Mikronite® is the brand name for a surface finishing process that strengthens, smoothes and polishes materials to enhance their performance.
In other words, Mikronite® improves sharpness, durability, lubricity and impact resistance while reducing friction, resistance and corrosion.
What Is The Process?
The Mikronite® process is based on a simple concept of applying lapping-like scratching under extremely high compression. Objects are placed in a fluidized medium containing an abrasive in a specially designed reverse centrifugal accelerating agitator. The medium is non-caustic and generally organic.
As the objects are revolved, they are subjected to massive G forces so that very fine particles --- as small as dust --- operate multiple times their mass and weight. To solve the problem of static revolving forces --- because centrifugal forces spin things away from the center --- the reverse centrifugal forces cause a wave-like motion creating a sinusoidal agitation.
Once accelerated, the medium slides uniformly across the object's surface with controlled and even distribution of pressure.
How Does It Work?
The Mikronite® process works by compressing the exterior surface of an object to reduce slip planes. To understand slip planes, visualize a brick wall which usually cracks along a line that looks like a staircase. This fracture line is a slip plane. By compressing or meshing those relatively straight lines, the Mikronite® process puts them in a tongue and groove or interwoven relationship.
This produces molecular-level changes to the surface of an object without changing its size, shape or metallurgy. The depth of this change can be controlled for the best blend of hardness and ductile properties. For example, it is usually desirable to make the exterior harder and leave the interior ductile so the material has the best of flexibility and strength without brittleness.
What Is The Result?
As a result, surface characteristics of an object are extremely optimized making them harder, smoother, more polished, more uniform and more corrosion resistant with higher lubricity and less friction.
What Materials Can Be Processed?
Virtually any material regardless of size or shape can be processed using the Mikronite® process, particularly ceramics (both monocrystalline and polycrystalline), metals (including those with soft or malleable surfaces such as titanium), and plastics. In addition, objects never impact the sides of the container, therefore even brittle pieces can be processed.
What Mikronite® is NOT
Mikronite® is solely a mechanical action process. It is not a coating, and it does not involve an active heat process nor caustic chemicals of any kind.
