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OrangePeel Article

Orange peel is a cosmetic defect that makes sheet metal appear rough like an orange surface. It occurs when individual metal grains deform differently during deep forming, causing variations in surface height. To prevent orange peel, the maximum acceptable grain size for a component must be determined through testing and controlled during sheet metal processing. Controlling grain size involves adjusting the amount of cold rolling and annealing temperature, time, and cooling method. Specifying grain size limits in drawings and orders helps suppliers provide appropriately grained sheet metal.

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40 views2 pages

OrangePeel Article

Orange peel is a cosmetic defect that makes sheet metal appear rough like an orange surface. It occurs when individual metal grains deform differently during deep forming, causing variations in surface height. To prevent orange peel, the maximum acceptable grain size for a component must be determined through testing and controlled during sheet metal processing. Controlling grain size involves adjusting the amount of cold rolling and annealing temperature, time, and cooling method. Specifying grain size limits in drawings and orders helps suppliers provide appropriately grained sheet metal.

Uploaded by

obsotam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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www.imetllc.

com
847.528.3467

Increasing the Probability of Your Success

Cause of Orange Peel on Sheet Metal Components

Orange peel is a cosmetic defect associated with a rough surface appearance after forming a
component from sheet metal. It is called orange peel because the surface has the appearance of
the surface of an orange. It is typically associated with sheet metal that has undergone a large
amount of deformation, such as during deep drawing.

During sheet metal forming, the individual grains deform independently of each other. Because
neighboring grains have different orientations of their crystal lattices (See Principles of
Metallurgy), there are differences in the amount of metal thickening or thinning between
neighboring grains. As a result, the grains stand out from each other at the surface. The larger
the amount of deformation and the larger the grain size, the more apparent is the effect. With a
small-grained material, there is less variation in the amount of thickening or thinning between
the grains and the individual grains are too small for the eye to detect the surface variations.

These figures show two samples of a sheet metal component. One component had small grains
throughout. The other had large grains at the surface. The component with the large grains at the
surface exhibited orange peel.

No Orange Peel Orange Peel

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Preventing orange peel
Orange peel can be prevented from occurring by identification of the maximum grain size that is
tolerable for a component and implementing measures to prevent the grain size from exceeding
the maximum identified.

Identifying the maximum grain size that can be tolerated without cause orange peel to appear
requires engineering studies to compare the effects of different grain size on surface appearance
and ability to easily perform the forming operation. This evaluation is required because there are
competing requirements for appearance and ease of forming a component as large grained metal
is easier to form compared to small grained metal. For many components there is usually a
compromise grain size that will optimize formability and cosmetic appearance. The grain size
can be evaluated by cross-section metallography of the different samples according to ASTM
E112 Standard Test Methods for Determining Average Grain Size. The maximum grain size that
does not cause orange peel is the desired grain size.

Alternatively, an engineering team can deep draw samples from a few different batches of sheet
metal and measure the grain size for a sample from each batch. If there is any variation in grain
size between the samples, the maximum grain size that does not cause orange peel is the desired
grain size. With this type of testing, it is possible that there is a larger grain size that can be
tolerated than that identified. However, the testing is simplified compared to the first type of
study mentioned.

Controlling grain size


Grain size is controlled through a combination of cold rolling and annealing. Obtaining the
desired grain size requires proper control of the amount of cold rolling, annealing temperature,
annealing time, and cooling methods after annealing (See Principles of Metallurgy). For the
example that was shown earlier, the top surface of the sample with orange peel was not properly
cooled after annealing, which allowed the grains at the surface to grow too large.

Controlling grain size also requires specification of the maximum grain size acceptable for sheet
metal so as to communicate the requirements to sheet metal suppliers. The grain size
specifications can be on the mechanical drawing for a component or on the purchase order for
the sheet metal stock. The specifications should include the metal composition, thickness, tensile
strength or hardness, grain size, and method for evaluating the grain size.

Still have metallurgy questions? We offer a 15-minute phone consultation for $60. Many
questions can be answered in 15 minutes, helping people get on track. Here’s the link to
purchase the consultation http://www.imetllc.com/metallurgy-consultation/.

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