Electrochemical process to sever metal fibers

Substrates for industrial applications frequently are required to have exacting dimensional tolerances, and in some situations also are required to have non-reflective surfaces. The exacting dimensional tolerances can be obtained via lathing or grinding. Of the two methods, grinding provides the more exacting dimensional tolerances. The lathed surface may be roughened via, for example, honing, when a non-reflective surface is required or, in some cases, rough lathed. Lathing and grinding, however, may produce metal fibers connected to the surface of the substrates (with grinding producing more metal fibers than lathing). If not removed, these metal fibers may cause problems since they can affect the performance of devices incorporating the substrates. For photoreceptors, metal fibers attached to the substrate surface may not allow the formation of sufficient charge in the areas located above the metal fibers. Xerographic prints made using such a photoreceptor substrate (containing the attached fit metal fibers) may have a deletion or a dark spot in the areas associated with the metal fibers. Applicants tolerated the presence of the metal fibers and adjusted the lathing parameters to keep the number of metal fibers produced low. However, it is desirable to remove the metal fibers for a number of reasons. Thus, there is a need which the present invention addresses for a process that can quickly remove metal fibers from substrates. A process including: (a) creating an electrolytic cell composed of a metal surface as a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolytic solution, wherein the metal surface has a plurality of metal fibers connected to the metal surface; and (b) treating electrochemically the metal surface with externally supplied power to the electrolytic cell to sever a number of the metal fibers from the metal surface to result in severed metal fiber fragments unconnected with the metal surface.