There is a belief in the metal construction industry that “crazing” negatively affects the aesthetic appeal of anodized aluminum, degrades protective properties of the anodic layer, and that forming anodized aluminum is complicated. Crazing, the microfracturing of the anodic layer, will not affect the performance of the anodized aluminum. 

However, there may be a desire to minimize the appearance of crazing when forming anodized aluminum. Forming anodized aluminum is generally a much simpler operation provided certain techniques are used in the processing of the material. This paper provides information on the proper forming techniques and tooling required to effectively form anodized aluminum.