AMS2487 & AMS2488 Type II Anodizing Of Titanium Q&A

A. Hi RR,
Adv: Russamer Lab [a finishing.com supporting advertiser], can offer you that service;
others can reply to you in private. Good luck.
Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Hello, Tan. I believe AMS 2488 specifies the rack material as titanium or titanium alloys. But unfortunately, just because there is an AMS spec for something doesn't necessarily mean the process isn't trade secret :-(

You might want to check into that before setting up the line, and make sure you don't require information that you can't get! Good luck. Regards,

A. I obviously can't speak for the company you named, but twice in the last year I inquired of them if their process was licensable and was told that it's strictly for their own in-house use. But find them on the web and inquire yourself; maybe they will have greater interest in the offshore opportunity you can offer them than the ones I brought -- plus intentions change.

While I said you should check into the trade secret situation, I was only saying that you should check into it; I wasn't implying that it is impossible to conduct AMS 2488 without violating a patent or trade secrets -- I don't believe that is the case at all. There are consultants you can retain who will give you the knowledge to do AMS2488. Good luck!

A. Hi Jim. Watervliet Arsenal is a major army installation so they have probably done more than one investigation of titanium anodizing, and I don't know exactly what "the Watervliet Process" means to you or others, but they did do this pretty exhaustive study of titanium anodizing -->

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Rodney. AMS 2488 says that for Type II there shall be no measurable dimensional change when measured with a micrometer that resolves to 0.0001". It doesn't talk about the thickness of the anodized layer.

Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Hi, Anil. It says "alkaline" and specifies "pH 13 or higher". You really need to have the spec in your hands if you are considering offering the process. It may contain provisos that for various reasons you can't meet even if you process in accord with it.

But what we were trying to explain is that the spec tells you some things that you must adhere to, but it doesn't tell you all the things you need to know to successfully alkaline anodize titanium. It's like a cookbook that says: "To make this cake you are required to use eggs no more than 1 week old, and to sift the flour through a OOO sieve" ... but doesn't tell you the other ingredients or the baking time and temperature :-)

Good luck.

Regards,

A. We have developed both: alkaline and acid-based methods for anodizing titanium (titanium type II anodizing). Both methods develop strong titanium oxide layer for anti "cold-welding" and for corrosion protection. However, based on testing we think that acid-based titanium oxide is thicker and better for corrosion protection.

adv.
Contact us for more information.

A. Hi, Ramesh. No one on this site previously used that word "Tianodize", and Google doesn't find it. Are you using this word as a shortcut for "titanium anodize" or did you want to know more about the specific company "Tiodize"? If you asking whether the trade secret information involved in alkaline anodizing has become public, no, it hasn't.

AMS 2488 alkaline anodizing of titanium builds a corrosion resistant and gall resistant oxide surface on titanium; the best-known provider of that treatment is probably Tiodize, but some companies like Titanium Finishing Co. also specialize in it, and a small number of general plating jobshops offer it.

If I did not answer your question, please clarify exactly what you want. Thanks!

Regards,

A. The titanium type II hard anodizing according to AMS 2488D is discussed frequently on finishing forums. Many companies who sell production lines, claim that multiple parts can be easily anodized in a single load. However in reality it becomes difficult to prove. After selling the equipment, the supplier withdraw from any help to the customers under the reasons like "you use the racking that is not delivered by us", or something similar. The reason is: multiple parts anodizing in simple sodium hydroxide solution is extremely difficult.

The companies who do in-house processing keep the additives and special regimes strict secret.

adv.
Not anymore: watch the YouTube video of simplicity of the titanium anodizing process, that can be installed in any small shop. Russamer Lab has developed the proprietary anodizing technology, fool-proof. Moreover it is no need to use sandblasting to remove unwanted "fur" coat after anodizing.



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A. Hi Emma. Type 1 is a special high temperature type; I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Type 3, which is a very thin translucent oxide coating which gains its color from the same diffraction process you see in carnival glass, or when a drop of oil falls into a puddle of water. The coating is a fraction of a wavelength thick and favors a particular color depending on its thickness. By varying the voltage you can control that thickness. Many hobbyists practice it, and there are few secrets. search the site for "decorative anodizing of titanium".

But type 2 is functional anodizing for wear and anti-gall purposes, rather than decorative value -- and how to do it well is a trade secret. Your options are:
1. to farm the work out to shops who operate the process and know how to do it,
2. to license the technology from firms like Russamer,
3. to retain a consultant who knows how to do it and will help you install it,
4. to start from AMS 2488 and perfect your own process.

The fifth option, getting someone to reveal those trade secrets to the world on the internet for free as a favor, simply isn't available. Sorry.

Regards,

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A. AMS 2488 does not appear to have rework criteria. You may want to consider measuring the part before and after rework using a micrometer to ensure that the Type II coating is still there.

A. Mariana,

In the medical industry, you may want to look at the agreements you have with your customers, because a lot of medical companies don't allow you to rework type 2 anodizing since it is very difficult to remove and if you don't remove all of it you can get a blister on the type 2 which can get into the blood stream and cause a stroke, so be very careful.