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Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 503 – 507

18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining (ISEM XVIII)

Plasma Electrolytic Polishing – an Overview of Applied Technologies and

Current Challenges to Extend the Polishable Material Range
Klaus Nestlera, Falko Böttger-Hillera, Wolfgang Adamitzkia, Gunther Glowaa, Henning Zeidlera,b*
and Andreas Schubertb
a
Beckmann-Institut für Technologieentwicklung e.V., Turleyring 15, 09376 Oelsnitz/Erzgebirge, Germany
b
Technische Universität Chemnitz, Professorship Micromanufacturing Technology, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany

* Corresponding author. Tel: +49 37298 314 400; fax: +49 37298 314 401. E-mail address: zeidler@beckmann-institut.de

Abstract

Plasma electrolytic processes have gained attention from metal finishing industries due to their capability to considerably enhance surface
properties. Especially, plasma electrolytic polishing is an innovative surface treatment resulting in very smooth, high-gloss surfaces with
improved corrosion resistance. Although it has many advantages compared to electro polishing, just a few articles have been published in the
field of plasma electrolytic polishing until now (mainly of stainless steel, titanium); the machining of other materials remains challenging. In
this contribution, the authors provide an overview of plasma electrolytic polishing and describe new work in the field of polishing copper and
its alloys. Transferring plasma electrolytic polishing to other metals and material geometries requires an adaption of the experimental
conditions. To overcome this challenge a systematic methodology was developed. Several parameters, like electrolyte composition and
complexing agents are investigated. Surface roughness as well as gloss was determined as function of processing time and voltage and
compared to conventional electro polishing.
© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining (ISEM
Peer-review
XVIII).
under responsibility of the organizing committee of 18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining
(ISEM XVIII)
Keywords: plasma electrolytic polishing, metal treatment, cleaning, smoothing, high gloss, surface functionalisation

1. Introduction challenging. In this contribution the authors provide an

Plasma electrolytic processes have gained attention from
metal finishing industries due to their capability to
considerably enhance surface properties [1]. According to the
processing conditions, electrolytic plasma processes can be
divided into oxidation (PEO), coating (e.g. plasma electrolytic
nitrocarburising), surface cleaning and polishing.
Amongst them, plasma electrolytic polishing (PeP) is an
innovative surface treatment leading to very smooth, high-
gloss surfaces with improved corrosion resistance.
The PeP procedure was described for the first time in 1979
[2]. Although it has many advantages compared to electro-
polishing, just a few articles have been published in the field
of PeP until now, mainly focusing on stainless steel and
titanium) [1, 3–7]; the machining of other materials remains
overview of PeP at the Beckmann-Institute for Technology
Development (BTE) and describe new work in the field of
polishing copper and its alloys.
1.1. PeP process principle
PeP is associated to the plasma electrolytic processes and
seen as a special case of anodic dissolution [3, 4, 8, 9]. In this
method a plasma electrolysis takes place in addition to the
classic electrolysis. Thus, it is a combination of both
processes. Classic electrolysis processes are divided into
anode and cathode processes. Furthermore, there is a detailed
division into dissolution and oxidation processes at the anode,
reduction processes at the cathode as well as electrolysis
processes at both electrodes. The plasma electrolysis can be

2212-8271 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining (ISEM XVIII)
doi:10.1016/j.procir.2016.02.240
504 Klaus Nestler et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 503 – 507

divided into cataphoresis, plasma-chemical reactions, 1.2. Limitations of PeP

diffusion and heating. PeP is primarily determined by the
dissolution of the anode (etching / polishing) and plasma-
chemical reactions. Applying a suitable process setup, it can
be utilized to finish machine surfaces of complex metallic
parts. Workpieces of almost any shape can be processed
without pretreatment by the PeP procedure. Furthermore, only
environmentally friendly aqueous electrolytes are used.
Achievable roughness values of down to Ra < 0.02 µm and
well controllable removal rates make PeP an interesting
technology for precision parts and functional surface creation.
A standard PeP setup is shown in Fig. 1.
Due to the process principle, PeP is only applicable to
electrically conductive materials.
While it is suitable for finish polishing and burr removal, it
is unsuitable for one-step polishing of very rough surfaces and
heavy burrs, since the current-density based removal will lead
to edge rounding and a loss of accuracy over long processing
periods.
Furthermore, the maximum part size is limited by the
available process energy source and due to the necessary
generation of the plasma vapor skin, small inner cavities
cannot easily be treated.

2. Achievable results using PeP

The achievable surface properties by PeP depend on the

initial state of the workpiece surface. In general, there is low
or no necessity for pre-treatment, since surface impurities or
residues as well as burrs are removed by the PeP process. Due
to the process principle and the environmentally harmless
electrolytes of low concentration, no adsorbates can be found
in the processed surface layer.
Furthermore, the removal of impurities and deburring of
components can be achieved in a very short process time of in
most cases only a few seconds (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1 – PeP process setup initial state polished sample

a 2 cm b 2 cm
In general, the workpiece is anodically polarized
(u = 180...300 V, J = 0.2 A cm–2) and immersed in a
material-specific low-viscosity aqueous electrolyte solution.
Its conductivity is adjusted to ı = 4...30 S m–1 by the addition
up to 12 % of various salts [10] and suitable complexing
agents. In addition to the part there is a cathode electrode
placed in the electrolytic cell. The surface ratio between Fig. 2 – Chrome-nickel steel part before (a) and after (b) Plasma electrolytic
Polishing [image courtesy of BTE]
anode and cathode is selected to be greater than 1:10 and the
cathode does not have to resemble the part geometry; a ring or
A material removal achieving glossy surfaces is possible
plate shape is common. The ratio is necessary to ensure the
for material removal rates smaller than MRR ” 5 µm/min. The
required current density for plasma formation at the anode
removal rate can be increased up to ten times by adapting the
surface. The relationship between current density J and
voltage, but with the loss of the gloss effect.
applied potential u must be set to adjust the process window
In general, very low roughness (Ra < 0.02 µm) and high
to the electro-hydrodynamic area for the PeP process. There,
gloss levels are possible.
caused by the process conditions, a vapor skin forms which
completely surrounds the workpiece and a plasma layer is
established, leading in combination with the electrochemical
reactions such as (anodic) metal dissolution, (anodic) oxide
formation, hydrogen formation and alkalization as well as
plasma reactions such as an ionization of the steam hull and
hydrothermal reactions such as metal dissolution by metal-
water reaction to a removal of surface peaks and hence a
polishing of the part.
The vapor skin results in the process surface temperature
not exceeding the electrolyte boiling temperature; hence
during the process the part reaches a maximum temperature of
‫ ” ׇ‬120 °C.
At the end of the PeP process it is necessary to clean the
Fig. 3 – CoCr knee cap, partially Plasma electrolytically Polished [image
parts from residues of the electrolyte solution and to dry them
courtesy of BTE]
subsequently.
 Klaus Nestler et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 503 – 507 505

The surfaces show an enhanced wear and corrosion characteristics of the respective raw materials are measured
resistivity compared to the initial state [7, 11–14]. PeP has by means of a gloss meter (Zehntner) and a stylus instrument
been applied to and investigated at BTE for stainless steels, (Hommel-Etamic).
also surgical qualities, for cobalt chrome alloys and for
titanium materials in both macro and micro parts (see Fig. 4). Table 1 – Selected samples and initial properties.
material composition roughness Rz gloss
copper Cu 1.29–1.36 µm slight gloss
brass CuZn37 0.63–0.85 µm dull
nickel silver CuNi18Zn20 0.52–0.77 µm slight gloss
bronze CuSn6 0.29–0.46 µm dull

For the preparation of an adjusted electrolyte for copper

materials, suitable complexing agents were investigated.
Fig. 4 – Titanium micro implant, after milling in batch (left) and after PeP According to the postulated mechanisms of the PeP
(SEM image, right) [image courtesy of Fraunhofer IWU] process of ferrous materials, inorganic salts had to be found
which form copper ions or ions of other alloying elements
The application in the medical sector is especially (Zn, Ni, Sn) to carry those away from the workpiece surface
compelling for implants. Although large scale and long term and keep them in solution.
evaluation need to be conducted, existing investigation results The acetic acid salts, ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA),
suggest that the Plasma electrolytic Polishing has no adverse nitrilo triacetate (NTA) and diethylenetriamine pentaacetate
effect on cell life [14]. (DTPA) and organic acids such as tartaric acid (TA) and citric
acid (CS) are ideally suited to meet all the requirements in the
respective pH environment (Table 2).
3. Transferring PeP to copper
Table 2 – Complexing agents for suitable electrolytes for the PeP of copper
3.1. Motivation and its alloys [19]
complexing agent suitable for pH-range
Copper is used in common applications as well as support tartaric acid (TA) Cu, Zn 7–10, 11–12
of modern high-tech applications in pure or alloyed form.
citric acid (CA) Cu, Zn 5–12
Thus, it is a metal gaining increasing importance. With the
development of additional applications for copper alloys and ethylenediamine tetraacetate Cu, Ni, Co, Zn, 0.5 < pH
(EDTA) Al, Fe
the development of well-tailored materials the surfaces have
to fulfill high quality and application-specific requirements. Nitrilo triacetate (NTA) Ca, Cu, Ni, Zn, Fe 2–7, 10–12
Copper and zinc containing copper alloys can be polished Diethylenetriamine Men+ with large 0.5 < pH
with known methods such as the conventional electro- pentaacetate (DTPA) radius
polishing in a phosphoric acid / alcohol mixture or in mixtures
of phosphoric acid, nitric acid and acetic acid. [15–17] The greatest stability of the resulting complex is available
Adding other alloying components, such as aluminum, in a pH range of 5–9 [18].
lead, iron, nickel, manganese and tin, cutting and machining Citric acid is preferred as electrolyte salt because of its
brass, but also for nickel silver and bronze, the conventional better biodegradability associated with comparable complex
electrolytic treatment is severely limited or is no longer stabilities to substituted amines. The absorption capacity of
possible. In those cases, electrochemical treatment has to be species produced during PeP and the plasmolytic stability of
replaced by other methods, like mechanical polishing methods the electrolyte are a very important selection criterion.
which require a much greater effort. Only electrolytes which resist the conditions of PeP form a
To overcome this challenge the application of PeP on meaningful base for an industrially useful technology.
copper and its alloys is investigated. Surprisingly, numerous citric acid solutions with different
concentrations showed very good plasmolytic stabilities and
3.2. Target and implementation were selected for the PeP process.

Similar to the results achieved in PeP of chrome-nickel 3.3. Results

steel, a resource efficient, economical and environmentally
friendly technology must be developed. Furthermore, better
surface qualities compared to the electro-polishing of copper
and copper alloys have to be reached. Thus, new suitable
complexing agents have to be introduced.
The principle of the PeP is transferred to pure copper and
copper alloys with a high market presence (bronze, nickel
silver, brass) (Table 1). Before implementing the PeP,
By acknowledging the special electrical and thermo-
physical properties of copper and its alloys it is possible to
produce specific electrolytes based on citric acid which allow
PeP of those materials.
The success of the PeP procedure is already visually
recognizable. The surfaces of all workpieces have a high gloss
after PeP. This phenomenon can be observed in a
506 Klaus Nestler et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 503 – 507

representative photograph, which shows a valve made of brass a) b) c)

before and after PeP (Fig. 5). The leveling of the roughness
can also be observed in the microscope (Fig. 5b–c).

a brass

Fig. 7 – Copper surfaces a) untreated, b) after 15 s PeP and c) after 120 s PeP

3.4. Comparison to electro polishing

When comparing between the PeP process and the

initial state polished electrochemical polishing of brass and copper [15, 16, 20, 21],
it is notable that PeP is carried out at the same current
densities, while improved surface quality and greater
brilliance are achieved in the gloss. An optimal value with
stable plasma-electrochemical processes was found around
u = 300 V. In this case a uniform metal removal creates a
b c
homogeneously smoothened surface. At increasing voltages
electro-thermal processes gain influence, leading to fast but
50 µm 50 µm
less precise removal and a lower gloss.
Fig. 5 – (a) Brass part before and after PeP and (b) microscopic images of an This is confirmed by measurements which are stated in
untreated and (c) a plasma-polished brass surface Table 3 below.

The roughness can be reduced to one-fourth to one-fifth as Table 3. Gloss levels and processing times of plasma-electrolytically or
electrochemically polished brass samples
a function of the output values and the exposure times.
Another analysis using a laser scanning microscope shows procedure u in V t in s gloss 20° gloss 60°
that the surface of the alloy nickel silver is significantly PeP 320 30 420 444
smoothened after PeP (Fig. 6). PeP 300 30 559 489
electro polished 9 120 374 436
a)
electro polished 9 240 390 468

It is visible that the Plasma electrolytic Polishing can

Ra = 0,081 µm, Rz = 0,296 µm
realize very short exposure times and provide gloss values
which are achieved by electrochemical polishing only in the
8-fold time.
b)
It must be stated that the two processes are based on
different fundamental phenomena; i.e. the voltage ranges are
limited to u < 100 V for electrochemical polishing (for Cu
Ra = 0,015 µm, Rz = 0,043 µm typically between 1 V < u < 6 V [22]), while PeP can only
work in areas of u > 180 V. There are other differences: PeP
uses easily manageable electrolyte solutions that meet high
Fig. 6 – Comparison of the roughness of a ground nickel silver surface ecological standards. On the contrary, electrochemically
a) before and b) after PeP determined by laser scanning microscopy [20]
polishing requires 85 % phosphoric acid, a very harsh
electrolyte. A recent publication describes the electrochemical
While the initial roughness values are Ra = 0.081 µm and
polishing of copper surfaces. Here, much higher roughness
Rz = 0.296 µm, the values decrease after PeP to Ra = 0.015 µm
values (Ra = 0.060 µm) were obtained after 15 minutes
and Rz = 0.043 µm.
processing time [15]. Roughness values of more than
The processing time amounts to 1 min ” tPeP ” 2 min in
Ra > 0.060 µm are also published in other sources, after
each case and the current densities are in the magnitude of
electrochemically polishing for at least 10 minutes in
electrochemical polishing.
minimum 50 % phosphoric acid.
The current efficiencies achieve, depending on the
As described above, the processing time for PeP is only 1
electrolyte composition, above 100 %, indicating
to 2 minutes, with achieved roughness of Ra = 0.015 µm.
hydrothermal reactions (see [19]).
During PeP no auxiliary cathodes are needed as in the case
Figure 7 shows surface images of PePed copper material
of electrochemically polishing. Furthermore, a wider range of
after polishing for tPeP = 15 s and tPeP = 120 s. The smoothing
alloys is covered by PeP as shown in the examples of bronze
effect is clearly visible.
and nickel silver.
 Klaus Nestler et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 503 – 507
4. Conclusions and outlook
Transferring plasma electrolytic polishing to other metals
and material compositions such as copper and its alloys
requires an adaption of the experimental conditions. To
overcome this challenge a systematic methodology was
developed and suitable electrolyte compositions were
investigated. Additionally, suitable complexion agents were
found which led to the development of environmentally
friendly electrolytes.
In combination with an optimized experimental setup the
roughness of copper samples was reduced and gloss of the
surfaces substantially increased.
In conclusion, plasma electrolytic polishing leads to very
smooth surfaces with an unprecedented gloss, using
environmentally friendly electrolytes at low processing time.
Using the presented approaches, the polishable material
spectrum can be widened and new applications are possible,
making PeP a suitable technology for surface finishing of
complex parts.
Acknowledgements
Parts of this work have received funding from the German
Ministry of Economy and Technology (BMWi) in the
EuroNorm scheme under grant number MF110095.
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