Welding method for common aluminum product with appearance requirement and aluminum product

Abstract

The invention discloses a welding method for a common aluminum product with appearance requirements and the aluminum product. The welding method comprises the following steps that nickel electroplating treatment is conducted on an aluminum raw material; a workpiece in a target shape is formed and machined; performing surface treatment to obtain preset appearance and effect; removing the surface treatment of a to-be-welded area of the workpiece; and the welding area of the workpiece is welded. According to the method, aluminum materials are pre-plated with weldable nickel, processed into required shapes, subjected to surface treatment (such as anodic oxidation, electrophoresis and the like) and finally subjected to surface treatment for removing areas needing to be welded through laser, so that the aluminum product materials have weldability while the appearance requirement is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aluminum-silicon microwave component packaging, and particularly to a welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements, as well as the aluminum products themselves. Background Technology

[0002] Aluminum is widely used in various consumer products due to its advantages such as light weight, corrosion resistance, good thermal conductivity, ease of processing, and aesthetic appeal. These products mainly include electronic products, home appliances, kitchenware and daily necessities, and transportation vehicles. Aluminum surface treatment processes are mature (such as anodizing, wire drawing, and sandblasting), which can meet the high requirements of consumer products for both appearance and durability.

[0003] However, in practical applications, it is necessary to weld different aluminum structural components. At present, there are few types of aluminum and aluminum alloys with weldability. Although ordinary pure aluminum can be welded, it is too soft to be used. Aluminum alloy materials with better weldability are generally more expensive. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention addresses the problems existing in the prior art by proposing a welding method and aluminum product for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements. The method involves pre-plating aluminum material with solderable nickel, processing it to the required shape, performing surface treatment (such as anodizing, electrophoresis, etc.), and finally laser removing the surface treatment of the area to be welded. This method ensures that the aluminum product material has weldability while meeting appearance requirements.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements, comprising the following steps: Electroplating nickel onto aluminum raw materials; Workpieces that have been shaped and processed to the target shape; Surface treatment is performed to achieve the desired appearance and effect; Remove the surface treatment from the area of ​​the workpiece that needs to be welded; Welding is performed on the welding area of ​​the workpiece.

[0006] Preferably, electroplating nickel onto the aluminum raw material further includes: Alkaline etching is performed by immersing the sample in a 5-10% sodium hydroxide solution at 50-70°C for several tens of seconds. A 1:1 nitric acid solution was used for brightening / acid etching to remove ash and residual oxides; Immersed in a strongly alkaline zincate solution, a thin and dense zinc layer is formed on the surface of the aluminum raw material through a chemical displacement reaction; Short-time pre-plating of nickel at high current density; Perform the nickel plating process.

[0007] Preferably, the nickel plating process ensures that the nickel layer thickness is between 5-8 μm.

[0008] Preferably, the workpiece is formed into the target shape by stamping, extrusion, or CNC machining.

[0009] Preferably, surface treatment of the workpiece to obtain a predetermined appearance and effect further includes: The workpiece is subjected to processes including but not limited to polishing, sandblasting, wire drawing, and vibratory grinding.

[0010] Preferably, the surface treatment to remove the welding area of ​​the workpiece further includes: Surface treatment methods include, but are not limited to, anodizing, electrophoresis, and spray painting.

[0011] Preferably, welding the welding area of ​​the workpiece further includes: Zinc-based or tin-based solders are used for welding via soft soldering or hard soldering / fusion welding.

[0012] Preferably, the aluminum product material is pure aluminum or aluminum alloy.

[0013] Preferably, the surface of the welding area is removed by laser or grinding before welding.

[0014] The present invention also provides an aluminum product manufactured using any one of the welding methods described above.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The technical solution of this invention employs a method of pre-plating solderable nickel onto aluminum material, then processing it to the required shape, performing surface treatment (such as anodizing, electrophoresis, etc.), and finally laser-removing the surface treatment of the areas to be welded. This allows the aluminum product material to simultaneously achieve weldability while ensuring the required appearance. Furthermore, the pre-plated nickel layer effectively inhibits excessive oxidation of the aluminum material at high temperatures, reducing defects such as porosity and inclusions; simultaneously, it serves as an intermediate transition layer to improve wettability and promote uniform spreading of molten metal. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0018] like Figure 1 This embodiment discloses a welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements, including the following steps: Electroplating nickel onto aluminum raw materials; Workpieces that have been shaped and processed to the target shape; Surface treatment is performed to achieve the desired appearance and effect; Remove the surface treatment from the area of ​​the workpiece that needs to be welded; Welding is performed on the welding area of ​​the workpiece.

[0019] The technical solution in this embodiment employs a method of pre-plating solderable nickel onto aluminum material, then processing it to the required shape, performing surface treatments (such as anodizing, electrophoresis, etc.), and finally laser-removing the surface treatment of the areas to be welded. This allows the aluminum product material to simultaneously achieve weldability while ensuring the required appearance. Furthermore, the pre-plated nickel layer effectively inhibits excessive oxidation of the aluminum raw material at high temperatures, reducing defects such as porosity and inclusions; simultaneously, it serves as an intermediate transition layer to improve wettability and promote uniform spreading of the molten metal.

[0020] Preferably, electroplating nickel onto the aluminum raw material further includes: Alkaline etching is performed by immersing the sample in a 5-10% sodium hydroxide solution at 50-70°C for several tens of seconds. A 1:1 nitric acid solution was used for brightening / acid etching to remove ash and residual oxides; Immersed in a strongly alkaline zincate solution, a thin and dense zinc layer is formed on the surface of the aluminum raw material through a chemical displacement reaction; Short-time pre-plating of nickel at high current density; Perform the nickel plating process.

[0021] Dynamic immersion in 5-10% NaOH solution at 50–70℃ can efficiently decompose grease, remove the natural oxide film (Al2O3), and expose fresh metal crystal faces. This process controls the surface roughness Ra at the μm level, providing an anchoring foundation for subsequent coatings. Short-duration (≤30s) high-current pulses instantly increase the deposition rate to 3–5 times that of traditional processes, rapidly sealing the pores of the substrate. The resulting fine crystalline initiation layer (grain size <1μm) exhibits a compressive stress state, inhibiting crack propagation. SEM observation shows that this bottom layer has columnar growth characteristics, with an orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface, forming a "pinning effect" to enhance adhesion. XRD analysis confirms that its preferred orientation is the (200) crystal plane, which is beneficial for the epitaxial growth of subsequent thick coatings.

[0022] Preferably, the nickel plating process ensures that the nickel layer thickness is between 5-8 μm.

[0023] The nickel layer thickness is kept between 5-8 μm to keep the residual tensile stress within the safe threshold (<150 MPa) and avoid peeling failure due to excessive coating thickness. X-ray diffraction shows that the Ni(111) crystal plane has a clear preferred orientation and the best coherence with the aluminum alloy matrix. The shear strength can reach more than 25 MPa.

[0024] Preferably, the workpiece is formed into the target shape by stamping, extrusion, or CNC machining.

[0025] Stamping is suitable for complex curved surfaces and mass production, extrusion is suitable for continuous manufacturing of profiles with equal cross-sections, and CNC machining is suitable for high-precision three-dimensional free forming. Different processes can be freely selected and adapted for forming according to actual needs.

[0026] Preferably, surface treatment of the workpiece to obtain a predetermined appearance and effect further includes: The workpiece is subjected to processes including but not limited to polishing, sandblasting, wire drawing, and vibratory grinding.

[0027] Mechanical polishing is suitable for the casings of high-end consumer electronics products, achieving a mirror-like smoothness; dry sandblasting is suitable for the control panels of industrial equipment, achieving a uniform matte texture; metal brushing can achieve a linear gloss-guided design effect; and vibratory grinding can achieve a natural transition effect for edge chamfering.

[0028] Preferably, the surface treatment to remove the welding area of ​​the workpiece further includes: Surface treatment methods include, but are not limited to, anodizing, electrophoresis, and spray painting.

[0029] By precisely removing surface treatment layers (such as anodizing, electrophoresis, or painting) from the welding area of ​​the workpiece, both welding quality and appearance are improved. The decomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in electrophoretic paint at high temperatures, producing gases, is the main cause of porosity. After laser cleaning pretreatment, the X-ray flaw detection pass rate of the weld increased from the conventional 82% to 99.6%, meeting aerospace-grade quality standards.

[0030] Preferably, welding the welding area of ​​the workpiece further includes: Zinc-based or tin-based solders are used for welding via soft soldering or hard soldering / fusion welding.

[0031] By flexibly selecting zinc-based / tin-based solders and matching them with soft soldering, hard soldering, or fusion welding processes, precise adaptation of the connection strength and functional requirements of the welding area of ​​aluminum workpieces is achieved.

[0032] Preferably, the aluminum product material is pure aluminum or aluminum alloy.

[0033] Preferably, the surface of the welding area is removed by laser or grinding before welding.

[0034] By precisely removing the surface treatment layer in the welding area using laser or mechanical grinding, the welding quality and reliability of aluminum workpieces are significantly improved.

[0035] The present invention also provides an aluminum product manufactured using any one of the welding methods described above.

[0036] By pre-plating solderable nickel onto aluminum materials, processing them into the required shape, performing surface treatments (such as anodizing and electrophoresis), and finally laser-removing the surface treatment areas to be welded, the aluminum products achieve both aesthetic appeal and weldability. Furthermore, the pre-plated nickel layer effectively inhibits excessive oxidation of the aluminum raw material at high temperatures, reducing defects such as porosity and inclusions; it also serves as an intermediate transition layer, improving wettability and promoting uniform spreading of the molten metal.

[0037] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Electroplating nickel onto aluminum raw materials; Workpieces that have been shaped and processed to the target shape; Surface treatment is performed to achieve the desired appearance and effect; Remove the surface treatment from the area of ​​the workpiece that needs to be welded; Welding is performed on the welding area of ​​the workpiece.

2. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, Electroplating nickel onto aluminum raw materials further includes: Alkaline etching is performed by immersing the sample in a 5-10% sodium hydroxide solution at 50-70°C for several tens of seconds. A 1:1 nitric acid solution was used for brightening / acid etching to remove ash and residual oxides; Immersed in a strongly alkaline zincate solution, a thin and dense zinc layer is formed on the surface of the aluminum raw material through a chemical displacement reaction; Short-time pre-plating of nickel at high current density; Perform the nickel plating process.

3. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 2, characterized in that, The nickel plating process ensures that the nickel layer thickness is between 5-8 μm.

4. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, The workpiece is formed into the target shape by stamping, extrusion, or CNC machining.

5. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, Surface treatment of the workpiece to obtain a predetermined appearance and effect further includes: The workpiece is subjected to processes including but not limited to polishing, sandblasting, wire drawing, and vibratory grinding.

6. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface treatment to remove the welding area of ​​the workpiece further includes: Surface treatment methods include, but are not limited to, anodizing, electrophoresis, and spray painting.

7. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, Welding the welding area of ​​the workpiece further includes: Zinc-based or tin-based solders are used for welding via soft soldering or hard soldering / fusion welding.

8. The welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, Aluminum products are made of pure aluminum or aluminum alloys.

9. A welding method for ordinary aluminum products with appearance requirements according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before welding, the surface of the welding area is removed by laser or grinding.

10. An aluminum product, characterized in that, It is manufactured using the welding method described in any one of claims 1-9.

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