Nippon Light Metal Company, Ltd.

Takashi Kajiyama

Yasuo Oka

Koichi Yoshida

Yoshio Hirayama

Teruo Miyashita

Kohichi Yoshida

Kunihiko Hotta

A magnetic recording medium having excellent magnetic properties and a uniform recording envelope suitable for, in particular, high-density recording is obtained by packing a magnetic substance in the micro pores of anodic oxide film formed on an aluminum substrate by subjecting the same to an anodic oxidation treatment to produce an anodic oxide film having a thickness of at least 4 .mu.m. The recording medium can be improved by immersing the anodized aluminum substrate in an acid or alkali bath to chemically dissolve a part of the anodic oxide film, and thereby enlarge the micro pores in the anodic oxide film to a pore diameter in the range of 300 .ANG. to 1,400 .ANG., optionally applying an electric current to the aluminum substrate in the immersion bath if necessary to control the thickness of the barrier layer in the anodic oxide film, before subjecting the treated substrate to an electrolytic treatment in a bath containing ions of a magnetic substance to deposit the magnetic substance in the enlarged micro pores. Thereafter, the surface of the anodic oxide film, and any excess deposited magnetic material thereon, is physically ground to expose the packed magnetic substance at the surface of the film.

Process of producing magnetic recording media

An aluminum substrate for magnetic recording media such as magnetic disks, etc., is composed of an aluminum alloy plate containing 2 to 6% by weight magnesium and impurities in only limited amounts and having on the surface an anodic oxidation film with thickness more than 3 .mu.m formed by a chromic acid process. In the thus-anodized aluminum substrate, the occurrence of black spot defects is greatly reduced and the formation of cracks upon heating the substrate to high temperatures is prevented in spite of the thicker anodic oxidation film.

Aluminum substrate for magnetic recording media

An aluminum substrate suitable for making high-density magnetic recording media is produced by anodizing a surface of the aluminum substrate in an aqueous chromic acid solution at an electrolytic voltage higher than 60 volts. The anodic film thus formed has no black spot defects and also exhibits no cracks when the substrate is heated at a high temperature for forming a magnetic recording layer. The effect is further improved by adding a small amount of oxalic acid to the electrolyte.

Process of producing aluminum substrate for magnetic recording media

The invention comprises an improved method for producing anodized aluminum articles colored by means of optical interference effects. The method comprises the steps of subjecting an aluminum article that has been anodized by conventional process to a treatment for modifying the pore structure of the anodic film, thereafter subjecting it while connected as anode to an electrolytic treatment for modifying the barrier layer between the oxide and the metal substrate and finally coloring the article while connected as cathode in an electrolyic bath containing one or more dissolved metal salts using DC current on which is superimposed a train of positive current pulses.

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Shizuoka, Japan

Takashi Kajiyama