Alkaline non-cyanide zinc (ANCZ) plating has been prevalent in the plating industry for about 50 years. It has become a preferred process for finishers who require a fairly bright zinc-plated finish on parts that have challenging geometrical shapes. ANCZ is typically the chosen zinc process for complicated geometrical shapes due to its ability to plate zinc at a preferred low ratio of zinc thickness from the high current density areas to the low current density areas. Thickness ratios can range anywhere from 1:1 to 2:1 from the high current density area to the low current density area. Bath … [Read more...]
April 22, 2018 By
How to Keep a Plating Bath from Slowing Down
As published in Products Finishing Magazine, April 2018 issue. Alkaline plating baths form carbonates over time, and these carbonates cause the baths to become less efficient, resulting in slower plating speed. Asterion’s Roger Sowinski outlines three options for removing carbonates. Q. Why is the plating time in my alkaline plating baths increasing? How do I fix this problem? A. When it comes to plating, time is money, and nothing is more frustrating than your plating bath slowing to a crawl. The good news is that you can return the plating speed to its original levels; the … [Read more...]
May 10, 2017 By
Alkaline Zinc Black Systems Offer Ultimate Performance
The recent introduction of the Asterion® Ultra alkaline zinc systems has placed a spotlight on a truly integrated approach to reducing rejects and increasing productivity. Of special note is the high interest in black trivalent systems that are production-proven to maintain and enhance the appearance of complex part geometries, while not sacrificing corrosion resistance. To address some of the questions (and excitement!), I’ve authored this blog specifically on Ultra black systems, with a special emphasis on passivate and sealant process operations. TECHNIBRITE™ Ultra Zn Before we … [Read more...]
September 26, 2016 By
Alkaline Zinc: Ensuring a Bright Solution without Sacrifice
If I was asked to make a customer wish list, “get my alkaline zinc bath brighter,” would most definitely be near the top of that list. This request would be followed by the comment, “And…while you’re at it, make sure that my bath: …does not sacrifice efficiency and throughput, and; …continues to maintain consistent metal distribution over a range of current densities” Making an alkaline zinc bath brighter seems straight forward enough. Just add more brightener and you’re all set. Right? If it were only that simple. In reality, brightener additions are more often than not … [Read more...]