Here is a simple truth “Nothing gets Plated until it gets Cleaned” Despite this simple truth, cleaning is often a neglected part of the metal finishing process. Here are some basic principles in metal preparation to follow to help you determine how well prepared the parts are in subsequent plating or finishing operations. Soak Cleaning Fundamentals Soak cleaners are used in simple tanks in which parts are immersed and then left to sit for a period of time. Typically soak cleaners are controlled by time, temperature and concentration. Used properly, soak cleaners should remove all of the … [Read more...]
February 18, 2015 By
Auxiliary and Ancillary Products
As our team of trained technicians and sales representative talks with metal finishing shops we notice many needs for chemicals which are not “plating” chemistries. These may include uses for general purpose floor cleaners, rust inhibitors or anti-splatter for welding. Clients are often surprised to learn we offer many good and effective chemicals for these applications. But these products don’t just appear in your shop without planning. How do you find the right product for your business? Well you could just type it into the computer and hope a search engine takes you to the correct … [Read more...]
November 10, 2014 By
Execute the Basics All the Time, Every Time for Ultimate Success
It's the little things you do that make the big things in life easier to handle. Most of us have heard the stories of John Wooden, coach of 10 NCAA national championship basketball teams at UCLA, beginning each season teaching the team about putting socks on properly and tying your shoes right. Wooden says, "If you want to win championships, you must take care of the smallest details." The same holds true in plating. Executing the basics properly and taking care of the smallest details first without short cuts makes all the difference in the world when it comes to executing the perfect finish … [Read more...]
October 14, 2014 By
Plating Fundamentals: Clean Your Parts
In plating, there is one very simple secret for plating good parts: Be sure you have clean parts. It's not groundbreaking and won't break your process. Much like when you wash dishes at home, we soak and “scrub” parts in our plating process. You'll also use different types of cleaners depending on the soils you are trying to remove Most common cleaners are one of two types: “soak” cleaners or "electro" cleaners. Soak cleaners work simply by reacting with soil as parts are dipped in them. Electro cleaners use electricity to create a reaction that separates soil from your parts. While most … [Read more...]
July 28, 2014 By
Roundup: Keeping Your Process Clean and Safe
We're 100% devoted to making sure we bring to your manufacturing process only the safest and most tested solutions. To ensure you're working in the cleanest and safest environments, we've developed a wide variety of blogs- written by our industry experts- for use in the every day administration of your plant. Let's look at a few of the most useful resources we've created so you'll have a quick, one-stop catalog of topics to pick from: How to Keep Your Shop Clean One of our more recent posts, this blog walks you through the common mishaps and dangers a dirt plant can present. It includes … [Read more...]
March 25, 2014 By
How to Keep Your Shop Clean
Cleaning the floors and tables in your shops is a chore you should not continue putting off and putting off until it feels like the space will never be clean again. The fact that you are able to produce good parts in a messy work space doesn't justify anything. Dirty shops will cost you in several ways: The mess can cause accidents causing employees to miss work. The dirt can contaminate parts prior to and following plating which affects the baths and ultimately the final product. Create negative opinions of your business as potential clients evaluate you and your ability to take … [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...]