The process of hard chrome plating has been used since the early part of the 20th century. It is a process that is used in nearly every aspect of manufacturing where wear resistance and lubricity are critical. Typically coating thickness deposited are between 8 to 250 mm (0.00032”-.0098”) and hardness between 800-1000HV. High hardness and resistance to abrasion are retained unchanged up to 200oC. Early processes were standard chromic acid and sulfate processes. The late 1940’s gave to processes that used anions such as fluoride to improve plating rates and finish quality. Evolutions in the … [Read more...]
October 5, 2015 By
The Carbo-Dry Featured on Products Finishing Online
We’re proud to see the Carbo-dry system featured on Products Finishing Online among great companies and systems that make the product finishing industry more efficient and effective. You can read the full article here. Products Finishing Online has been the voice of the finishing industry since 1936. They provide information on the latest in research, white papers, technology and presentations from leading researchers in the finishing industry. … [Read more...]
October 2, 2015 By
Winning the War on Filth Part 1
Frustrated yet? I know I am. Over the last few years I have seen an increased number of parts showing up on my clients plating lines with more soils than ever before. This list includes stamping and machining oils as well as lubricants, rp's, and coolants. The part that frustrates me is that the soils I am seeing day after day are typically not new synthetics or reformulated petroleum based products. Instead, these are the same products that have been used for years, but now are used in quantities far greater than needed. Since it appears nobody can protect our process lines from the … [Read more...]
September 24, 2015 By
Zinc Plating
Years ago zinc plating was used for corrosion protection and was mainly applied using a cyanide based process. The process of plating zinc from an Acid Bath brought with it brighter deposit and Zinc Plating became a cosmetic finish as well as corrosion protective finish. In recent years the process of plating Zinc from an Alkaline Non Cyanide solution has been perfected. Today nearly all Zinc is plated from either the Acid Zinc or the Alkaline Non Cyanide processes. Each process has its positive and negative points. Acid Zinc produces a bright, level, Chrome like finish. The Alkaline … [Read more...]
September 17, 2015 By
Reducing Carbonates Every Day
Every Day, Asterion works to help our clients become more efficient, more productive and, most importantly, more profitable. As part of our efforts, we work with our clients to help them discover better methods to manage and control their plating baths. Over time we have learned quite a bit about the struggles our customers have in managing carbonates in alkaline plating baths. Accumulation of carbonates in alkaline plating baths is a continuous problem and can lead to a number of issues affecting quality and plating efficiency. The primary cause of formation of sodium carbonate is a … [Read more...]
September 16, 2015 By
Acid Wetter vs. Acid Inhibitor
In the process of electroplating of most ferrous substrates the pretreatment is extremely important since this is where it all begins. The pretreatment process is the foundation to the rest of the process being successful. Improper pretreatment may lead to poor plate coverage, poor adhesion, premature corrosion failures, and the list goes on. In the ferrous pretreatment process the typical process consists of an alkaline soak clean to remove surface soils such as cutting and lapping oils, stamping lubes, buffing compounds, heat treat oils, and rust preventatives. The soak clean provides for … [Read more...]
September 8, 2015 By
The Power of My Checklist
35 years ago I was a little taller and skinnier with no gray hair and zero experience in the metal finishing world. Like so many other people, I was a little overwhelmed the first days on the job. I learned quickly that I did not know everything; in fact, I was a “plating dummy”. Time after time, I walked into plating shops, discovered a problem and had to call a technician for support. Slowly, after a few hundred incidents I knew what to check and in what order to troubleshoot my client’s problems. I had developed a checklist. Finally, I reached a point where I could honestly say I knew what … [Read more...]
September 3, 2015 By
Troubleshooting a Nickel Bath: Zinc Contamination
So it’s happened; someone accidentally added zinc anodes to the nickel bath. What can you do? Well, the easiest and most expensive option is to just dump the bath and make it up fresh. While this is a great way to ensure your sales representative remembers you come Christmas time, it won’t put you on your boss’ good side. Instead, you can opt to either dummy plate or complex the zinc metal out of solution. Dummy Plating Let’s take a look at dummy plating, and I’m not referring to when you have the new guy try to plate some parts. Dummy plating is a process by which we can remove unwanted … [Read more...]
August 27, 2015 By
Special NAFS Event with Mark Stoddard
Indiana NASF Chapter The Indiana chapter of the NASF (National Association for Surface Finishing) has reorganized in an effort to provide the local surface finishing companies with industry-critical information. Our keynote presenter will be Mark Stoddard of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), where he had been employed since 1986. Mark holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He will be speaking about environmental issues that face our industry today and will impact tomorrow. About the Event When: Tuesday September … [Read more...]