A customised “recipe” for surface treatment
Micron Coatings Group has chosen the most complex sector of metal surface finishes, that of high-precision mechanics, focusing on extreme customisation of the service. The electroless nickel and hard-anodizing processes supplied by the company in Soncino (CR) are in fact those most requested in hi-tech mechanics.
In the aluminium sector, Micron Coatings Group — with the two production units Micron and Durox — is a fine example of managerial intelligence. In a very competitive manufacturing sector such as the one in which the Soncino company operates, its choice to focus entirely on customising the service to the needs of its customers is striking: from the initial design, carried out on each product, to the customised “recipe”, through to finishing the materials by thick anodic oxidation or nickel plating. There are in fact several possible combinations of finishes, which vary according to the performance required of the finished component. From low-roughness and low-friction finishes, to coatings that greatly improve wear or corrosion resistance, through heat-dissipating and dielectric coatings. Not only aluminium, then, which remains the main metal treated, but also copper, steel, titanium and magnesium.
From the beginnings to today
Micron was founded by the Bordiga family (the three siblings Aldo, Carla and Sergio Bordiga, present in the company today also with the second generations) in 1985, specialising in electroless nickel, with the construction in 1992 of a new plant in Soncino (Cremona). The acquisition of Durox, a historic company based in Remanzacco (Udine) and specialised in anodizing of aluminium and titanium, took place in 2000 and certainly gave an important boost to the group’s growth.
Together the two companies today turn over more than 12 million euro and employ 110 people. With its activity Micron covers electroless nickel of both aluminium alloys and other metals, and accounts for about 70% of combined turnover. The remaining turnover is hard anodizing of aluminium, which belongs to Durox.
“Our main reference markets are precision mechanics in general, for which we produce components for the most varied outlets (from automotive to pneumatics, from hydraulics to sports equipment). Of course, depending on the alloys to be treated and the properties required, we also deal with anodic oxidation or nickel plating for materials that are difficult to anodize. Unlike many of our competitors, we offer a complete service in partnership with the customer, starting from co-design of the component alongside the customer so as to define together the treatment best suited to the specific needs. Italy is our main market, even though our customers then export their products all over the world. This means that the treatment processes we carry out must in any case comply with the specifications of foreign customers, which is why, for example, we are in the process of IATF 16949 certification for automotive. The treated components are fitted by the leading and most prestigious car manufacturers and by companies famous worldwide in components. To name a few references, we are suppliers to Brembo, Ducati and Ferrari,” the Bordiga family explains.
Diversification of products and markets
Despite Covid, the company is going through this period without major setbacks, thanks to a careful managerial choice that has proved successful. “Fortunately we managed to end 2020 with a result better than the forecasts, even if slightly down in turnover compared with the previous year. The great diversification of products and market niches certainly helped us; we suffered like everyone else from the automotive crisis in the first months of last year, but we were able to compensate comfortably with other sectors. This year has started in a very encouraging way and we hope the recorded trend will continue.” This product diversification means that Micron Coatings treats small or medium-sized parts, destined above all for precision mechanics. “We are however able to carry out thick oxidation on components up to 7.5 m long and 2 m high. This happens, for example, with cylinders, linear guides or rails that must offer certain wear-resistance characteristics. Our core business, though, is smaller components, in particular for automotive, such as brake and engine components, which are all of contained size.”
Thick anodic oxidation and nickel plating
One of the surface treatments carried out by Micron Coatings is the oxidation process, which can be of the “normal” type or thick. “In hard anodizing one works with lower operating temperatures, a higher voltage and on average longer times. This mix makes it possible to obtain anodic thicknesses that are more compact and better suited to protecting components from wear, while at the same time increasing corrosion resistance. Compared with what the competition offers, we intend to differentiate ourselves by the technological content of the processes and by the assistance dedicated to our customers, so as to supply a ‘tailor made’ product shaped to their needs. If one wants to supply components for Formula One or MotoGP, one must be able to solve problems that for other companies are minor or even non-existent. It is clear that only a process kept under control can guarantee supplies that strictly match the designer’s requirements and constant quality. All this can be obtained only with a great technical background, experienced staff, consolidated production procedures, great attention to technological content and a strong partnership with the customer in the mutual interest of quality work capable of generating competitiveness, without being attracted by the easy myths of large quantities churned out or higher turnover volumes.”
Micron also deals with nickel plating, which the Soncino company offers using the Niplate® process. “Electroless nickel is a process of depositing a nickel-phosphorus alloy on metal parts. It takes place by immersion in treatment solutions following specific steps, different for each metal. Deposition is electroless, that is without electric current, and is based on an oxidation-reduction reaction. This makes it possible to create a uniform, calibrated coating over the entire surface of the part, regardless of its geometry. The nickel coating applied by this process has a bright metallic surface appearance, or a matt one if preceded by sandblasting. Niplate® is the registered European trademark (owned by Micron) that identifies the nickel coatings we supply. For example, the Niplate 500 PTFE treatment is a nickel codeposit with uniformly dispersed PTFE particles that give anti-adhesion and a low coefficient of friction. The Niplate 600 SiC codeposit provides hardness and wear resistance because it contains silicon-carbide particles. Electroless nickel can be applied to almost all metals, for example stainless steel, brass, copper alloys, titanium and of course aluminium (which represents about 30% of all nickel-plating treatments).”
Captions
- Aluminium cylinder with electroless nickel and hard anodizing.
- The headquarters of Micron Coatings Group.
- Aluminium parts treated with electroless nickel.
- The SEM scanning electron microscope completes the sophisticated metallographic laboratory for investigation and characterisation of coatings. It reaches magnifications of up to 200,000X and, through EDX technology, allows characterisation of elements for alloy analysis.
- Product diversification means that Micron Coatings treats small or medium-sized parts, destined above all for precision mechanics.
- Insulation of a component with hard anodizing.
- SEM scan of a NIPLATE® surface coating with diamond.