Tecan (Weymouth, UK) has developed what it claims is an environmentally friendly process for the anodising of titanium parts. Titanium is resistant to dilute sulphuric and hydrochloric acid, most organic acids, most chlorine gas, and chloride solutions. This means penetrating its surface oxide layer in preparation for anodising is a particularly tough job. The ability to successfully anodise titanium is in itself uncommon, but to do this without using aggressive surface preparation acids is particularly unusual. Tecan has achieved this without resorting to standard preparation solutions which contain nondilute hydrofluoric and sulphuric acids. Instead, the company has developed a proprietary method based on alkaline solutions which successfully pre-etches titanium parts prior to anodising, while protecting both its staff and the environment. The company has also developed equally "green" techniques for plating titanium, with finishes such as PTFE and nickel, to facilitate novel assembly requirements or for aesthetic finishes. Typical application areas include low-volume high-specification parts for new-generation military, aerospace and harsh industrial environments. Titanium anodising is often used as a pre-painting process to provide a good "key" for high-performance paint finishes.
