All: To view a detailed listing of technical resources available for a specific technology area, please click on one of the four categories listed below.
Functional Coatings | Decorative Coatings | PWB Chemistry | Microelectronics
< Back to Resource List
To ensure viewing of the linked materials below, we recommend clicking the button below to download the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Chemical Surface Preparation for Electroplated and Metallic Coatings
This Quality Metal Finishing Guide deals with pretreatment of surfaces for metallic coatings. In this context, pretreatment is defined as the process of substrate preparation to receive a specific metallic coating.
Decorative Copper/Nickel/Chromium
A program to improve and control the quality of a metal or plastic product should start at the desk of the designer. The metal finisher is restricted in what he can do by certain basic principles of mechanical finishing and of electroplating. The engineer should understand the limitations imposed by shape and size of components to facilitate quality finishing at an acceptable cost. The designer can exert as much influence on the quality attainable in finishing a part as can the electroplater himself. ASTM Standard B-507 can provide the designer with helpful information.
Decorative Precious Metal Plating
A program to improve and control the quality of a metal product should start at the desk of the designer. The metal finisher is restricted in what he can do by certain basic principles of mechanical finishing and of electroplating. The engineer should understand the limitations imposed by shape and size of components to facilitate quality finishing at an acceptable cost. The designer can exert as much influence on the quality attainable in finishing a part as can the electroplater himself. ASTM Standard B-5O7 can provide the designer with helpful information.
Electroless Nickel Plating
This volume is concerned with autocatalytic nickel plating, commonly referred to as electroless nickel plating. In contrast with electroplating, electroless nickel (EN) plating does not require rectifiers, electrical current or anodes. Deposition occurs in an aqueous solution containing metal ions a reducing agent, chelates, complexing agents and stabilizers. Chemical reactions on the surface of the part being plated cause deposition of a nickel alloy.
Glossary of Metal Finishing Terms
Safety Tips for Operators of Metal Finishing Equipment
Although workers in plating and finishing shops suffer no more injuries than those in other manufacturing jobs, most old timers can relate at least one serious accident they know of. Each such accident has a real flesh and blood person as its victim. Don't let the next one be you!
Tin and Tin Alloys
Tin metal is silver white, soft, ductile, nontoxic, with a low melting point, with excellent corrosion resistance in air, lubricity and the ability to form many useful alloys. Its utility has been known to man since prehistoric times. Copper artifacts coated with tin have been found dating back 2,000 years.
Zinc and Cadmium Coatings
The program to improve and control the quality of a metal product should start at the desk of the designer. Basic principles of mechanical finishing and electroplating impose important restrictions on the size and shape of components. The designer should know enough about these principles so that he can design to minimize costs of quality finishing while planning products which will have a long service life. Metal finishing processes are at least as complicated as metal stamping, casting or forging with which the designer is usually more familiar. Proper selection of finishes and processes offers many opportunities to improve quality, reduce costs, and increase production. ASTM Designation B-507 can provide the designer with helpful information