Anodizing Aluminum

the journey of a less-than-perfect

aluminum sample
Grace Woods and Ryan Abbott
SRJC ENGR45
SPRING 2014
 Conductors of the Experiment
• Grace Woods – Mechanical Engineering major
• Ryan Abbott – Mechanical Engineering major
 How Anodizing Works
• Stripping (remove current oxide layer)
• Replacing (thicker oxide layer)
• Sealing (closes pores)
 List of Materials
• Aluminum • DC Voltage Source
· two sheets · 15V/2A
· sample wire · Banana/Alligator Clips
• Sulfuric Acid, H2SO4 (20% conc.) • Hot plates (2)
• Deionized water • Safety Equipment
· Goggles
• RIT Dye (Purple) · Apron
· Rubber gloves
• Glass Beakers · Common Sense
· two 600mL
· one 1000mL • Wooden Ruler
• Ethanol and Sand paper (cleaning)
Procedure
Cathode – Before Sanding
& Rinsing with Ethanol

Cathode – After Sanding

& Rinsing with Ethanol
Set up
Dye Bath
Sealing
Final Product
 Sources of Error
• Current vs. Spacing
• Time/Temperature
• Dye Bath (too rich)
 Resources
• Aluminum Anodizers Council
www.anodizing.org/Anodizing/what_is_anodizing.html
• Frank J. Hoose Anodizing Aluminum bloghttp://www.mini-
lathe.com/Anodizing/anodizing_aluminum.htm
• How to Anodize Aluminum (Caswell Inc.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr-zd6StOOw
• AACOA website
http://www.aacoa.com/anodizing/process.htm
• How to anodize aluminum (Bill Gilmour)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-oiBKAyOY
• Understanding and Specifying Anodizing: What a Manufacturer Needs to
Know (2Dye4 Inc.)
http://www.2dye4inc.com/understandingano/anoindex.html