General Questions About Smoothing Rods
Q. What is a Smoothing rod?
A smoothing rod is a stainless steel rod that has been hard chrome plated and polished to create a smooth and shiny finish. Smoothing rods do not have any wire or threads on the surface. They are primarily used to apply clay coatings to paperboard, and to distribute higher viscosity coatings evenly and smoothly.
Q. What is the surface finish of a Smoothing Rod?
A smoothing rod has a smooth surface with a hard chrome finish. Smoothing rods usually
have a surface finish of 6-12 Ra .
Q. What is the typical hard chrome plating thickness of a smoothing rod?
For smoothing applications, we usually recommend a chrome thickness of 0.002 inches (0.0508mm). Chrome thickness can be adjusted to suit your needs. Plating thickness now available up to 0.003in (0.075mm) thick.
Q. Can smoothing rods be used in conjunction with other coating methods?
Customers will sometimes use a smoothing rod as a follow-up process to a metering rod or other coating method to create a smoother coating result. This is especially true when using high viscosity coatings.
For answers to other questions about Buschman’s metering rods, and general application information, visit our Frequently Asked Questionspage.
