Selecting good corrosion resistance is important for a product component design and manufacture.
FREMONT, CA: Lightweight metals have become the go-to alternative in many industries. In automotive, aerospace, and many customer applications, metals such as aluminum, titanium, and magnesium have turned vital. Associating their wealth, outstanding strength-to-weight ratios, and flexibility implies they are a preferred choice for product engineers globally.
Even when unprocessed, some lightweight alloys present extreme corrosion resistance, but surface treatment in a completed product will inevitably be necessary for performance, durability, and quality purposes. Magnesium is famous for its low corrosion resistance. Still, what is least known is that it is equally open to some aluminum alloys and other high-strength families having copper or other transition metals.
Anodizing
Anodization is the most normal process of improving the corrosion resistance of aluminum. Achieve security needs a four-step method. The first stage involves immersing the material in a conductive solution bath, generally a low-pH acid bath, and the alloy's attachment to the electrical circuit anode.
An oxidation reaction occurs on the metal surface when an electrical current is passed, which lets the natural oxide on the surface metal thicken, creating a protective outer layer of aluminum oxide. By raising the coating time, the thickness can be changed, hence giving a flexible range of applications:
• It can provide good pretreatment for paint or subsequent coatings when applied softly,
• When dyed, complex color effects can be conducted.
• It is translucent when applied thinly (typically <20μm) when applied thinly and manages the metallic aesthetic.
PEO
The application of plasma discharges to turn the metallic surface of light metals incorporates Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO). It forms an oxide layer of adhesive that is both hard and dense. In a bath, components are immersed, and an electrical current extends a uniform oxide layer on the surface. Above a three-stage process, PEO takes place:
• Amendment of the resulting layer by plasma discharge
• Oxidation of the substrate (as happens in the anodizing process)
• Co-deposition of the parts from the electrolyte into the coating
for example, aluminum, titanium, and magnesium, PEO form hard, dense, and wear-resistant coatings. PEO shapes coatings with greater hardness, chemical passivity, and a beneficial, uneven pore structure that develops high strain tolerance and better adhesion when straight compared to anodized coatings.
