The project proposed to analyse four new borate-free agents (cleaners), able to remove any grease or solid soils or contaminants adsorbed or chemically bonded to the surface of the parts from previous operations.

Different borate-free formulations were tested and investigated in a pilot line evaluating the cleaning efficiency compared to formulations containing borates and also evaluating the impact in term of corrosion or damage of these new formulations on two of the most critical aluminium alloys utilised in aeronautics. Together with the identification of the optimal cleaner and its processing window the project provided indications on the analytics to be performed on the bath and the limiting values for selecting bath maintenance or replacement of the full solution.

Finally, an evaluation on small and medium size parts of the whole anodising sequence was performed with particular reference the major requirements of the processes, like adhesion, corrosion properties and fatigue life.