No passwords, No popups, No cost, No AI:
we earn from 'affiliate link' purchases, making the site possible

Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

  The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989

-----

Electropolished aluminum for vacuum service?

2005

Is electropolishing a good technique to prepare 1100 and 6000-series aluminum for high-vacuum or ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) service? Does the electropolishing result in a bulk alloy condition with a dense native surface oxide? Do any contaminants (processing chemicals) or hydrogen get entrapped in the near-surface?

Are there industry-standard specifications for electropolishing of aluminum (e.g ASTM or MIL)?

Grant Kiehne
manufacturing - Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA

You might want to contact CERN about the use of aluminum in vacuum systems. I visited them many, many years ago -- back in the 70's. We were given a tour of their colliding storage ring -- the first proton-anti-proton unit. Needless to say, they had to keep an ultra-ultra high vacuum in the rings. I was shocked to learn that the rings were mostly made of aluminum. Apparantly, if you bake out the aluminum properly it works better than stainless steel.

Jim Treglio - scwineryreview.com
PVD Consultant & Wine Lover
San Diego, California
2005

(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: