Low-Environmental Impact Surface Treatment on SLM-Produced AlSi10Mg Aluminium Alloy

Abstract

The need to reduce the cost and, therefore, the processing time of metallic materials has pushed academia and industry toward the use of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. This paper aims to study the effectiveness of a green electropolishing treatment of AlSi10Mg aluminium alloy components produced using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology. The influence of treatment duration in relation to specimen surface polishing and the effect on corrosion resistance were evaluated. Morphological characterizations, roughness measurements and electrochemical tests were performed. Specifically, the study identified a set of parameters to achieve a significant reduction in roughness and an increase in the electrochemical characteristics of the components. Green electropolishing could be a viable post-processing treatment substitute to the classical treatment in which environmentally harmful acids are used.