Method and apparatus for surface-treating workpieces

摘要

A method of surface-treating a workpiece is described characterized in applying one or more short-duration electrical pulses to produce, for each pulse, a high amplitude short-duration electrical discharge between the workpiece, serving as an anode, and another material serving as a cathode, while the workpiece and cathode are in a vacuum ambient. The workpiece and cathode are spaced from each other by a gap which is less than the smallest dimension of the cathode in the plane therethrough parallel to the workpiece.