Researchers devise method for colorizing metals, alchemists swoon
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:41AM
posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:41AM
[Via The New York Times, thanks Jonathan]
posted Feb 3rd 2008 7:41AM
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Actually just imagine cars that don't need to be painted, environmental and cost benefits.
oh the possibilities ! :)
Kinda neat, but.. *hugs my CFRP laptop*
I was under the impression that we could already print images, colours and typography directly onto metal anyway?
So changing the colour of the underlying metal itself is a bit redundant isn't it?
For the people that think this would replace paint. Besides appereance paint also serves as a way to slow down corrosion, so it doesn't really matter much in this case unless we're talking about stainless steal.
Stainless Steel does still rust, just takes longer, so I doubt this process even on SS will ever take the place of corrosion-reducing paint.
I was under the impression that aluminum didn't corrode really, just oxidized a harder coating. Always though it would be cool to have some anodized cars driving around.
And besides, the stainless-steel construction makes the flux dispersal...
LOOK OUT!
I was just thinking that this could still be good for the environment, if large scale application isn't too expensive, as it could replace the paint used on cars, motorbikes etc. Instead the panels would be coloured, and then a clear-coat applied for protection against scratches and oxidation.
this technique does away with the need for any type of "paint", it etches groves, directly onto the metal surface, at the same distance as the desired color's corresponding wavelength, so all that reflects from the surface is the chosen color, i think gold, aluminum and tungsten don't rust, and now u can color gold jewelry without adding anything to the surface.
Yasser: (can't reply)
About the environmental benefits, I have to wonder how much energy it would take to color a car body, lasers being notoriously inefficient.
Based on the information in the paper and some rough estimates, I came up with some very low numbers (like half a kWh per car body), but I could be very far off.
In any case, if you're looking for inexpensive, colored, corrosion-resistant metal, maybe anodized aluminum is a better choice. Light weight, too!
replying is phun
What is an Apple reference doing in this post?
It's engadget.
The Apple reference is there 'cause the MBP is a well-known aluminum laptop. They're saying you could colour it. That's my guess anyway.
I can't tell you about other industries, but once this comes commerically available the custom firearms industry will go *nuts*. Imagine bluing a pistol without the carbona method (furnace, bone meal, etc.) or vats of hot boiling potassium nitrate...
Ok, so nobody else cares but me, but I'm just letting the word out :)
Sure, anodized aluminum looks to be a substitute on cars but aluminum isn't as stiff as cold-rolled steel :/
You'd get more dents ...
This can't completely replace paint for things like a car, where the metals used are corrodable, but as most cars are plastic bar the doors and boot/bonnet it wont make much difference. I was washing my car the other day and couldn't believe every panel but the doors were plastic.
For certain things like laptops, portable electronics this would be a good way to combat scratches removing the colour, but would remove a layer of protection against scratches to begin with, as the paint often has a latex that makes it more resiliant to such scratches.
Assuming they'll be able to produce any color, metal photographs would come in handy for the government as identification cards. It seems like this proprietary method would be very hard to duplicate. Especially considering it's etched via laser which can get much finer detail than a traditional printing process.
Brings a whole new meaning to "light blue"
The Apple reference is an easy way for them to get hits by people who have trouble controlling their odd venom against Apple. It's bait. Engadget loves to start flame wars because it fills the coffers.
given a choice, I had rather my laptop be made with magnesium alloy which is stronger than aluminium. oh wait. mine IS already magnesium alloy.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I guess anything "colored" by the femtosecond laser etching will need to be done in an inert environment, and it will need to be immediately coated with a clear, tough corrosion resistant coat to prevent rapid oxidation the moment this metal surface is exposed to air (because of immense surface area resulting from the nanoetching). Then again, the periodicity of the etch pattern will need to correspond to the wavelength of the colors we are interested in, in the coating medium. I guess stainless steel will be the best metal to color this way because of the immediate formation of a clear protective coating of Cr2O3 (thats what makes it "stainless").
But then again, I fail to see how this process can be cheaply upscaled to replace painting in any way. You need to scan the surface with a laser of tiny cross section area to get a nice periodic etched pattern. I don't see this coming out in the market anytime soon - except perhaps for some specialized application ... my two cents.
Mine is also Mg-Al, and cost half as much as a MacBook. It also served me well as I dropped it from a table whilst it was turned on and it still works fine.
Who makes it?
hmmm...a Delorean in another color without painting.
or how about using the laser to make it invisible when it flies.
Can they make transparent aluminum?
I know that one! To turn scrap metal into gold, you take your rusted out vehicle to Fort Knox, Kentucky, turn at 1599 Gold Vault Rd, then floor it!
"Unfortunately, Dr. Chunlei Guo of the University of Rochester hasn't yet figured out how to turn scrap metals into gold."
Did someone ask him? Because I believe he would answer the exact process needed to do that. It's not impossible.
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/generalchemistry/a/aa050601a.htm
Google it!
What's your point? It's called nuclear chemistry...
We could have Red DeLoreans??
O_o couldnt we always have had a red delorean? just.. paint it? not that i would if i had one
My point? That anyone that takes a chemistry course in their lives should know that you can turn other elements into gold because it can be done. So, there's no need to start the news with:
"Unfortunately, Dr. Chunlei Guo of the University of Rochester hasn't yet figured out how to turn scrap metals into gold."
I can see your point for cars or whatever, things people keep for a long time. But for consumer electronics, which get replaced every few years (computer lifespans are generally, what, 5 years or so?) before they even get a chance to rust, this would be a viable alternative to paint.
Reply button isn't working for me. That was a reply for broli.
If it was a MBP it would not have dropped on the ground. Their design is so good they don't fall off tables. ;-) Magnetic cables etc...
Rochester NY FTW!!!!
Pure magnesium would be more fun...
Magnesium + Exploding Battery = Fun
Yay for broken reply... Meant for purezerg
While it has long been possible to convert one element to another via high energy physics, the cost of converting something like lead to gold is somewhere on the order of 1,000,000 times the cost (in energy) of the final product.
if one were to undertake this process, they would probably strive for other elements... like platinum... the most expensive metal. or, californium-252, the most expensive element (billions per ounce)
Really? Anyone who's ever taken a chemistry course should know that?
I took 2 levels of chemistry in high school and we never talked about nuclear chemistry.
Methinks you're a blowhard moron. There there, jackass.
Probably a Thinkpad. Dropping your Thinkpad is no biggie, happens ofen enough to me that I keep a "days without accident" meter.
All Black Aluminum MBP or MBA would look pretty good_
Brushed Metal Black Mac Pro :-)