MacBook Pro Anodized Aluminum?

Gnarlodious wrote:
Titanium was not really the metal, it was just a name of the model.

The Aluminum model is called powdercoated. Extremely appropriate surface. One thing I like about it is that it is abrasive. As such, it is easier to hang on to (less droppable).

"Anodized" is a much more general term for an application technology. You could call a powdercoat "anodized", but it's not a very complimentary word.

All accounts that I've seen, including Wikipedia, indicate that the Titanium did have a Titanium case. Where did you hear otherwise?

If Wikipedia says the Titanium had a titanium case, they are wrong. The only part of the Titanium that really was titanium metal, as far as I know, was the pop-open button. I believe the internal frame, like all Mac portables, was cast magnesium.

Titanium is not a metal that you can make a computer case out of. It does not press into sheet form, but has to be cast into solid framelike structures. It is brittle and crystalline, not flexible. So the idea that the case of the Titanium was actually titanium is a result of clever marketing.

OK, reading the Wikipedia page I see you are right:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_G4

The article does wrongly state that he Titanium was titanium metal. It does also state that there were other models in the G4 lineup:
Mercury
Onyx
Ivory
Antimony

I rather doubt you could argue that these names reflect the actual materials the machines were made of. Two of those materials are quite poisonous. One is precious, and the other is illegal.

So it was just a product code name. And a fine machine too.

Message was edited by: Gnarlodious

no, that would be electro plating or electro painting,

anodizing is putting a coating on the metal by oxidizing the metal. the only "layer" is the oxide that grew off the metal. i deal with a lot of anodizing and powder coating and have never heard any one try to use "anodize" as a term to refer to powdercoating or any other electro plating

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodising if you want a better description of it but anodizing and powder coating are 2 totally different processes with the only thing in common between the 2 is that they give a layer of protection and use electricity to gain the layer.

-matt

Titanium was not really the metal, it was just a name of the model.

The Aluminum model is called powdercoated. Extremely appropriate surface. One thing I like about it is that it is abrasive. As such, it is easier to hang on to (less droppable).

"Anodized" is a much more general term for an application technology. You could call a powdercoat "anodized", but it's not a very complimentary word.

Can't really say. maybe they did a focus group on the words and decided that "anodized" sells more computers than "powdercoat". I admit that powdercoat is a word probably only known by industrial specialists. Another big advantage to this surface is that it seems to have superior heat dissipation properties.

Not sure what you mean about corrosive. You could probably check an area with some citrus juice or ammonia to see if it leaves a stain. But I rather doubt that it would. It seems like a very inert surface.

The biggest hazard I have seen is from vibration. If you transport your MBP in a vehicle where objects can vibrate against it, you can see permanent scuffs, depending on the material rubbing it.

That is not corrosion, unless possibly the appliance was used in a toxic environment or handled at a battery shop. More likely it was a defective coating operation. Electro-powder coating is a pretty technical operation, and a certain small percentage will fail. That is the first time I have ever heard of a MacBook actually showing signs of a bad coating.

Of course there is always the possibility it is a hoax. The machine could have been in the kitchen when something greasy or sugary burned. That color of "corrosion" is typical of smoky environments. I repaired a MacMini a few months ago where it was totally clogged up with marijuana resin. The HD literally stopped spinning because of the goop. They would lay their joint down in the ashtray right in frone of the MacMini. I notice that the color inside that MacMini is the same as that MacBook in the picture.

It's possible that the paint contained Ti oxide, it's a common ingredient in paint.

And yes, one of the more common problems that model had was the shriveling paint on well-handled areas. You could tell how much use they took by the amount of paint rubbed off.

anodized cannot be used as term for powder coating. it would be like saying stain vs paint. both are finishes but completely different.

in short anodizing oxidized the AL going into the metal's surface than can be dyed any color before it is sealed (sealing is more so just a way to close the pours of the metal than adding anything else on to it). powder coating has the piece you are coating with a charge on it and then powder is sprayed with the opposite charge of the metal, the powder sticks due to static then it is baked. powder coat can chip off no matter how well it is done where as a good anodizing can only be scratched off.

now as to which coating they have on them its kind of up in the air from every where i have seen. it looks and feels like a semi matte ano, scratches like anodizing but i had some part start to chip (on my powerbook) so i am not sure. i would bet that just due to expenses and time (not to mention the fact that some parts of the machine are semi flexible like the back of the screen case) they are anoed. (and the little fact that it would be totally not particle to plug all the little speaker holes for powdercoating)

-matt

Just to add a little more info here, yes the Al is nice but you must treat it well. Durable is one thing, and if my MBP was in an environment where I needed the durability of metal I would be happy but for most of us plastic will work just as well. The MBP shows scratches and prints VERY easy and once you scratch it, you will see that forever. Also, the Al is not coated, yes it is anodized but this does not seal the metal. So if you were to stain the metal it will stay stained. A fine example of this is the great wrist pad debate. Some of us seem to have sweat that will cause black pitting on the wrist pads over time. I have avoided this with the use of Marware protective pad, but it may well happen to yours or anyone's MBP as well. I think of the Al as a style choice more for the ohhhh effect then for true durability.

i am not trying to be rude buy you are not correct about how anodizing works. anodizing does seal the metal, it creates an oxide layer which will no longer corrode. the black spots and errors people have is from flaws in the metal not a side effect from the anodizing. anodizing is used on things which are in a lot worse environments than just people touching it and will hold up with otu changing color or breaking down at all.

-matt

Anodizing does in fact put an antioxidizing layer on the aluminum. It may be that an antioxidizer is put on the aluminum first. Powder would be electrosprayed on that and baked on. It's also possible the powdercoat is itself antioxidizing. Anodized just means the coating is electrically deposited on the surface.

While I enjoy the academic nature of this discussion it does not detract from the fact that MBP are known for pitting on the wrist pad areas and scratching rather easily. Also, you can easily stain the Al as well. From this I can assume that while it may be anodize, this does not seal the metal itself, or if it does then the sealing layer is very thin and easily removed. No matter what the case may be, this does effect the look and possible the durability of the MBP - which is what the thread is about.