Color finishing of titanium alloy using a new electrical grinding technique

Titanium alloy is usually colored by coating or painting after finishing. Beyond that, however, if a stable oxide film can be successfully and efficiently generated on the surface at the time of grinding and polishing as part of surface processing, the surface properties of the processed workpiece will be greatly improved. This will also streamline surface treatment and allow for significant savings in energy and procedures. This study proposes an electrochemical processing system that organizes the thickness and structure of an oxide film generated on the processed surface by applying a direct current of extremely short pulses to the workpiece being ground. The authors focused specifically on the color of the oxide film generated on the processed surface as a result of optical interference, and studied closely the mechanism and control of this color finishing process conditions.