Surface finishing of brake pads constitutes the final stage of the manufacturing process, exerting a critical impact on the finished product quality and market competitiveness. Beyond determining the aesthetic appearance of products, surface finishing also governs their corrosion resistance, identifiability and service life.
Standard surface finishing processes for brake pads consist of surface cleaning, anti-corrosion treatment, marking printing and packaging, each subject to stringent technical requirements and operational specifications.
Surface cleaning serves as the first step of surface finishing. Its purpose is to eliminate oil stains, dust, oxide layers and other contaminants on brake pads, providing a clean substrate for subsequent procedures. Common cleaning approaches fall into mechanical cleaning (such as sandblasting and shot blasting) and chemical cleaning (such as pickling and alkaline washing). Mechanical cleaning removes oxide layers and impurities by bombarding the surface with high-speed abrasive particles; meanwhile, it increases surface roughness to enhance the adhesion of subsequent coatings. Chemical cleaning dissolves oil stains and oxide layers through chemical reactions between acidic or alkaline solutions and surface contaminants. Workpieces must be thoroughly dried after cleaning, as residual moisture will compromise the effectiveness of subsequent treatments.
Anti-corrosion treatment acts as the core procedure of brake pad surface finishing, designed to prevent metallic components from corroding during storage and service. Widely adopted anti-corrosion technologies include electroplating, chemical conversion coatings and organic coatings. Electroplating generally employs zinc plating or nickel plating to form a dense metallic protective film on metal surfaces, which effectively isolates corrosive substances from the external environment. Chemical conversion coatings such as phosphating and chromating generate a compound protective film via chemical reactions, featuring outstanding anti-corrosion performance and coating adhesion. Organic coatings involve applying organic paints like epoxy resin and polyurethane onto metal surfaces to create a physical barrier that blocks corrosive media from contacting the base metal. For brake pads, a combination of multiple anti-corrosion techniques is commonly adopted to achieve optimal anti-corrosion performance.
Specialized equipment is required for grinding to control the dimensional accuracy of brake pad surfaces. Baiyun Intelligent Equipment independently develops and manufactures a full range of automatic brake pad processing production lines to meet diversified grinding demands from various customers.