Abstract
The pre-treatment of magnesium-based components plays an important role in surface engineering
technology to guarantee good adhesion of the final coating system to the magnesium substrate in order
to achieve good corrosion resistance. This paper focuses on the influence of two different die
lubricants—one based on mineral oil, the other on siloxane—on the pickling and conversion treatment
of an AM30 alloy. The surface conditions after casting, pickling, and conversion treatment were
determined by X-ray-induced photoelectron spectroscopy, spark erosion, optical emission spectroscopy,
IR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (including EDX). The influence of the different die
lubricants on the result of the pickling treatment in terms of surface morphology and composition was
significant. The mineral–oil-based lubricant was found to be removed more easily and uniformly from
the surface. Only sufficient removal of the die lubricants can guarantee homogeneous and uniform
formation of the conversion coating.
DOI Link to Publication