With the progress of society, nowadays many products are developing towards the trend of lightweight. For example, some common 3C products have gradually been produced with magnesium alloy materials, thus getting rid of the serious drawbacks of being bulky and inconvenient in the past. Most of the magnesium alloy products on the market have achieved mass production through the process of magnesium alloy die casting. Today, let's talk about what surface treatment processes are actually suitable for magnesium alloy die castings.

I. Passivation Treatment:

Passivation treatment is a very common surface treatment process for magnesium alloy die castings. It mainly forms a dense passivation film on the surface of the magnesium alloy die casting, improving its corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and can also enhance a certain degree of adhesion when doing additional surface treatment processes such as powder spraying or oil spraying. For products without high appearance requirements, passivation treatment is a very basic treatment method.

II.Powder Spraying Treatment:

Powder spraying treatment is to evenly spray powder coatings on the surface of the magnesium alloy die casting and then form a coating through heating and curing. This coating can effectively isolate the magnesium alloy from the external environment, providing good corrosion resistance, wear resistance and decorativeness. Moreover, powder spraying has a variety of colors and textures to choose from, so as to meet the appearance and performance requirements of the product.

III. Oil Spraying Treatment:

Oil spraying treatment forms a protective film by spraying liquid paint on the surface of the magnesium alloy die casting and then drying and curing it. Similarly, oil spraying can be blended to produce various colors and gloss levels to meet different design requirements. For example, on the magnesium alloy housings of some 3C products (computers, communications, and consumer electronics), oil spraying can achieve various fashionable appearance effects while protecting the internal magnesium alloy structure from being damaged by the external environment, thus prolonging the service life of the product.

Ⅳ. Micro-arc Oxidation Treatment:

Micro-arc oxidation treatment is a surface treatment technology developed on the basis of anodic oxidation. It uses high voltage to generate micro-arc discharges on the surface of the magnesium alloy, making the metal oxide film on the surface further grow and densify under high temperature and high pressure. Its thickness can reach from tens of micrometers to hundreds of micrometers, with higher hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance. For example, on the magnesium alloy components in the aerospace field, the surface after micro-arc oxidation treatment can withstand the scouring of high-speed airflows and the erosion of the complex space environment.

Ⅴ. Electroplating Treatment:

Electroplating treatment includes nickel plating and chromium plating, etc. Nickel plating can form a nickel metal layer on the surface of the magnesium alloy. The nickel layer has good corrosion resistance and decorativeness, enabling the surface of the magnesium alloy to present a bright metallic texture. And chromium plating can form a chromium metal layer on the surface of the magnesium alloy. The chromium layer has high hardness, good wear resistance, and excellent reflectivity, making the surface of the magnesium alloy look even brighter.

The above are some common surface treatment processes for magnesium alloy products. Different products can choose different surface treatment processes according to their required requirements, so as to achieve the required appearance and performance requirements.