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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Coating aluminum with titanium/titanium oxide

I would like to plate sheet aluminum with a light layer of titanium/titanium oxide. I have begun to look at vacuum deposition but I was wondering if the same can be done with electroforming. Is there anyone who has done this before? Any better way?

Jeff Horne
product designer - Murray, Utah
2007

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You are right to look at vacuum deposition, Jeff. Titanium is too active to be deposited by electroplating.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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2007

The simple answer is paint it.
Practically all white paint uses titanium dioxide as the pigment.

Geoff Smith
Hampshire, England

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Dear Jeff,

Try using tungsten wire inside a Vacuum bell. With the Tungsten wire as a kind of emitter, wrap a piece of very thin titanium. With the Aluminum Sheet as you receiver, position it in line of sight from the Emitter.

Apply about 5 to 10 amperes to the tungsten wire (pls do some experimenting), that will rapidly change the state of Titanium target from solid to liquid then vapor/gas.

Vapor(titanium) will transfer from tungsten wire to the Aluminum sheet.

It would be nice if you succeed & post the result on finishing.com.

Thank you

Joseph Franco
- Cavite, Philippines
2007

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You can use flame spraying or plasma spraying but both should be carried out at extra high purity argon gas or vacuum atmosphere.

I don't know but maybe you can check PVD or cvd processes.

Jason Talasci
- Karlsruhe, Germany
2007