tupperware anodizing tank
September 19th, 2009 at 10:27am Under metal finishing
Can anyone tell me if it would be safe to use tupperware as an anodizing tank.
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De-greasing and de-oxidizing really needed??
June 12th, 2009 at 02:26am Under metal finishing
Hello I have a couple more questions and would appreciate any help…
Im using a CNC mill and create simple enough parts with 6061-AL. Im using a water based coolent. Im trying to identify what parts of the anodizing process i really need. I probably need all of it but i would like to double check.
Im using a CNC mill and create simple enough parts with 6061-AL. Im using a water based coolent. Im trying to identify what parts of the anodizing process i really need. I probably need all of it but i would like to double check.
Its obvious is need the anodizing tank, Dying and sealent but what about the DEGREASING and DEOXIDIZER? Could i scrub and use a chemical to clean the parts in a sink? Would it pass the water-break test? Do i really need the deoxidizing tank?
Thanks for your time…
-Tim
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De-greasing and de-oxidizing really needed??
June 12th, 2009 at 02:25am Under metal finishing
Hello I have a couple more questions and would appreciate any help…
Im using a CNC mill and create simple enough parts with 6061-AL. Im using a water based coolent. Im trying to identify what parts of the anodizing process i really need. I probably need all of it but i would like to double check.
Im using a CNC mill and create simple enough parts with 6061-AL. Im using a water based coolent. Im trying to identify what parts of the anodizing process i really need. I probably need all of it but i would like to double check.
Its obvious is need the anodizing tank, Dying and sealent but what about the DEGREASING and DEOXIDIZER? Could i scrub and use a chemical to clean the parts in a sink? Would it pass the water-break test? Do i really need the deoxidizing tank?
Thanks for your time…
-Tim
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My city won’t let me anodize!!!
May 20th, 2009 at 11:36am Under metal finishing
I’ve been doing anodizing at a hobbiest level for awhile and have turned out quite a number of parts, now when I want to get more into it the city stiff arms me!
I got a master business license and applied for a home occupational license so I could report earnings on my taxes and I started plans to double my tank capacity to around 60 gallons. The city denied me the license so I went down to talk to the head honcho. He said that the city hasn’t ever allowed that kind of work and because of the sulfuric acid (regardless at what concentration I buy it at) I would not be allowed to run it from home.
He classifies the sulfuric acid as a High Hazard Occupation – H. I’m not totally convinced that he has sufficient chemical engineering experience to make that judgment but he told me that I would have to be the one to prove it otherwise in order to continue the application and receive the license.
Can people with that home occupational license tell me where they live and if they had any kind of hurtle like this to jump? I don’t really want to just plate things, anodizing is funner to me!
The electrolyte that I need for my anodizing tank is 4.8% sulfuric acid diluted in water by volume.
SO! By definition the city says a chemical is considered a corrosive if it inflicts a certain amount of damage to tissue over a given amount of time. 98% sulfuric acid diluted in water by volume IS a corrosive but I’m not convinced that a 4.8% concentration would be still considered a corrosive at that level of dilution (it would take longer to inflict the same amount of damage right?)
The amount of total diluted acid will be around 50-70 gallons. At the concentration that would mean I would have a maximum of 3 to 4 gallons of 98% concentrated sulfuric acid (this might help if the quantity of acid is an issue)
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Using dry ice to chill my anodizing tank???
May 8th, 2009 at 08:55am Under metal finishing
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been researching the use of chillers to cool my 10 gallon anodizing tank. It hasn’t been a serious problem since the spring weather has not been to terribly hot… yet. I have been in the habit of running my parts in the tank early in the morning as the solution has been allowed to cool all night (to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit). Now that summer is fast approaching, the weather is getting hotter and the temperatures at night are not dipping as low. I need a way to cool my anodizing tank, there is no other way around it.
I’ve read the aquarium chillers work well if they have a titanium coil in them but that some are made with vinyl tubing which is not impervious to the acid solution and can eventually develop leaks. I’ve also frozen distilled water in large chunks and added it during my anodizing run. The problem is that it dilutes the bath and can only be added when the bath has evaporated to a level which requires the distilled water to be replenished. Besides, running a large number of parts in a 10 gallon tank causes the temperature to rise very quickly despite adding over 6 pounds of ice over the 160 minute cook time.
What about using dry ice? Dry ice turns directly from a solid into a gas so it won’t dilute the acid solution, emits only carbon dioxide gas when it evaporates, is extremely cold so it should cool the bath very efficiently, is readily available from most seafood counters at the local grocery store, and is cheaper for the hobbyist to purchase than a large chiller (at least in the short term). Obviously the dry ice would have to be added in moderation and the acid bath temperature monitored closely but is there any reason this would not work?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
-Aaron
I’ve read the aquarium chillers work well if they have a titanium coil in them but that some are made with vinyl tubing which is not impervious to the acid solution and can eventually develop leaks. I’ve also frozen distilled water in large chunks and added it during my anodizing run. The problem is that it dilutes the bath and can only be added when the bath has evaporated to a level which requires the distilled water to be replenished. Besides, running a large number of parts in a 10 gallon tank causes the temperature to rise very quickly despite adding over 6 pounds of ice over the 160 minute cook time.
What about using dry ice? Dry ice turns directly from a solid into a gas so it won’t dilute the acid solution, emits only carbon dioxide gas when it evaporates, is extremely cold so it should cool the bath very efficiently, is readily available from most seafood counters at the local grocery store, and is cheaper for the hobbyist to purchase than a large chiller (at least in the short term). Obviously the dry ice would have to be added in moderation and the acid bath temperature monitored closely but is there any reason this would not work?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
-Aaron
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Anodizing bath maintence questions
May 6th, 2009 at 08:08pm Under metal finishing
Assuming I have an expensive pH probe can I monitor the pH of my anodizing tank to maintain the proper acid/water ratio? (The word pH is too short to use the search function)
I would have to titrate occasionally to check my dissolved aluminum concentrations but if the sensor was calibrated accurately couldn’t this be advantages to maintaining consistency?
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Water cooler as a chiller?
April 9th, 2009 at 03:00pm Under metal finishing
I searched and didn’t see this asked so, Has anyone tried using a water cooler to chill their anodizing tank? I’m think about pumping the cold water through aluminum tubing ran along the inside bottom of the tank, out of the tank and through a transmission cooler with a mounted fan, then back into the cooler.
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Cooler as a tank?
March 31st, 2009 at 10:49am Under metal finishing
I searched, saw it mentioned but no reply was given. Any reason I could not use a cooler for an anodizing tank? Insulated, nice fitting top and they are plentiful and cheap used.
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Anodizing Problem, part shrinkage.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:27pm Under metal finishing
I am currently working on a project to set up my own anodizing line. I am anodizing cylindrical aluminium tubes, 80mm in length and 10 mm outer diameter. I have a problem when I anodize the parts, the anodizing process is removing material from the aluminum tubes instead of building up an oxide layer. Approximately 0.3mm is taken from the tube wall. I was wondering what the solution to this problem would be.
The electrolyte I use is 20% sulphuric acid and I use a current of 4.5 amps and 15 volts. Before anodizing I etch the parts in 20% sodium hydroxide and then desmut in phosphoric acid. I have aluminium cathodes and I hang the parts on aluminium welding wire. Also the anodizing tank I use is 100mm x 200mm x 100mm (LxWxH) and i space the cathode/anode as far away as possible.
All the chemicals I use came from a chemistry lab in my college so they should not contain any impurities.
Also my parts dont seem to take the dye I am using. After i seal, and the part has dried the dye has just stuck to the outer surface of the part and falls off when rubbed.
The electrolyte I use is 20% sulphuric acid and I use a current of 4.5 amps and 15 volts. Before anodizing I etch the parts in 20% sodium hydroxide and then desmut in phosphoric acid. I have aluminium cathodes and I hang the parts on aluminium welding wire. Also the anodizing tank I use is 100mm x 200mm x 100mm (LxWxH) and i space the cathode/anode as far away as possible.
All the chemicals I use came from a chemistry lab in my college so they should not contain any impurities.
Also my parts dont seem to take the dye I am using. After i seal, and the part has dried the dye has just stuck to the outer surface of the part and falls off when rubbed.
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Anodizing Bath Purification System
January 11th, 2009 at 07:40am Under anodizing
Continuous, simple, economical recovery of acid for anodizing bath operations!
What is an AnoPur™ System?
An AnoPur™ unit is a small, skid-mounted device that connects directly to an anodizing tank, continuously removing aluminum as it is dissolved. The AnoPur™ unit has the flexibility to be connected to one tank or several tanks. It employs a simple PLC (programmable logic controller) in a control panel that uses a graphical display to indicate what the unit is doing at any given time.
The heart of the AnoPur™ unit is a column of ion exchange resin that can absorb acid while rejecting metal salts to waste. The acid is recovered from the resin using a simple water wash.
How AnoPur™ Works
A diaphragm pump mounted on the AnoPur unit transfers anodizing solution from the bath, through dual stage cartridge filters, to a storage reservoir located on the unit.
An AnoPur™ cycle consists of two basic steps. During the first step, filtered acid is pumped through the resin column. While the acid is absorbed by the resin, metal salt solution passes through the column to waste.
During the second step, water is pumped through the column, removing the acid. This acid stream is returned to the anodizing bath being treated. The cycle lasts two to five (2-5) minutes.
If the AnoPur™ system is left to run continuously, it will maintain the lowest possible level of dissolved aluminum in the anodizing bath. As a small amount of the acid is lost in the system waste, it can be more effective to start and stop the system, as required, to maintain a desired aluminum level.
Control panels with simple PLCs (programmable logic controllers) employ graphical displays that indicate what the System is doing at all times. The panels have provisions for remote on/off switching.
* With the Multi-Tank Selector Manifold, an operator can conveniently select one of up to six (6) different tanks for purifiction. The manifold consists of six (6) sets of manual valves, each set consisting of valves for both the feed and product lines. The manifold is supplied with mounting hardware and instructions for easy hook-up.
* The Mobile Kit includes all the necessary items required to make the AnoPur™ unit completely portable. This option is available for the D8 – D10 models. Wheels, push handles, hoses and quick connect air fittings are supplied with mounting hardware and instructions for easy installation.
Click Here To Download:
•Brochure: AnoPur Anodizing Bath Purification System
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