When we produce titanium and titanium alloy products with high surface requirements, we discovered an interesting phenomenon.

If you touch the freshly processed titanium and titanium alloy products with your bare hands, a distinct yellow fingerprint will be left on the surface of the product.

A common action in daily life - directly touching the surface of titanium and titanium alloy products with your hands - could potentially become the trigger for rusting. This corrosion phenomenon caused by fingerprint residues is called "fingerprint corrosion".

Let's analyze the composition of sweat. Sweat mainly consists of water, salt, and a small amount of organic matter. Among them, the salt mainly exists in the form of sodium chloride. Although sodium chloride itself has a relatively weak corrosive effect on titanium alloys,

under certain conditions, such as high temperature, high humidity, and when the titanium products have been processed (the surface has not formed an oxide layer), the salt in sweat may accelerate the corrosion process of titanium alloys. In addition, the organic matter in sweat may also react chemically with titanium alloys, thereby affecting the surface effect of the titanium products.

Prevention methods for fingerprint corrosion:

Cleaning: Immediately wipe the surface with a non-woven cloth dipped in industrial alcohol. Or rinse and wipe with a large amount of water to remove fingerprint residues.

Avoid touching bare hands: During operation, wear nitrile gloves. The gloves need to be replaced regularly (it is recommended to replace them every 2 hours).

In conclusion, although the corrosive effect of sweat on titanium alloys is relatively weak, under certain conditions, the components in sweat may have a certain corrosive effect on titanium alloys. Therefore, when manufacturing titanium alloy products, especially in high-temperature and high-humidity environments, it is necessary to pay attention to wearing protective equipment and reducing bare hand contact with the product surface. To avoid the problem of "fingerprint corrosion".