hire-an-anodizing-consultant/writing-anodizing-equipment-specifications
Writing Anodizing Equipment Specifications
Anodizing Equipment Specifications - Why Buy It?
Anodizing Equipment Specifications
Before you can ever hope to get competitive pricing for anodizing equipment, you must have a preliminary specification that you can give to the equipment vendors. It is not enough to “pick the brain” of an anodizing equipment vendor. With all of the options out there you could be spending a great deal more or getting a great deal less for anodizing equipment than you need.
It does not matter if you are a large company or just one individual investor, you have to be aware that prices for anodizing equipment can vary as much as 100% or more if you do not specify precisely what you want to purchase.
Anodizing Equipment Specifications - Step 1 "Conceptual"
The first kind of anodizing equipment specification is what we refer to as a “Conceptual” specification. This basic specification usually consists of the following;
Process Sequence Chart – Identifies the process steps – e.g. Clean > Rinse > Etch, etc.
Chemical Description – Lists the chemicals / concentrations and temperatures
Equipment Matrix – Details the kind of equipment you desire – e.g. tank sizes, rectifier
Basic Floor Plan* – Scaled layout of the line – tanks, ancillary & waste water systems
* Note the Basic Floor Plan is not a detailed engineering drawing. It is a simple block diagram showing the dimensions and conceptual layout of the process equipment.
Conceptual Anodizing Equipment Specifications - Cost?
A Conceptual specification should cost you somewhere in the $1,500 to $2,500 range more or less depending upon the consultant you select. You may want to try this yourself by doing your own research. But at the end of the day you will not save much money and may waste a lot of time.
In summary, conceptual anodizing equipment specifications are a basic overview of the process and equipment. As you get further into your project you will have to start developing a more detailed specification including such items as work flow, production, facility requirements and much more. In our next article we will talk about Step 2 when writing anodizing equipment specifications.
by Ken Emilio