Air Bearings: Anodizing

Brought to you by the Machine Tech Video Blog! This one almost didn't happen because of coronavirus, folks... But here it is!
In this video, Adam demonstrates the process of anodizing an aluminum air bearing. He covers:
+ The main types of aluminum anodizing and the benefits of each
+ The chemical reactions and microscopic interactions of the anodizing process
+ A detailed step-by-step procedure for Type II anodizing
+ Bonus topics: tests for cleanliness, surface treatment of aluminum, a little chemical and electrical safety
*Correction: A couple of people mentioned that the pictures of the bare hands and light oil samples at 7:30, 7:45 and 9:10 look identical. I went back and checked and it turns out I did accidentally use the light oil sample image twice. I was trying to be very careful to label files properly, but I was handling a lot of files during the production of this video. During the experiment, the two samples came out with such similar results, and I was trying to align all the samples so perfectly in the camera, that it didn't raise any red flags in my mind when the images displayed were very close in appearance. My apologies! If you doubt the results of my experiments, I urge you to perform a peer review and try to recreate the same experimental conditions. The results should be the same.
Title music by Andrew Applepie - "Festivities": andrewapplepie.com
For more about Laney College, check out the website: laney.edu/machine_technology/
AND BE SURE TO SMASH THAT "LIKE" BUTTON!

[@chuckphilpot7756]

Fun fact(as any mechanical engineer or toolmaker will tell you) never draft an assembly out of steel that rubs against aluminum unless you plan for the steel component to be the wear component as well as the aluminum one. You would think that the steel would wear the aluminum, and it does, but it more so wears the steel. This is due to the aluminum oxide on the surface of the aluminum. Steel averages somewhere about 5-6.5 mohs hardness, whereas aluminum oxide falls around a 9. And as soon as the steel wears away the oxidation layer, a brand new one forms to come fuck your whole world up. There is your pro-tip for the day. Good work on the channel guy, I have a solid mechanical/machinist/toolmaking/engineering background and you still find a way to publish topics I had either forgotten or you find ways to teach these concepts in a way that makes other things click a bit easier. Kudos, keep up the hard work! Thank you, on behalf of the dying trades everywhere for making clear, relevant, accurate, and easily intelligible information attainable to all.

[@LaneyMachineTech]

Cool tip! Thanks, Chuck!

[@Gottenhimfella]

That's not to say you can't make really good bearings from a suitable grade of alu alloy, provided the lubrication is never allowed to cease. Even on non-hardened steel journals. In fact I'm aware of aircraft landing-gear bearings, nose alignment bushings on high tonnage hydraulic press cylinders, and even water-air type turbines operating with aluminium bearings at over 80m/s surface speed -- 30,000 rpm +

[@mrraimundo130]

This is the most thorough and well-made video in the topic. I can imagine how much work it was to handle all the sample parts but it is always worth to wait for your content. Please do a Patreon, I would support you.

[@dortadewron]

Bojler eladó!!

[@LaneyMachineTech]

@@dortadewron Hány literes?

[@mosayebmohammadi5198]

Learned "Something" ? Bro, I learned a TON of things. Great job, nice presentation and accurate information. Well done.GL

[@kannznichkaufen]

Huge compliments for not cutting any corners, but producing actual samples for so many variations and a big Thank You for providing so much learning opportunities.

[@Demoni696]

Great tutorial, thank you for doing so many A/B comparisons of how variables affect the final product. Best walk through of the process I have seen!

[@b-camaks785]

Thank you for the thorough breakdown. Other videos on the subject have only a fraction of the information, and none of the science.

[@bobvines00]

This is a very well & thoroughly explained video on anodizing. I believe that I could do quality anodizing in my garage right _now_ based on this information. However, I have to pick nits and point out that different color dyes (at least for "professional" anodizing) can require different temperatures. At work we used different temperatures for almost every color that we fooled with -- from 80° at the lowest end up to 160°F at the highest end depending on which color it was. Temperatures between 125° & 140°F actually would have fit inside the _allowable_ ranges for all four colors that we used. (Past tense since I'm now retired. We did aviation anodizing, so the specs & testing were tight.) Of course, I've selected the widest-cases of the allowable temperature ranges here just to show that there is or can be a difference, but that info should come from your dye OEM, if using the professional stuff. I think the average home- or small-shop anodizer should be able to do an acceptable job just using the information given in this video. Thanks again for a very well thought-out & filmed video! I'm recently subscribed and looking forward to the next video, but will binge watch to catch up from your first video.

[@argruber]

The best tutorial on anodizing I’ve seen so far. Thanks a lot.

[@mikemac5070]

😭😭😭 tfw no update in 9 months. The world begs for more of this high quality material

[@abhirammv6260]

This man's a gem! Thanks for these vids.

[@rizalardiansyah4486]

Wow, i did an anodizing experiment once back then and all my lecturer said was just clean the metal, dip it into this bath, this bath, wait some minutes, put back into the first bath, clean it again, do some polishing and done. Never knew anodizing is actually this complicated. Thanks for making this great content Adam!

[@chuvvyyk]

God bless you, man! I’m waiting impatiently for your videos just as I was waiting for cartoons on TV as a child.

[@foremanmachinesllc7070]

Well now I'm annoyed at myself for avoiding this video thinking it was primarily gonna be talking about air bearings haha! All of the testing was great to understand how basic procedure effect the end results. Beautiful work, time to see what else you got!

[@Sonofavenger]

This guy had me watching a thirty minute video about dunking aluminium discs in some spicy water. I'm really quite impressed. No but seriously I didn't even know anodizing was this involved.... You did a great job explaining this.

[@yashsvidixit7169]

Your videos are among the very rare gems in the big ocean of KZbin. Exceptionally well made, very informative. Thanks for your content.

[@StephenKoplin]

This is an amazingly detailed video! As a chemistry major (a long time ago), I can definitely appreciate the chemistry in your video.

[@tkzsfen]

I just can't express with words how great this video is! Where do I even start with? Adam, I can only say thank you for the tons of work you've put into this lecture on how to be perfect. I can tear my engineering degree and feel safe, because I can always refer to your videos and they are better than any university ;)

[@VinokDesign]

Excellent!!!!!! Just excellent ! All the knowledge well explained.

[@davidg7242]

Well done sir. Super underrated videos and channel. You may not have a lot of videos, but the quality is fantastic and I always learn somethings. Thank you. Looking forward to part 4.

[@wd2901]

What a great vid. I never could get my power supply to work right. I did the short of the two connectors like you. Perfect now. Amps stay right where it needs to be. Thanks!

[@alankirkpatrick6619]

Great stuff, finally learned what causes bad results when stuff comes back from the platers - thanks for being so thorough!

[@que_dijo]

dang boyyyyy all Ive been searching and sticking together from many different videos on youtube are all found here, well condensed and thoroughly explained. Thanks.

[@hjvisagie]

The best anodizing video on KZbin so far.

[@EtherTrace]

Thanks, Adam. When looking into this previously, I had to cobble together the information from many different videos and sources. It's nice to have a one-stop source with multiple comparative test pieces to showcase the differences a change in parameters makes.

[@Sim-ey2hu]

This must be the best anodizing video at youtube, great job!

[@stevegraves2890]

Love the hat (cap). Small disclaimer needs to be added *only "drill" using an end mill on machine tools such as a vertical milling machine or lathe. AvE has warning stickers for this. I watched a very expensive mag drill fall 10+ feet to its destruction because the "millright" chucked up an endmill.

[@ericy4522]

Can you elaborate on the failure mode you mention here? What caused the accident?

[@ComandoPiperrak]

I love all the technical details you explain in your videos. Thank you.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

Oxalic acid can be used to make very dense anodized layers but you need very high voltages (150v and up!) and serious cooling to keep your anodizing bath close to 0C° I use this anodizing bath to make custom PCBs for surface mount high power LEDs.

[@Muzkaw]

Awesome, hands down the best video on the subject, with all the experiments and explanation ! Thanks for your work you are an excellent teacher

[@Ottmar555]

Adam, don't abandon us for a whole year again!

[@LaneyMachineTech]

Hey, I probably won't be able to work on the Air Bearing series until late August. All of my videos are filmed in the machine shop at the college where I work. Unfortunately, because of covid-19, all of our machine shop classes were put on hold and instructors are given only limited access to the campus until the shelter-in-place restrictions in our area are relaxed. Until then, I am focusing on developing more content for future videos. I've been experimenting with hard anodizing to make a diamond-impregnated lap (similar to an "Ablap", if you've heard of that product) to lap the air bearings. And I'm designing and building an autocollimator from surplus optical components to inspect the granite ways for the ultra precision lathe.

[@Ottmar555]

@@LaneyMachineTech Keep the good work! Any video of yours is always welcome. I'd still be interested in a die video as a continuation of the tap one or mechanical seals.

[@JH-nt4zy]

The hat, lol! I DRILL WITH END MILLS. The content and production value is excellent as well.

[@metalikartz]

Well done video. Thanks for all your hard work putting this together. I look forward to giving this a try one day soon!

[@DUIofPhysics]

Really great series start... hope you continue soon!!

[@isaacsgarage931]

So stoked to watch this! Your last video was really great.

[@gabsshop4966]

Best explanatory video on anodizing so far!

[@MarcAntoineBvl]

We're so glad to see you again, thanks for your work 💪

[@gerfer9]

fantastic video - I always appreciate your enthusiasm and in depth knowledge

[@Julian.Heinrich]

Great, comprehensive video; thank you! Very well explained and clearly presented.

[@DK-vx1zc]

Amazing detail.. Bravo!!! VERY well done.. thanks for sharing

[@shoudhodas9031]

Amazing details buddy ! I work in semiconductor wafer fabrication industry as mech engg. This vid helped a lot !

[@TheMuzShop]

Awesome video Adam!! So much information clearly explained. Looking forward to the next video .....👍👍🧑‍🔬

[@naw33luck]

Perfect Explanation of anodizing available on KZbin 👆🏻 Thankyou

[@michalisrx7]

Perfect !! thank you ..regards from Thessaloniki Greece

[@listerine-pr5lt]

Excellent deep ,detailed and informative video as always.

[@Laszlo-Szabo]

What a video! Great illustrations!

[@Anenome5]

Just discovered this channel, well made! This channel is going to blow up!

[@LaneyMachineTech]

Thanks for the support, Michael! I've been at this for almost four years now, so if I haven't "blown up" by now, I seriously doubt it's going to happen. In any case, there's no way in heck I could keep up with the kind of uploading frequency required to maintain a popular KZbin channel.

[@Anenome5]

@@LaneyMachineTech Don't despair! Quality > quantity. There are popular channels out there that prosper on high quality over frequency, such as Clickspring and Coreteks, and are some of my favorite channels. You deserve a much larger audience with the quality you're bringing to the table. I know KZbin's algo may favor high frequency, but your content is not limited to KZbin.

[@guymartin7278]

Great Video and thank you so much for covering disposal of chemical wastes!

[@joep041188]

Talk about comprehensive! Great stuff!

[@JL-gt6bg]

I couldn't agree more with the comments below! Well done sir and great a/b comparisons. Those will save me the effort. THANK YOU!

[@OSOGONZO]

Hi Adam, I enjoyed very much this video. It has very interesting information. Thanks, I look for the next one.

[@Preso58]

Great tutorial on the black art of anodizing.

[@bgaworkshop7209]

Very very precise and rich of details. Thank you for your information.

[@DylanEdmiston]

This is a fantastic video. Best on this subject. I would love to see a video of type III anodizing. Have you ever attempted this? I am also curious if you have ever measured your oxide layer thickness and if you have ever anodized titanium?

[@LaneyMachineTech]

I have not attempted Type III anodizing because of the temperature control requirements. Might be worth a go? I have not checked the oxide layer thickness. This is a logical next step in my experiments. I'm sure there will be lots to learn from it. There are a number of ways to do it, including eddy-current gages or microscopic inspection. A friend of mine has access to a scanning electron microscope, so I may go that route. I have anodized titanium many times. It's extremely simple and requires much less equipment and nasty chemicals than aluminum anodizing. The way it works is a little different. I left a reply on another comment here in which I described the basic idea.

[@DylanEdmiston]

@@LaneyMachineTech Is your friend Applied Science? ;) I haven't heard of eddy current gauges but a microscope came to my mind. I have an out there idea for ballistic plates made from aluminum or titanium with a super thick oxide layer. Like the silicon glass/polycarbonate layers in ballistic glass. Would be super interested if you did one on Titanium too!

[@SoraIroNaKISEKI]

Finally here. I have been waiting for it.

[@abodg763]

I like the level of details. Thank you

[@JakeJemas]

This needs 1000x more views. Subscribed

[@HBRDynamics]

Love the videos man! Keep em coming!

[@henryD9363]

Very good. Lots of good technical information and test results as opposed to opinions and feelings

[@AndreyK415]

Thank you very much, very informative, excellent amount of detailed information. Not that I will do this myself, but it's good to know what happens and how to ask and request the vendor to alter the anodizing process to achieve a desired result.

[@arnljotseem8794]

This is good stuff. Excellent description full of detail. I follow your post on Instagram as well, and it is the same over there. I so appreciate you taking the time to make these videos and posts. Thank you!

[@ericktorres9509]

Always learning new stuff

[@jonludwig8233]

Great content and presentation, as always

[@ladmad9196]

i always thought the colour comes from the anodizing itself oh also i really like that your videos are always on point and without much chatting, straight to the point. Stay Safe!

[@thomasa5619]

I think other metals can anodise that way, titanium for one, I’m pretty sure I once saw in a video where old mate did it in a time lapse by raising it out of the electrolyte, caused it to anodise different colours

[@LaneyMachineTech]

@@thomasa5619 Yes, titanium anodizing is a different mechanism altogether. I kinda wanted to mention it in the video, but it was already getting too long. If you look at the titanium rod I used to electrically connect the aluminum part, you'll notice that it also turned a different color, but not orange like the part. Titanium anodizing still relies on growing an oxide layer, but it does not use dye for coloring. The coloring occurs because of interference effects of light waves when reflecting off the thin transparent oxide layer and the part surface. The thickness of the titanium oxide layer determines which light wavelengths interact constructively and destructively, and therefore which color dominates in the light reflected from the titanium part's surface. Titanium anodizing is a voltage-dependent process, unlike aluminum anodizing which is a current-dependent process (as demonstrated in the video). The voltage determines the color in titanium anodizing. Here's a link to a good description of the science behind the process: mrtitanium.com/interference.html

[@thomasa5619]

I suspected as much but didn’t want to speculate so much, as you can see it was already far enough past my bedtime that my English was suffering

[@silenttraveler2710]

Awesome Tutorial. . . 😳 Thank You 🙏

[@stevecanny1583]

Really, really nice job Adam! :)

[@davidconnolly7693]

I love when you upload!

[@harishvoxster]

Hey Adam.... Can you upload or make some videos on other mech stuff... ??? This channel is one of the best ever seen

[@VEC7ORlt]

This is great! Special thanks to showing what happens if you do something wrong - this will greatly help anyone trying to figure out whats wrong with their process! Also I have same power supply and leads :P

[@rorypenstock1763]

Best anodizing video. Thanks.

[@__________f9433]

Your videos are awesome, keep up the good work

[@justinmoritz6543]

dang dude you're smart af. learned SO much in this video! thank you sir!!!

[@ansg70]

Beautifully done.

[@mundodosabrasivos]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing

[@saxon4065]

best video of all. Thanks.

[@soullessone_edc6226]

I'm pretty much obsessed with titanium anodizing right now so I figured I should really learn how to do aluminum honestly it seems more useful

[@roshansharma7514]

Excellent explanation

[@zachaliles]

That's not enough for this video! We demand more for this video!

[@LaneyMachineTech]

*sigh* it's never enough...

[@sto2779]

Please make a PDF or even a book into the subject of making professional air bearings... really need this stuff...

[@ROBRENZ]

Excellent! ATB, Robin

[@FilterYT]

Man you are thorough! Thanks.

[@user-dm4er8hp9v]

Great videos about air bearing!!! Waiting for the next film. Really enjoyable videos in spite I do not speak English freely(I'm from Ukraine). I decided to watch several lectures from you another channel "Laney Machine Tech" (while waiting for the next film about the Air bearing) they are useful for me as well. Great job!

[@Hibiki00023]

There‘s a very famous saying in China middle school chemistry textbook is “既不汇聚成滴，也不成股流下”witch means Neither converge into drops nor flow down in lines. I remember for many years. Now I know what that actually look like. HAHA

[@Syntax152]

This is great content for anodizing. Also lots of work for those tests... can you please also explain electropolishing for gloss anodized finish ?

[@shaikhmddaniyaal7666]

it was awesome again and fully detailed thank you before i never understood anodizing but after your video XD

[@cornelisvanrensburg1826]

Very cool series! Are you going to finish this series so we can see the air bearings perform?

[@tegmentoo]

perfect explanation

[@mahmoudalimardani5490]

Thanks for so much informative video

[@markamy357]

We came for air bearings, we stayed for the anodizing.

[@hassiaschbi]

Very comprehensive! I filled wrote everything in my lab note book. Thank you!

[@DudleyToolwright]

Nicely explained.

[@dolflb]

Great video, Thank you!!

[@5b4aezmarinoscyprus71]

Do you suggest, of using anodised aluminium rods when making antennas, even if we managed a good contactivity...?

[@spkrman15]

Wow. Well done. I learned a lot

[@maikel371]

Great video!

[@mojaveri]

Just have to say hats off to you 👌

[@St0RM33]

Excellent video, you really need to get more views! Also if possible please do a supplement getting into detail for both pre-treatments, even a video regarding anodizing of different metals :)

[@shawnf5160]

very good video i did some anodizing on some parts that i welded and the weld turn black during the anodizing and didnt take color good is that because the weld is not 6061

[@LaneyMachineTech]

If the weld turned gray or black, then it's almost certainly because the weld rod you used was made of 4043 alloy. 5356 alloy is the one finishing shops recommend for parts which are going to be anodized. But even that alloy will have a noticeably poor appearance if the material is overheated during welding.

[@iamthebiker]

So good!

[@Sashko555]

Thank you Adam 😊 Liked and subscribed🤭

[@Qui-9]

Overall good video 👍. But when comparing the contaminants of bare hands, and light oil, why did you use the EXACT same photo for both? Was it a slip-up?