FAQ:  Anodized Aluminum or Stainless Steel?

Anodized Aluminum or Stainless Steel?: Material Costs, Maintenance, Part Replacement, Less Weight / Expensive, Fast Machining, Tight Tolerances, Durable Hard Surface, Energy Cost

Anodized aluminum can replace stainless steel in certain applications, yielding savings in material costs, maintenance and part replacement, to name a few. The ways that anodized parts can be used instead of stainless steel are virtually endless, limited only by designers and engineers’ imaginations.

The Benefits of Anodized Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel

Some of the benefits of anodized aluminum components in place of stainless steel include:

• Less weight
• Less expensive to produce, handle and ship
• Machining is twice as fast as for stainless steel
• Tight tolerances – machine components with can be anodized without changing the dimensional requirements of the part
• More durable hard surface – an example of this is the aspirin maker that was having problems with a piece of equipment made from 316 Stainless Steel.

  
  The aspirin dust was cutting a groove into the surface of the stainless steel parts. They were replaced with anodized aluminum parts.

  The new aluminum parts eliminated the problem, plus gave the added benefit of a cost reduction due to less required maintenance and part replacements.

• Energy Cost Savings – anodized aluminum replaces hardened-steel molds for plastic injection molding, saving on energy costs due to the heat retention properties of anodized aluminum, as one example

Talk to Superior's engineers and metal coating specialists about how anodized aluminum can replace more costly stainless steel in your business. We have answers and solutions that can improve your bottom line for a long time to come.