Development of New Coloring Technology by AIST
Increasing demand for consumer electronic devices,mobile phones as well as A/V devices as such forcing electronic manufacturers to revamp their manufacturing processes in order to accommodate the current mass production processing road-map. This is apparent in semiconductor manufacturing where the improved manufacturing processes have shorten the production time to days or even hours instead of months . But shorter manufacturing should also keep in mind the shorter and safer recycling life cycle given the ever increasing awareness for eliminating introduction of any hazardous materials during the recycling period. Coloring and painting the electronic devices is example of one of the steps in the manufacturing process which requires improvement not only to accommodate the mass production of such devices but also provide a quick and safe recycling life cycle for such devices helping to eliminate all together presence of any hazardous materials and at the same time reducing the CO2 foot print during the entire life cycle of a device. To solve this issue AIST (Advance Industrial Science and Technology) has developed a new coloring technique using magnesium alloys. The new color by color technique form a variety of fine surface structure based on magnesium alloys that can be finely and smoothly formed on the surface of a device using only ultra-pure water and high temperature processing technique. A variety of colors can be produced by simply adjusting the processing time. The new technique considerably reduces the complexity of coating process using magnesium alloy that is being currently used. The new technology takes advantage of processing which uses a sealed container immersing the magnesium subject in ultra pure water where the constant temperature can be maintained for a given time producing a sense of color with metallic luster. The new technique can be applied to surface of any enclosed electronic devices made of various magnesium alloy containing aluminum and zinc resulting in a simple and cost effective way of coloring such devices. Furthermore, the new technique does not use any chemicals during the production phase and the material is easily recycled and treated resulting in an energy saving, safe and cost effective process. The new technique mimicking functionalities in specific fine structure of biological and technological manufacturing process a promising technology in terms of energy and resource conservation. The new technique uses the ultra-pure water and magnesium alloy in a sealed container made of fluorine resin (AZ31 and AZ61 alloys containing aluminum and zinc, etc.). With a introduction temperature of about 120 degrees Celsius in a period of 2.5 to 10 hours results in forming a thin film on the surface of magnesium alloy consisting of fine structures of sub-micrometer size. This fine structure of nanometer scale sheet-like structure is formed in a perpendicular direction to the substrate surface, where the size of the direction of the sheet surface is 200~2000 nm with a thickness of about 50~100nm. The surface color can be controlled through processing time and change in processing temperature. The structure formed by this process is consists of magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide which is a result through reaction between magnesium and water. The new coloring technology is still some years away from the commercialization.
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[...] to forget its abundance in nature. Based on these properties , Sumitomo Electric has developed AZ91 magnesium alloy sheet and its commercial production through a unique continuous casting process for the first time [...]