Inventory of 7 major titanium metal surface treatment processes

    How to make the surface of titanium metal products beautiful is inseparable from a variety of surface treatment technologies. This article will take stock of the 7 major surface treatment processes of titanium metal to see what you know!

1. Sandblasting

    The main purpose of the table is still functional. The surface is a uniform matte surface, with titanium natural color, uniform matte feel, and good wear resistance. It is usually used in medical equipment, tools, outdoor equipment, and industry.

2. Anodizing

    The surface has rich and stable colors and base texture. Can do sports equipment, glasses, watches, medical, electronic,. You can also make richer colors and patterns, which are very differentiated, including ice crystal flowers, threads and other options.

    Most titanium products are colored by anodizing process, but after that, they must cooperate with some surface processes for protection. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro, in addition to the primary color titanium silver, the other three colors (black, white, and blue) are all anodized.

3. Mirror polishing

    The surface has extremely high gloss, specular reflection, and an extremely smooth feel, but it has poor wear resistance. It is usually used in high-end jewelry, luxury goods, and trophies.

4. Drawing

    The titanium metal surface can be brushed to form a matte texture. The surface has a directional straight/ring texture with a metallic texture.

    This titanium wire drawing effect has a very high appearance rate in products in the consumer electronics industry, taking into account delicate touch and visual aesthetics. Smooth feel and slightly strap. Usually used in electronic products, watches, kitchen utensils, hardware.

5. PVD coating

    PVD is physical vapor deposition, a kind of vacuum coating, and the process is very mature. It is possible to do PVD on the surface of titanium alloy, mainly as a functional coating, which plays a protective role.

    But it is worth noting that at present, PVD can only barely pass the test if it is functional, and the durability needs to be improved, unless the performance of the PVD primer material is very good.

6. CNC

    CNC machining titanium alloys mainly plays the role of shaping and finishing. One of the big problems in the machining process is the wear and tear of the tool. Because titanium alloys are relatively hard, the processing difficulty is higher than that of other metals.

    In the process of machining, the tool is subjected to high temperature, large cutting force, long distance, large vibration deformation, and tool sticking, which lead to serious tool wear. It is difficult to process titanium alloys with special composite coating knives, even diamond knives and CBN knives. Taking smart watch cases as an example, on average, one knife is lost for every 4 cases produced, which is a huge cost.

7. Grinding and polishing

    Grinding and polishing is a necessary step in the processing of almost every material. The purpose is to make the product present a more accurate size and a more delicate texture. It is often necessary to use fine polishing particles or consumables to finely polish all positions on the product surface.

    At the same time, special effects can also be achieved through specific process solutions, such as high-gloss mirror surface, matte and so on.