Metallife surface finish appearances and various textures available

Cosmetic Appearance

ThermaLLife is a diffusion process that is done as a batch process based on the weight of the tooling being treated. There are no line of sight limitations since the gases used will be able to access any opening.

The cosmetic appearance of a ThermaLLife surface does not exhibit any texture so it is ideally suited for applications that require a cosmetic finish. The functional aspect of the process does not have any set required color although by introducing other parameters such as water vapor, oxygen, and atmosphere, various colored appearances can be obtained.

A good example of this is that of a subsequent steam bluing. This gives the steel surface a dark blue hue. The color gives cosmetic appeal but is not a requirement or part of the diffusion process or provide any additional benefits.

Badger Metal is focused on using the correct recipe to obtain the correct diffusion zone and compound layer thickness that is not too thin or thick to cause flaking. We focus on this and not the final cosmetic surface color which is dependent on cooling rate, size (thickness) of the material, and associated atmospheric conditions. If you like color, core pins often come out with a rainbow effect due to their mass and subsequent quicker cooling rate.