Coventya’s CASTELOX is an anodizing oxide (AAO) system which is designed to improve the performance of aluminium cast alloys. Its multiple benefits include high process efficiency, improved product uniformity, functionality and visual quality. And by improving the anodizing of cast aluminium we contribute to a sustainable future of lightweight constructions for less energy consumption.
So far so good. But what’s the technology behind CASTELOX? In short, we can say that CASTELOX is a new process approach with a new portfolio of products that provide high-quality anodized coatings for cast alloy types.
Let’s dive deeper into the process:
Aluminium Surface Treatment evolution
High-functionality and quality appearance of surface finishes require a uniform AAO coating. Sounds simple enough. But up to 12% of high (> 7%) Si-containing casted Al alloy surfaces are insufficiently covered by anodizing layer, which results in patchy colour and impairs technical performance (corrosion and wear resistance). These ‘zero spots’ need to be avoided to provide surface qualities that OEMs can trust to consistently deliver outstanding product performance. But how? Coventya’s dedicated R&D team at our Aluminium Surface Treatment innovation facility (Tuzla, Turkey) stepped up to this challenge by innovatively exploring how to:
- improve AAO-layer consistency
- create higher/more uniform thickness ranges
- avoid oxide layer cracking through lower stress potential
Innovative tech
The new production process creates more defined and uniform AAO layer – a crucial characteristic for complex shape cast aluminium parts/components. And it gets even better: the AAO layer also has improved hardness – without brittleness – which positively impacts coating wear resistance, a huge benefit for automotive/industrial equipment applications where wear performance is a key indicator. CASTELOX can also achieve overall improved corrosion resistance, which is clearly a significant benefit for today’s demanding OEM requirements and engineering standards.
Take-home message
CASTELOX is the remarkable result and outstanding solution of Coventya’s market-leading R&D know-how and innovation – a new state-of-the-art holistic approach that achieves uniform anodize layers on alloys and delivers measurable results for OEMs.
