Surface modification of the patterned Al6061/SUS304 metal plates using the large electron beam

Polishing is a finishing process used to improve surface integrity by reducing surface roughness and residual stress caused by other machining processes. The recently developed electron beam polishing method was used in this study to improve surface quality. In this process, an electron beam with a maximum diameter of 60 mm was applied for a few microseconds to melt and evaporate a metal surface. Al6061 and SUS304 metal plates were prepared with different geometric patterns and subjected to electron beam polishing. The surface roughness of the patterned SUS304 metal plate was significantly improved. However, the surface roughness of the patterned Al6061 metal plate became worse. Although the surface hardness decreased by approximately 10% on the re-solidified layers on both types of plates, the contact angle increased due to changes in surface morphology. The microstructure variation after the electron beam irradiation was also examined and compared with the thickness prediction of the re-solidified layer for Al6061 and SUS304 metal plates.