Is this a valid technique? (Color application to metal)

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Guys,
There are all kind of techniques these days for getting color onto metal. It depends on what the metal is, what kind of color you want to lay down and how durable do you want it.
Anodizing is used for aluminum, it can be handled a variety of ways but generally uses electric current and a conductive bath to form an aluminum oxide layer on the surface of the metal. The layer is porous so adding a dye will color the layer but the surface is only as durable as the base material. (aluminum oxide is conductive by the way.)
"Ionized" coatings as I understand them set up an electrical potential difference between the part and the application tool or sprayer. The coating is then attracted by the part in the process and produces a better surface than just a sprayed paint alone.
Powdercoating uses a similar technique but the powder is then heated to a point where it melts into a consistent layer which has bonded to the base metal.

All of these techniques are used to overcome the difficulty in adding color to metals that do not take paint very well or on metals that require exotic or toxic primer coats for the color coat to stick.

In any case, the above coatings require some harsh environments for the processes and I would recommend that all electrical parts be removed from the robot before any work is begun.