Custom metal work and surface treatments

Minifaber boasts decades of experience in the cold working of metals, which have led it to offer its customers increasingly customized services.

Minifaber specializes in custom metal work. The company is capable of performing all types of processing internally, including:

• drawing
• punching
• bending
• laser cutting
• shearing
• welding

And more. Minifaber even offers its customers the possibility of further customizing the workmanship with specific surface treatments.

In addition to being an extremely important metalworking process in terms of aesthetics, the surface treatments also provide an optimal finish for the workpiece and protect the metal against wear and oxidation.

Minifaber custom metal work

Minifaber is capable of performing a large number completely customizable sheet metal finishes on aluminum, stainless steel, copper, iron and special alloys. These include the following:

Galvanization

This process consists of covering a metal part with a zinc coating in order to protect it against corrosion due to rust. The galvanization process is usually performed hot, by immersing the metal part in a bath of molten zinc at a temperature of about 450° C. This ensures complete coverage on both on exterior and interior surfaces.

Burnishing

Burnishing is a surface treatment with a highly aesthetic appeal, whereby the metal part is given a distinctive shiny black and bluish color by immersing it in a bath of chemical elements.

Nickel plating

Nickel plating also takes place by immersion, with the metal part being placed in a nickel bath in order to render it more durable and resistant to external agents. There are two nickel plating methods: electrolytic and chemical. The difference between the two lies in the fact that, during chemical nickel plating, the nickel adheres precisely to the shape of the part. Precisely for this reason, it allows for much more precise results to be obtained.

Chrome plating

Chrome plating is a type of processing that allows for both functional and aesthetically pleasing results to be obtained, and consists of coating the metal part in a thin layer of chromium. Since this material is extremely durable, chrome plating is performed on parts that require a high level of resistance to wear. The chromium protects the surface of the coated metal, rendering it less vulnerable to particularly aggressive external agents.

Silver plating

Silver plating, which is performed more for decorative than functional purposes (thanks to the high sheen of silver), can be carried out on select delimited details of a metal piece, which makes it particularly suitable for coating small parts.

Shot peening

Shot peening is a surface treatment useful for improving the fatigue strength of metal parts that need to be subjected to high loads. The metal piece is treated with a jet of round metallic, glass or ceramic particles, which deform its surface and change its mechanical properties.

These are just some of the surface treatments available with Minifaber’s customized metal working processes.