optimal anodized coating thickness for MICRALOX is 1.5 to 2.0 mils. As with all hard coat processes, half of the coating forms below the surface and half grows above the surface, resulting in a larger overall dimension. (.002 coating adds .001 per surface)
Yes, MICRALOX can be assigned MIL-A-8625 Certification, if the anodized coating is specified within the appropriate coating thickness range of 2 mils, with a tolerance of plus/minus 0.4 mils.