A new coloring method for titanium alloy by using EDM process is proposed. With this method, the requested colored surface is obtained during the finishing Wire-EDM process in a dielectric water without any other post treatment. In this paper, the coloring mechanism for titanium alloy and the influence of the processing condition to the color tone are discussed.
The results obtained are as follows:
(1) A molten and resolidified surface created by electrical discharge process is colored directly by the interference phenomena in the anodic oxide film formed with electrolytic affection.
(2) The thickness of the oxide film determines the color tone, so it can be possible to give various kind of colors by controlling the average working voltage.