Black Oxide Finishing System Reduces Costs

Birchwood Technologies offers the BC40 and BC100 Tru Temp black oxide processing lines, designed to reduce costs for metal finishing through lean manufacturing. The tank lines, equipped with either 40- or 100-gallon capacities, are pre-engineered for fast setup and use. Featuring seven individualized tanks, the systems are constructed of either 10-gauge welded, epoxy-painted steel or welded polypropylene, and are equipped with heaters and plumbing connections. The process is intended to be an in-house substitute for more-dangerous 290°F hot oxide processes. With an operating temperature nearly 100°F cooler, the black oxide process is safer and avoids the hazards of a boiling tank, the company says.

The Tru Temp process is designed to streamline workpiece movement and eliminate unnecessary operations. With a 10- to 12-minute blackening time, the process forms a durable black magnetite finish of 0.000020" thickness. According to the company, the process satisfies Mil Spec DTL 13924D and AMS 2485 and contains no EPA-regulated metals so that rinse waters are generally sewerable without waste treatment. The system is also said to require less energy than conventional oxide finishing systems.