Overview
Zinc electroplating is the method of depositing zinc metal on the surface of another metal, such as steel, by immersing the fasteners in an appropriate plating bath and applying an electrical current. The thickness of zinc plating is dependent on the time the component is spent in the plating bath, the amount of current used, and the chemical composition of the bath.
The benefits of zinc plating are corrosion resistance to the steel components by acting as a barrier and a sacrificial coating. Due to zinc being more electrochemically reactive than steel the zinc plating corrodes sacrificially when exposed to a corrosive environment. This delays the rust formation on steel components even after portions of bare steel are exposed.
Key Performance Properties of Zinc Plating:
Specifications:
| Zinc Electroplating Capabilities | ||
| Electroplating Material | Zinc | |
| Copper Alloy (Non Ferrous) Substrates | Beryllium Copper (BeCu) | Copper |
| Tellurium Copper (TeCu) | Brass | |
| Leaded Brass | ||
| Nickel Alloy (Ferrous) Substrates | Carbon Steel | Nickel |
| Leaded Steel | Spring Steel | |
| Stainless Steel | Molybdenum | |
| Kovar | Elkonite | |
| Invar | Alloy 42 | |
| Specifications | ASTM F194 | ASTM F194M |
| ASTM-B-633 | QQ-Z-325 | |
| Electroplating Characteristics | High Strength | Formability |
| Light Weight | Corrosion Resistance | |
| Recyclability | Low Cost | |
| Process | Electroplating | |
| Application | Rack | |
| Barrel | ||
| Automation Capabilities | PLC Controlled Process | |
| Pre-Plate Operations | Degrease | Descale |
| Etching | Tumbling | |
| Vibratory | ||
| Post Plate | Chromate | Trivalent Yellow & Black |
| Blue | Dip Spin Laquer | |
| Yellow | Wax | |
| Black | Parafin Seal | |
| Olive Drab | ||
| Electroplating Thickness | 5 to 500 µin | |
| Part Width | Up to 12 in | |
| Inspection | Microscope (Visual up to 500x) | |
| Testing Ability | X-Ray Fluorescence | Steam Age/ Salt Spray |
| (Thickness / Composition) | Ammonium Sulfide | |
| Cross Section | Copper Sulfate | |
| Hardness | Potassium Hydroxide | |
| Solderability | Eddy Current | |
| Bake | AA (Atomic Absorption | |
| Adhesion | Spectroscopy) | |
| Purity | ||
| Product Volume | 1 to 1,000,000 pieces | Prototype to Large Volume Production |
| Typical Lead Times Available | 3 to 5 days | |
| KANBAN / Inventory Management System | ||
| Quality | Statistical Process Control | Control Plans |
| Traceability | Process Validation Protocol | |
| Web Based Tracking | Equipment Validation Protocol | |
| PPAP | Lean Six Sigma | |
| PFMEA | ISO9001:2008 Certified | |
| Documentation | Certificate of Conformance | |
| Packing List | ||
| Additional Information | ||
| Industry Focus | Military | Commercial Industry |
| Automotive | Fastener | |
| Intended Applications | Safety Critical Parts | Corrosion Resistance |
| High Reliability Parts | ||
| Certifications | ISO 9001:2008 | |
| Industry Standards | ASTM | RoHS |
| MIL-SPEC | EEIC | |
| File Formats | ||
| TIFF | ||
| RTF | ||