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Effects of speeds, voltages, and electrolytes on localized anodization of Al 6061 alloys using a direct writing pen

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Abstract

For many applications, aluminum alloys require anodization to produce alumina films that protect the surfaces against corrosion and abrasive wear. This process is traditionally carried out by dipping the substrate into a suitable bath of electrolyte. A study on the effectiveness of a direct writing pen for localized anodization of aluminum 6061 is presented. The writing pen was designed for applications in which complete submersion of the substrate in an electrolyte is inconvenient or unnecessary. Three aqueous electrolyte solutions were used: 15% sulfuric acid; 10% sulfuric acid plus 5% citric acid; and 5% sulfuric acid plus 10% citric acid. All concentrations are in v/v%. Voltage levels of 30, 40, and 50 V were applied, while the writing traverse speeds were 0.1, 1, and 3 \(\mathrm{mm}/\mathrm{s}\) on different experimental samples. Single-step and two-step anodization were implemented. The anodic oxide films were characterized for surface morphology, thickness, micro-hardness, and ability to hold dyes through the nanopores. The results show that the lower the pen traverse speeds, the higher the thickness of the alumina films produced. The thicknesses obtained were highest at 21.5 µm for oxide films generated at 0.1 \(\mathrm{mm}/\mathrm{s}\) traverse speed and 50 \(\mathrm{V}\) using sulfuric acid in a single-step anodization. However, the hardest surfaces were obtained for samples processed at 50 \(\mathrm{V}\) with two-step anodization and 1 \(\mathrm{mm}/\mathrm{s}\) traverse speed, yielding 596 \(\mathrm{Hv}.\) The direct writing pen was found to demonstrate effectiveness for localized surface anodization with minimal environmental impact and it would be cost-effective in niche applications.

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Funding

This project was funded by WiSys Technology Foundation through the WiSys Prototyping Center. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of WiSys.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI, 53818, USA

    John O Obielodan, George Schwarzmann III & Maia Delwiche

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  1. John O Obielodan
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  2. George Schwarzmann III
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Contributions

JO conceived the design of the experiment and supervised its implementation. GS III contributed to the modification of the original pen design and data collections. MD contributed to the data collections. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JO and all authors made their comments. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to John O Obielodan.

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Obielodan, J.O., Schwarzmann, G. & Delwiche, M. Effects of speeds, voltages, and electrolytes on localized anodization of Al 6061 alloys using a direct writing pen. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 130, 1653–1664 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12782-3

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