Provided is a surface hardening method for surface hardening a sulfuric acid-anodized aluminum alloy oxide layer, which includes: pre-treatment in which various foreign substances, including an oxide film, attached to a surface of an aluminum alloy are removed; sealing treatment in which the aluminum alloy having been subjected to the pre-treatment is immersed in a sealing solution, whereby fine pores formed in a film are sealed; and heat treatment in which the aluminum alloy having been subjected to the sealing treatment is charged to, and thermally treated in, a heat treatment furnace and then naturally cooled. By lowering the withstand voltage of an aluminum alloy oxide layer and increasing the hardness by subjecting the same to sealing treatment and subsequent post-heat treatment, the present invention has the effect of providing an environmentally-friendly and crack-free lightweight material that can replace steel products.

Provided is a surface hardening method for surface hardening a sulfuric acid-anodized aluminum alloy oxide layer, which includes: pre-treatment in which various foreign substances, including an oxide film, attached to a surface of an aluminum alloy are removed; sealing treatment in which the aluminum alloy having been subjected to the pre-treatment is immersed in a sealing solution, whereby fine pores formed in a film are sealed; and heat treatment in which the aluminum alloy having been subjected to the sealing treatment is charged to, and thermally treated in, a heat treatment furnace and then naturally cooled. By lowering the withstand voltage of an aluminum alloy oxide layer and increasing the hardness by subjecting the same to sealing treatment and subsequent post-heat treatment, the present invention has the effect of providing an environmentally-friendly and crack-free lightweight material that can replace steel products.

Methods of inducing segmented flow in a material in which a ductile flow mode would otherwise occur during machining. A monolayer molecular film is formed on a surface of a body of a material in a state such that the material exhibits ductile flow when subjected to shear. The monolayer molecular film has molecules each having a head group adsorbed to the surface, a terminal group, and a hydrocarbon chain therebetween having a chain length of greater than 6. A surface portion of the body is removed by engaging the body with a tool in a contact region below the surface of the body and moving the tool relative to the body to remove the surface portion and the monolayer molecular film thereon. The monolayer molecular film induces segmented flow in the material during the removing of the surface portion.

A method includes additively manufacturing an article in an inert environment, removing the article from the inert environment and placing the article in a non-inert environment, allowing at least a portion the article to oxidize in the non-inert environment to form an oxidized layer on a surface of the article, and removing the oxidized layer (e.g., to smooth the surface of the article). The method can further include relieving stress in the article (e.g., via heating the article after additive manufacturing).

A metal workpiece, such as a wheel, and a method of providing an enhanced corrosion resistant surface coating on an exposed surface of a metal or alloy substrate (such as magnesium). A corrosion resistance basecoat is formed, including generating an oxide layer, and applying a first primer coating onto at least a portion of the oxide layer. The method may further include identifying highest corrosion prone areas on the substrate and designing a support rack that avoids contact with these corrosion prone areas. The method also includes forming a topcoat over at least a portion of the basecoat, by applying a second primer coating onto at least a portion of the first primer coating and depositing a sputtered metallic film onto the second primer coating using a physical vapor deposition technique. A clear coat layer may be applied over the metallic film.

A metal workpiece, such as a wheel, and a method of providing an enhanced corrosion resistant surface coating on an exposed surface of a metal or alloy substrate (such as magnesium). A corrosion resistance basecoat is formed, including generating an oxide layer, and applying a first primer coating onto at least a portion of the oxide layer. The method may further include identifying highest corrosion prone areas on the substrate and designing a support rack that avoids contact with these corrosion prone areas. The method also includes forming a topcoat over at least a portion of the basecoat, by applying a second primer coating onto at least a portion of the first primer coating and depositing a sputtered metallic film onto the second primer coating using a physical vapor deposition technique. A clear coat layer may be applied over the metallic film.

This colored coated metal sheet comprises a metal sheet and one or more coating films arranged on top of the metal sheet, and has a specular gloss at 60° of 60-100 and an L value of 70 or less in the Hunter Lab color system. The outermost coating film among the coating films is configured of a polyester, and contains particles that contain a coloring pigment. The particles have a D.sub.90 of from 0.05 μm to 0.70 μm, and the content of the particles in the outermost coating film is from 10% by mass to 60% by mass.

This colored coated metal sheet comprises a metal sheet and one or more coating films arranged on top of the metal sheet, and has a specular gloss at 60° of 60-100 and an L value of 70 or less in the Hunter Lab color system. The outermost coating film among the coating films is configured of a polyester, and contains particles that contain a coloring pigment. The particles have a D.sub.90 of from 0.05 μm to 0.70 μm, and the content of the particles in the outermost coating film is from 10% by mass to 60% by mass.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods of treating metal surfaces to enhance adhesion or binding to substrates, and devices formed thereby. In some embodiments of the present invention, methods of achieving improved bonding strength without roughening the topography of a metal surface are provided. The metal surface obtained by this method provides strong bonding to resin layers. The bonding interface between the treated metal and the resin layer exhibits resistance to heat, moisture, and chemicals involved in post-lamination process steps, and therefore can suitably be used in the production of PCB's. Methods according to some embodiments of the present invention are especially useful in the fabrication of high density multilayer PCB's, in particular for PCB's having circuits with line/spacing of equal to and less than 10 microns. Methods according to other embodiments of the present invention are particularly useful in the coating of metal surfaces in a wide variety of applications.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods of treating metal surfaces to enhance adhesion or binding to substrates, and devices formed thereby. In some embodiments of the present invention, methods of achieving improved bonding strength without roughening the topography of a metal surface are provided. The metal surface obtained by this method provides strong bonding to resin layers. The bonding interface between the treated metal and the resin layer exhibits resistance to heat, moisture, and chemicals involved in post-lamination process steps, and therefore can suitably be used in the production of PCB's. Methods according to some embodiments of the present invention are especially useful in the fabrication of high density multilayer PCB's, in particular for PCB's having circuits with line/spacing of equal to and less than 10 microns. Methods according to other embodiments of the present invention are particularly useful in the coating of metal surfaces in a wide variety of applications.