By Steven Soderberg, Lorin Industries, Inc.
Lorin Industries, Inc. opened its new batch anodizing line with a ceremony on March 5. The ceremony, held at the batch production line in Lorin’s 400,000 sq. ft. facility in Muskegon, MI, featured a ribbon cutting by Park Kersman, President of Lorin.
The new batch production line, which took over a year to build, is now fully open for operations. The line will increase opportunities for customers in a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, military, toys, medical devices, consumer goods, and more to access Lorin’s premium anodizing process. Beyond expanding opportunities for customers, this new line will also bring many new job opportunities to Michigan’s lakeshore region.
Batch anodizing, also called ‘piece-part’ anodizing, is one of the two types of anodizing processes, alongside continuous coil anodizing. Both processes are fundamentally similar, in that each is an electrochemical process that builds a durable anodic layer that becomes a part of the substrate on a molecular level. The primary difference is that batch anodizing involves racking parts, or sheets, that are dipped into a series of tanks or baths. The advantages of batch anodizing include the ability to do small parts and smaller runs as well as thicker films and a plethora of colors. Products that would benefit from batch anodizing would include medical device components, firearm components, aerospace components, hunting and sporting goods equipment, architectural trim, and automotive parts, just to name a few.
By anodizing you are able to provide aluminum products and parts the ability to withstand the elements and assure wear protection on a long-term basis, thus offering superior quality with a durable, corrosion-resistant finish, along with aesthetically pleasing colors. Lorin’s anodizing process provides a variety of colors and finishes, adding the perfect touch to anything from an electric guitar to a medical instrument.
The premier quality of Lorin’s batch anodizing products arises out of the sophistication of its coil anodizing process, which combines the latest technological advancements with top quality materials. Lorin’s batch anodizing process utilizes tank sizes that allow for maximum flexibility in the process and the ability to efficiently turn around large as well as small order sizes. Lorin is offering a variety of standard and custom colors with Type II, Type III (traditional hard-coat), and Lorin’s proprietary ColorIn® process included in their Batch line product offering.
Companies looking to create large or small runs of products with thick anodic layers and anodized protected edges will find an ideal solution in Lorin’s sophisticated batch anodizing process and will be able to take advantage of Lorin’s technical expertise, customer focus and committed team. Whether the industry be automotive, aerospace, military, toys, medical devices, or consumer goods, Lorin’s batch anodizing process fits the needs of specific products and desired performance requirements.