Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Electrically insulating, wear resistant coating for titanium

Can anyone direct me to an electrically _insulating_ coating for titanium that is hard and wear resistant. It needs to be about .002" thick or less. I am winding an electrical coil onto a titanium part and need to provide a backup insulation in the event there is a failure in the wire's enamel insulation. There is some vibration in the application, so the wear resistance is important. [It is desirable, but not essential, to avoid very high temperatures that might cause annealing and thus deformation of the thin wall titanium part.]

Thanks!

Scott Miles
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
2003

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First of two simultaneous responses --

The Canadize process/coating from General Magnaplate (a supporter of finishing dot com) is one option. It produces a hard, wear resistant coating that I believe is very electrically resistive. You can find more information on their website.

Toby Padfield
- Troy, Michigan
2003

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Scott, a lot of work has been done on titanium anodizing for capacitors. I fear that since you are winding and that the component will be subject to vibration that a titanium oxide film will be difficult to maintain. (20-25 A per volt applied) A Type II anodize will probably do this provided you voltage requirements is low.

Jon Quirt
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
2003