ANODIZING AS A PRETREATMENT FOR ALUMINUM

by Earl Groshart
Consultant, Sumner, Wash.

Anodizing is an excellent pretreatment for nonclad aluminum prior to painting.

Anodizing meeting the requirements of Mil-A-8625 is, in fact, a required pretreatment for
aluminum used on the exterior of military aircraft.
This section discusses nonchromic acid anodizing processes for aluminum to be used as
a paint base. Although chromic acid anodizing is a viable base for paint, it is not discussed
here because of the environmental and health problems posed by hexavalent chromium ion.
The environmentally acceptable anodizing solutions are based on sulfuric and phospho-
ric acids as follows:

Standard Sulfuric Acid

• Sulfuric acid (66'B6), 20-25 oz/gal

• Aluminum, 2.5 oz/gal max
• Room temperature
• Current density (see note I), 10-15 A/ft 2
• Mild air or mechanical agitation

Note I: Start with a low voltage and increase as the coating starts to form. Continue to
increase voltage until the current holds steady.

Sulfuric/Glycolic Acid

• Sulfuric acid (66'86), 25-30 oz/gal

• Additive (10 parts by volume of glycolic acid 70% mixed with 7 parts by volume of
glycerin 95%), 2-4 vol%
• Aluminum. 0.5 oz/gal
• Temperature, 50-7CfF
• Current density (see note I) 10-15 A/ftC

Sulfuric/Boric Acid (This solution is covered by U.S. Patent No.

4,894,127-license required)

• Sulfuric acid (66'86), 4-7 oz/gal

• Boric acid, 0.7-1.4 oz/gal
• Aluminum, 0.35 oz/gal
• Temperature, 80:!:4T
• Current density (see note 2)

Note 2: Immerse parts and apply voltage starting at O. Increase within 3-5 minutes to 15
:!: I Y, anodize at this voltage for 18-22 minutes.
This solution, designated Mil-A-8625 Type IC, provides a coating that is equivalent to
that produced by chromic acid solution Mil-A-8615 Type I, which is not recommended
because of environmental considerations.

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Phosphoric Acid
• Phosphoric acid (H,P04 ) (see note 3), 13-16 ozJgal
• Temperature, 72-82'F
• Current density (see note 4)
Note 3: It may be necessary to filter this bath periodically to remove fungi that tend to
grow in phosphoric acid at room temperature.
Note 4: Immerse parts at zero voltage. Raise the voltage to 15 ± I V within 5 minutes
and maintain for 20-25 minutes.

PROCESSING

For successful anodizing as a pretreatment to painting, the following general sequencing

is satisfactory.
All mechanical processing should have been acceptable prior to anodizing. The parts
should now be ready for cleaning. If they are excessively dirty, it may be necessary to preclean
them prior to racking; if not, they can be racked. This step is very important. The electrical
connections must be firm, as they will be required to handle large currents, and arcing at a
loose connections may destroy the part. The connections should be made in nonfunctional
areas of the part whenever possible because the anodic coating will not form under the
connection. Cleaning is standard, remove grease and oily soils with solvents or in emulsion
cleaners. If this doesn't result in a water-break-free surface. a standard alkaline cleaner should
be used.

Deoxidize
This step removes the natural oxides so that the anodize (oxide) coating is formed
uniformly over the part. There are a number of nonchromic deoxidizer solutions on the
commercial market. The following solution, based on nitric/hydrofluoric acid or ammonium
bifluoride, will work.
• Nitric acid, 120-250 gL
• Hydrofluoric acid/ammonium bifluoride, to maintain etch rate at 0.15-0.5
mil/surface/hour
This is followed by anodizing in one of the solutions above.

POSTANODIZE TREATMENT

Following rinsing and drying, the parts should be primed as soon as possible but before
the freshly formed aluminum oxide adsorbs water and partially seals. This will give excellent
adhesion of the first paint (primer) coating. Otherwise, the anodized coating can be sealed in
hot water. It is recommended that for better adhesion only a partial seal be accomplished (i.e.,
5% weight gain of adsorbed water) or for maximizing unpainted corrosion resistance but poor
paint adhesion, the sealing can be complete (15% weight gain).

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