Product category:
Metals and materials, stockholding
News Release from: Keronite | Subject: Plasma electrolytic oxidation process
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 July 2002
Plasma process decreases magnesium
corrosion
Plasma electrolytic oxidation process gives magnesium alloys as much as 1,000 hours of corrosion resistance in the extreme environment of a salt spray test.
As vast amounts of new capacity come on stream, supplies of magnesium are more plentiful than ever before and prices are falling Design centres around the world are excited at the prospect of working with such a versatile new material
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 Oct 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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It can easily be moulded into complex shapes, it is lighter even than titanium and yet has none of the associated processing problems.
The low density of magnesium means that casting rates are high, and the small draft angle makes near net shapes easy to achieve.
Because it has such a low melting temperature and does not react with steel, the lifetime of dies is extended and costs are reduced accordingly.
Further reading
Magnesium to grow in manufactured products
The market for cast magnesium components has been growing at around 15% p a in recent years and forecasts for the next decade - especially from the automotive industry - are even more bullish.
Process hardens and protects magnesium, aluminium
Surface treatment process is building quite a reputation as the preferred treatment for magnesium and aluminium alloys, providing the hardest and most corrosion resistant surfaces.
Aluminium tools reduce volume moulding costs
Plasma electrolytic oxidation enables aluminium to be used as a replacement for expensive steel tools by improving the durability and the release properties of the surface.
Magnesium requires no special cutting or polishing tools and the welding process is considerably simpler than that associated with titanium.
With so much to offer, why then are so few manufacturers producing magnesium frames? The highly corrosive combination of sun cream, sweat and cosmetics, particularly in humid climates, has caused eyewear manufacturers to shy away from the use of magnesium as they have never been able to find a surface treatment that could provide adequate protection under such extreme conditions.
Keronite can now provide that protection: its revolutionary new plasma electrolytic oxidation process gives magnesium alloys as much as 1,000 hours of corrosion resistance in the extreme environment of a salt spray test.
Not only that, but Keronite transforms the substrate alloy into a hard, dense, ceramic which is extremely resistant to impact and cracking.
The outer layer of Keronite is porous and provides an excellent adhesive base for subsequent finishing with your chosen topcoats of paint or lacquer.
Using Keronite as a pre-treatment in this way can give frames unmatched scratch resistance.
The Keronite process is designed to coat all surfaces of the most complex shapes using robust yet simple equipment together with highly sophisticated electro-chemistry.
Unlike many traditional coatings techniques, the electrolyte used in the Keronite process is non-toxic and deposition rates are very fast.
Keronite has several years of experience in coating magnesium components for a variety of high-spec automotive and general engineering applications.
Recently, the company is increasingly being asked to help enable designers in consumer markets to find new applications for magnesium.
There is growing interest in the use of Keronite on electronics products such as mobile telephones and lap top cases as well as fashion accessories such as wrist watches and frames for opthalmic, sports and sunglasses.
Still a relatively new concept, the Company has achieved very rapid success in the field of spectacle frames and a growing number of Keronite-coated models are now hitting the market place.
Keronite is excited by the level of interest shown by frame manufacturers worldwide and is working with a number of market leaders to develop the very latest designer frames, particularly those aimed at the fast-growing younger end of the market.
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