Even though many people refer to plating as an “art”, there is no doubt that sound scientific principles and practices are critical to successful plating finishes. The basics of electroplating start with an understanding of the metallurgical properties of the substrates to be plated. This is crucial because the most important process in plating is the pre-treatment of the substrate. The choice of cleaning chemistry is dictated by the alloy of the metal as well as the soils to be removed. Soils such as oils, paraffins, and buffing compounds are normally encountered in the plating process, … [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...]