Electrolytic polishing equipment and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to electrolytic polishing equipment and a control method thereof, in particular to the field of electrolytic polishing, and overcomes the defects that existing electrolytic polishing equipment is poor in electrolytic analysis effect and low in sample preparation efficiency, and electrolytic polishing liquid is prone to being poorly polluted. The electrolytic polishing equipment comprises a control end, an electrolytic polishing end and a separation end; the electrolytic polishing end comprises a polishing platform and i electrolytic polishing solution supply ends, and i is greater than or equal to 1; the control end is connected with the electrolytic polishing end and the separation end. According to the electrolytic polishing equipment provided by the invention, the plurality of electrolytic polishing liquid supply ends are configured and controlled by the control end, so that intelligent electrolytic polishing of different samples can be realized, the electrolytic polishing effect is remarkably improved, and the sample preparation efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electropolishing, and more specifically to an electropolishing device and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, SEM-EBSD detection typically requires electropolishing of the sample to ensure good resolution. For example, CN114184630A discloses a general method for preparing SEM and EBSD samples using electropolishing. This method includes the following steps: processing the test plane of the sample to be prepared according to requirements; preparing the electropolishing solution and adding ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid to it; using a special container to hold the prepared electropolishing solution and cooling it; connecting the special container to an external DC power supply; placing the special container and the sample to be prepared into the electropolishing solution and turning on the DC power supply; and determining whether the preparation is complete by observing the reflectivity of the test plane.

[0003] CN116297586A discloses an EBSD sample of a packaging substrate and its preparation method. This method combines mechanical polishing and electrolytic polishing with conductive treatment processes, and then uses the ion beam of the FIB-SEM dual-beam system to remove the conductive layer on the surface of the test area. This method can ensure the integrity of the diffraction pattern information of the test area, maintain the conductivity of the EBSD sample of the packaging substrate to a certain extent, and reduce the oxidation degree of the surface of the EBSD sample of the packaging substrate, thereby preparing an EBSD sample of the packaging substrate with a high EBSD calibration rate.

[0004] However, while existing electropolishing equipment can meet the requirements of test samples in most cases, for small samples containing Si (silicon precipitates or silicon inclusions in aluminum alloys), their electrochemical activity is different from that of the surrounding substrate. During electrolysis, a micro-battery effect is formed, leading to local over-corrosion or selective dissolution, which in turn causes surface discoloration or even black spots.

[0005] This anomaly will frequently occur during subsequent SEM-EBSD detection and analysis, resulting in low resolution and the need to resample; this increases the difficulty of analysis and reduces work efficiency.

[0006] Furthermore, existing electropolishing equipment suffers from drawbacks such as insufficient sample resolution, requiring multiple rounds of grinding and polishing, frequent replacement of the electropolishing solution, and adjustments to the equipment coefficients, resulting in a significant waste of human resources and reduced efficiency. Moreover, the electropolishing process often presents issues with sample cleanliness, contaminating an entire container of electropolishing solution, which also consumes and damages a large amount of the solution.

[0007] In summary, existing electropolishing equipment suffers from drawbacks such as poor electrolytic desorption, low sample preparation efficiency, and easy contamination of the electropolishing solution. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic polishing device and its control method to solve the defects of existing electrolytic polishing devices, such as poor electrolytic desorption effect, low sample preparation efficiency, and easy contamination of electrolytic polishing solution.

[0009] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0010] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an electropolishing apparatus, the electropolishing apparatus comprising:

[0011] Control end, electropolishing end, and separation end;

[0012] The electropolishing end includes: a polishing platform and i electropolishing liquid supply ends, where i ≥ 1;

[0013] The control terminal is connected to the electropolishing terminal and the separation terminal, respectively.

[0014] The electropolishing equipment provided by this invention, by configuring multiple electropolishing liquid supply terminals and controlling them through a control terminal, can achieve intelligent electropolishing of different samples, significantly improving the effect of electropolishing and thus improving the efficiency of sample preparation.

[0015] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the i electrolytic polishing liquid supply ends are connected to the electrolytic polishing liquid inlet of the polishing platform through a multi-way valve.

[0016] Preferably, each of the i electrolytic polishing liquid supply terminals is equipped with a metering device.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform is connected to the separation end.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the separation end is connected to i electrolytic polishing liquid supply ends.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electropolishing end is further equipped with a cleaning end.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a control method for an electropolishing apparatus as described in the first aspect, the control method comprising:

[0021] The control unit controls i electropolishing solution supply units to feed the matching electropolishing solution into the polishing platform for electropolishing based on the sample type.

[0022] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, after the electrolytic polishing is completed, the electrolytic polishing liquid in the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform is separated into solid and liquid phases by the separation end and then the liquid phase is fed into the corresponding electrolytic polishing liquid supply end.

[0023] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, before the electrolytic polishing liquid is fed into the polishing platform, the control end controls the cleaning end to clean the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform.

[0024] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, after the electrolytic polishing is completed and the electrolytic polishing liquid is discharged, the control terminal controls the cleaning terminal to clean the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform.

[0025] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the control terminal uses a metering device to quantitatively feed the electrolytic polishing liquid into the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform.

[0026] Compared with existing technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) The electropolishing equipment provided by the present invention achieves automatic feeding of the corresponding electropolishing solution through automated control, thus avoiding the problem of low electropolishing resolution caused by the mismatch between the sample and the electropolishing solution.

[0028] (2) The electropolishing equipment provided by the present invention can return the electropolishing liquid to the electropolishing liquid supply end for reuse after solid-liquid separation after electrolysis, thus avoiding waste of the electropolishing liquid.

[0029] (3) The electropolishing equipment provided by the present invention can significantly avoid the cross-influence of multiple electropolishing processes through automated cleaning control, thereby stabilizing the electropolishing effect. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the electropolishing equipment provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] In the diagram: 100 - control terminal, 210 - polishing platform, 220 - electrolytic polishing solution supply terminal, 300 - separation terminal;

[0032] The solid line represents the flow of the electrolytic polishing solution, and the dashed line represents the logic control circuit.

[0033] The present invention will now be described in further detail. However, the examples described below are merely simplified examples of the present invention and do not represent or limit the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the claims. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To better illustrate the present invention and facilitate understanding of its technical solutions, typical but non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0035] While existing electropolishing equipment can meet the requirements of most test samples, it is less effective for small samples containing Si (silicon precipitates or inclusions in aluminum alloys). These samples exhibit different electrochemical activity compared to the surrounding substrate, leading to a micro-battery effect during electrolysis. This can result in localized over-corrosion or selective dissolution, causing surface discoloration or even black spots. Furthermore, existing electropolishing equipment suffers from insufficient sample resolution, requiring multiple polishing cycles, frequent replacements of the electropolishing solution, and adjustments to the equipment parameters, resulting in wasted manpower and reduced efficiency. Moreover, sample cleanliness issues frequently arise during electropolishing, contaminating entire containers of the electropolishing solution and consuming and damaging significant amounts. Therefore, this invention optimizes the electropolishing equipment by configuring control and separation terminals to achieve efficient and intelligent electropolishing, ensuring effective results and avoiding the drawbacks of poor electrolytic resolution, low sample preparation efficiency, and easy contamination of the electropolishing solution. Specifically:

[0036] I. This embodiment provides an electropolishing device, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the electropolishing equipment includes:

[0037] Control terminal 100, electropolishing terminal and separation terminal 300;

[0038] The electropolishing end includes: a polishing platform 210 and i electropolishing liquid supply ends 220, i≥1;

[0039] The control terminal 100 is connected to the electropolishing terminal and the separation terminal 300, respectively.

[0040] In this invention, the control terminal 100 can be a PLC controller or an industrial computer or other control equipment, as long as it can perform control.

[0041] In this invention, the polishing platform 210 includes an electrolytic polishing liquid tank, electrodes, a power supply, etc., which can be designed according to conventional requirements in the art.

[0042] In this invention, the electrolytic polishing liquid supply end 220 includes a storage tank, a pipeline for conveying liquid, and a pump. The electrolyte in the storage tank is fed into the electrolytic polishing liquid tank through the pipeline under the action of the pump.

[0043] In this invention, the polishing platform 210, the electrolytic polishing liquid supply end 220 and the separation end 300 are connected by a pipeline, and an electric control valve, metering equipment, etc. can be installed on the pipeline.

[0044] In this invention, the i electrolytic polishing slurry supply terminals 220 can be reasonably allocated according to the type of sample targeted in the specific use process. For example, different high-resolution electrolytic polishing slurries can be designed for different alloys. No specific requirements are made in this invention.

[0045] The i electrolytic polishing slurry supply terminals 220 are connected to the electrolytic polishing slurry inlet of the polishing platform 210 via multi-port valves.

[0046] In this invention, the control terminal 100 controls the supply of electrolytic polishing solution through a multi-port valve. For example, when the sample is A, the corresponding electrolytic polishing solution is A1. When sample A is placed in the electrolysis platform, the control terminal 100 controls the multi-port valve to connect the supply end of electrolytic polishing solution A1 with the electrolytic polishing solution inlet, while other channels are closed, thereby supplying the corresponding electrolytic polishing solution. Other samples can be supplied in the same way.

[0047] Each of the i electrolytic polishing liquid supply terminals 220 is equipped with a metering device.

[0048] In this invention, the amount of electrolytic polishing solution fed in is monitored by metering devices such as metering valves and flow meters to avoid insufficient electrolytic polishing solution in the electrolytic polishing solution tank, which would prevent electrolysis from being carried out, or excessive electrolytic polishing solution in the electrolytic polishing solution tank, which would lead to waste or even overflow of the electrolytic polishing solution. Furthermore, the metering device can also be implemented by a metering pump.

[0049] The electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform 210 is connected to the separation end 300.

[0050] In this invention, after electrolysis, the electropolishing liquid is discharged from the electropolishing liquid tank and passes through the separation end 300, such as a solid-liquid separation device, to remove excess solid impurities. Then it is returned to the electropolishing liquid supply end 220 for recycling.

[0051] In this invention, the solid-liquid separation equipment can be selected from sedimentation tanks, vacuum filtration equipment, filter press equipment, centrifugal separation equipment, etc., and the appropriate selection can be made according to actual needs.

[0052] The separation end 300 is connected to i electrolytic polishing liquid supply ends 220.

[0053] In this invention, the separation end 300 can be connected to the electrolytic polishing liquid supply end 220 via a multi-way valve or different pipelines to supply the separated electrolytic polishing liquid to the corresponding electrolytic polishing liquid supply end 220, avoiding mixing. Specifically, the electrolytic polishing liquid can be returned point-to-point by adjusting the opening and closing of the multi-way valve or the valve on the corresponding pipeline through the control end 100.

[0054] The electropolishing end is also equipped with a cleaning end.

[0055] In this invention, the cleaning end can be selected to use water, or a suitable detergent can be selected according to the electrolyte to ensure the final cleaning effect. Specifically, it includes a washing liquid tank and a pump and pipeline for conveying the washing liquid. After the electrolytic polishing end is equipped with a cleaning end, the electrolytic polishing end is also equipped with a washing liquid inlet and a washing liquid outlet. Under the action of the pump, the washing liquid is fed into the electrolytic polishing liquid tank through the washing liquid inlet via the pipeline. After washing is completed, it is discharged through the washing liquid outlet for recycling.

[0056] II. This embodiment provides a control method for an electrolytic polishing device, the control method comprising:

[0057] The control terminal 100 controls i electropolishing solution supply terminals 220 to feed the matching electropolishing solution into the polishing platform 210 for electropolishing according to the sample type.

[0058] After the electrolytic polishing is completed, the electrolytic polishing liquid in the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform 210 is separated into solid and liquid phases by the separation end 300 and then the liquid phase is fed into the corresponding electrolytic polishing liquid supply end 220.

[0059] The control end 100 controls the cleaning end to clean the electrolytic polishing solution tank of the polishing platform 210 before the electrolytic polishing solution is fed into the polishing platform 210.

[0060] After the electrolytic polishing is completed and the electrolytic polishing liquid is discharged, the control terminal 100 controls the cleaning terminal to clean the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform 210.

[0061] The control terminal 100 uses a metering device to quantitatively feed the electrolytic polishing liquid into the electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform 210.

[0062] In this invention, the relevant parameters in electropolishing can be reasonably designed based on the sample and the corresponding electropolishing solution, combined with existing technology.

[0063] III. To illustrate the effects achievable by the electropolishing equipment provided by this invention, the following examples are used for explanation:

[0064] Example 1

[0065] This embodiment provides an electrolytic polishing device and its control method, as detailed below:

[0066] Electropolishing equipment includes:

[0067] Control end, electropolishing end, and separation end;

[0068] The electropolishing end includes: a polishing platform and i electropolishing liquid supply ends, where i ≥ 1;

[0069] The control terminal is connected to the electropolishing terminal and the separation terminal, respectively.

[0070] The i electrolytic polishing fluid supply terminals are connected to the electrolytic polishing fluid inlet of the polishing platform via multi-way valves; each of the i electrolytic polishing fluid supply terminals is equipped with a metering device (flow meter).

[0071] The electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform is connected to the separation end.

[0072] The separation end is connected to i electrolytic polishing liquid supply ends.

[0073] The electropolishing end is also equipped with a cleaning end.

[0074] Control methods include:

[0075] The control terminal controls i electropolishing solution supply terminals to feed the matching electropolishing solution into the polishing platform for electropolishing according to the sample type;

[0076] After the electropolishing is completed, the electropolishing liquid in the electropolishing liquid tank of the polishing platform is separated into solid and liquid phases at the separation end, and then the liquid phase is fed to the corresponding electropolishing liquid supply end.

[0077] Before the electrolytic polishing solution is fed into the polishing platform, the control end controls the cleaning end to clean the electrolytic polishing solution tank of the polishing platform.

[0078] After the electropolishing process is completed and the electropolishing solution is discharged, the control terminal controls the cleaning terminal to clean the electropolishing solution tank of the polishing platform.

[0079] The control unit uses metering equipment to quantitatively feed the electrolytic polishing solution into the electrolytic polishing solution tank of the polishing platform.

[0080] Based on the above process, various samples (including: pure aluminum samples, corresponding to electropolishing solution A2; pure titanium samples, corresponding to electropolishing solution A3; and pure copper samples, corresponding to electropolishing solution D2) were electropolished. During the electropolishing process, the electropolishing equipment can provide corresponding matching electropolishing solutions for different samples. At the same time, a cleaning process was performed before and after the electropolishing solution was introduced to avoid cross-contamination between different electropolishing solutions when the electropolishing solution is reused, and to avoid the residual electropolishing solution affecting subsequent electropolishing.

[0081] In summary, the electropolishing equipment provided by this invention, by configuring multiple electropolishing liquid supply terminals and controlling them through a control terminal, can achieve intelligent electropolishing of different samples, significantly improving the effect of electropolishing and thus increasing the efficiency of sample preparation.

[0082] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present invention, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0083] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0084] Furthermore, various different embodiments of the present invention can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of the present invention, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed by the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrolytic polishing device, characterized in that, The electropolishing equipment includes: Control end, electropolishing end, and separation end; The electropolishing end includes: a polishing platform and i electropolishing liquid supply ends, where i ≥ 1; The control terminal is connected to the electropolishing terminal and the separation terminal, respectively.

2. The electropolishing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The i electrolytic polishing fluid supply terminals are connected to the electrolytic polishing fluid inlet of the polishing platform via multi-port valves; Preferably, each of the i electrolytic polishing liquid supply terminals is equipped with a metering device.

3. The electropolishing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electrolytic polishing liquid tank of the polishing platform is connected to the separation end.

4. The electropolishing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The separation end is connected to i electrolytic polishing liquid supply ends.

5. The electropolishing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electropolishing end is also equipped with a cleaning end.

6. A control method for an electrolytic polishing apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The control method includes: The control unit controls i electropolishing solution supply units to feed the matching electropolishing solution into the polishing platform for electropolishing based on the sample type.

7. The control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, After the electropolishing is completed, the electropolishing liquid in the electropolishing liquid tank of the polishing platform is separated into solid and liquid phases at the separation end, and then the liquid phase is fed to the corresponding electropolishing liquid supply end.

8. The control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Before the electrolytic polishing solution is fed into the polishing platform, the control end controls the cleaning end to clean the electrolytic polishing solution tank of the polishing platform.

9. The control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, After the electropolishing process is completed and the electropolishing solution is discharged, the control terminal controls the cleaning terminal to clean the electropolishing solution tank of the polishing platform.

10. The control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The control unit uses metering equipment to quantitatively feed the electrolytic polishing solution into the electrolytic polishing solution tank of the polishing platform.

Images