TECHNICOAT 360 Ultra is Asterion’s latest development in high corrosion zinc passivation technology meeting RoHS requirements. TECHNICOAT ZNBL 360 ULTRA is a unique economical to use, all trivalent , high corrosion, thin film passivate for electrogalvanized zinc. When properly applied to electroplated zinc it will produce a consistently blue bright finish that can meet 192 hours of neutral salt spray to white corrosion products without a top coat or seal. (ASTM 117B). TECHNICOAT ZNBL 360 ULTRA can be used as a trivalent yellow when used with TECHNICOAT ZNBL 360 ULTRA YD. When added to … [Read more...]
February 28, 2014 By
How to Avoid Dark Smudges and Poor Coverage with Trichrome Plating
It's hard to believe that in the last 10 years, advancements are still being made to Trichrome plating. The most recent of those advancements is the liquid Trichrome additive. It is a consistent, wetter package and has a blue coloring to it. Even with these advances Trichrome plating is more finicky than say, a Hex Chrome. These advancements don't come without their own set of issues. The most common are dark smudges and poor coverage. When you experience one or both of these issues there are a number of possible causes and several proven procedures which will help you resolve the … [Read more...]
February 19, 2014 By
Troubleshooting Process Line
It would be wonderful if everything worked smoothly all the time. But there will be times when things don't work exactly as planned. That is when a good troubleshooting process will help you identify the issue quickly and develop a comprehensive resolution plan. When troubleshooting a process line start with the following steps: 1. Completely determine all of the symptoms of the problem 2. Review when the problem started. 3. Production records which include all the tank analysis, temperature and additions. 4. Compare all the analysis, temperature and additional … [Read more...]
February 7, 2014 By
Rinsing
Many processed chemicals are not compatible and may cause contamination if mixed. If your process uses chemicals which are not compatible, rinsing is required between steps in the process. For example, alkaline cleaners must be thoroughly rinsed before entering acid activation to ensure no solids are formed causing adhesion issues in plating. The main purpose of rinsing between chemical processes is to protect the subsequent chemical process from contamination by the previous chemical process. Rinsing may also be used as the final step step to remove chemical residues prior to drying. … [Read more...]
January 15, 2014 By
Electrolytic Stripping – a “Greener” Alternative to Immersion Stripping
With the environmental pressures being placed on metal finishers today, finding “greener” technologies that are more environmentally friendly and cost effective is a big focus. The solution chemistry (or pH) can be of alkaline (> 7.0), acidic (< 7.0) or neutral (= 7.0) in nature. Although chemical immersion strippers are most widely used today, electrolytic stripping is gaining more popularity. Chemical immersion strippers have a limited bath life. Acidic strippers, such as mineral acids (i.e.- nitric acid, etc.) are tenacious on racks, causing dehydration of the plastisol coating … [Read more...]
January 7, 2014 By
How to Choose the Right Cleaner
We all want the best least expensive cleaner to do our cleaning job. The question is: What cleaner works and meets all my needs on my nickel plating line? When comparing cleaners you need to make sure that you are doing a complete and thorough comparison. Several things must be evaluated to determine a complete picture. First you must understand and know what you are cleaning: The base metal Soils to be removed Time allowed Temperature allowed Rack or barrel Concentration Waste treatment requirements Makeup and dump schedule Makeup investment Use … [Read more...]
December 1, 2013 By
Basics of Alkaline Cleaning
Cleaning is the most important phase of metal working, fabricating and finishing. A clean surface is the critical foundation for subsequent operations. Alkaline cleaning is the mainstay of industrial cleaning. Cleaners are many in number and vary in type and formulation. Working solutions of alkaline cleaners may employ both physical and chemical actions. Proprietary alkaline cleaners are specifically formulated chemical blends. These products typically consist of alkaline builder salts, surfactants, emulsifiers and chelators. … [Read more...]
November 21, 2013 By
Why Zinc Plating?
Most people you talk to about zinc electroplating, have very little knowledge of what that process means, or why you would want to perform it. As you go a little deeper into the explanation of what zinc electroplating entails, they begin to see the picture. Looking at a car, there are many parts that will corrode from exposure to water and salt from the roads. The corrosion leads to part failure if left unchecked. The next question that comes to mind is, how do you protect these parts? Answer: You add a coating on top of the parts to slow down or prevent corrosion. There are a variety of … [Read more...]
November 7, 2013 By
Simple Comparison for Cleaners
We all want the best least expensive cleaner to do our cleaning job. The question is, what cleaner works and meets all my needs on my nickel plating line? When comparing cleaners, how do you make sure that you are doing a complete and thorough comparison? Several things must be evaluated to determine a complete picture. First, you must understand and know what you are cleaning: The base metal, soils to be removed, time allowed, temperature allowed, rack or barrel, concentration, waste treatment requirements, makeup and dump schedule, makeup investment, and use investment. Following the basics … [Read more...]