Zinc and Cadmium Coatings, MFSA MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
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- , ! CONTENTS i INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION. .................................... 1-3 1 i The Metal Finishing Suppliers’ Association, Inc. is a DESIGN FOR PLATING ............................... .3-10 i trade association of companies and individuals engaged ! in providing the metal fishing industry with the SELECTING THE FINISH ............................. .lo-17 equipment, products and supplies used by that indus- ti try. A primary objective of the Association, as stated SPECIFYING THE FINISH. ............................ .18-24 in its Bylaws, is to promote the interest and further Y .............................. I the welfare of its members and their customers while ZINC ALLOY PLATING .24-29 safeguarding the interests of the ultimate consumer. The Association, along with other groups in the industry, has long realized TESTING THE FINISH ............................... .29-32 that the public, the industrial buyer and the designer are not too well inform- GLOSSARY OF METAL FINISHING TERMS. ............... .33-34 ed about metal finishingnor how to specify high quality coatings. When metal products are sold which are inadequately finished for long service life the re- SOURCES OF INFORMATION. ........................... .‘34 sult is harmful to all. Sales are retarded and competition by nonmetallic mat- erials is promoted. TABLES In 1960 the MFSA initiated action to upgrade the durability of metal finishes I. Suggested Standards for Quality Zinc Coatings on Iron &Steel Products. ........................... .19 in a continuing program known as the “Quality Metal Finishing Project” or 11. Suggested Standards for Quality Cadmium Coatings on the “QMF”. Its programs are aimed at: Iron & Steel Products. ........................ .20 1. Promoting the use of technically sound specifications or standards 111. Expected Protection ........................... .21 in cooperation with interested trade and technical societies. IV. Published Specifications for Zinc Coatings on Steel ........22 V. Published Specifications for Mechanical Zinc Coatings ..... .22 2. Providing useful information to both producers and buyers of VI. Published Specifications for Cadmium Coatings on Steel. ... .23 electroplated products through the medium of metal finishing VII. Published Specifications for Mechanical Cadmium Coatings. .23 clinics in the larger industrial centers. b VIII. Published Specifications for Mechanical Coatings of 3. Providing printed guides on established standards and specifica- CadmiumTin ............................... 23 ~. tions in condensed form readily usuable by the design engineer, IX. Zinc-Iron. .................................. .25 purchasing agent and others concerned with metal finishing. X. Zinc-Cobalt ................................. .26 XI. Protection. ................................. .27 The present volume, the second in the series, like the fust is a guide to the XII. Typical Bath Composition. ....................... .28 application of established standards to achieve a quality metal finish. Whereas XIII. Typical Bath Parameters Comparison .........~ ....... .28 the first deals with copper-nickel-chromium finishes, the second presents in- formation on standards for electrodeposited zinc and cadmium coatings, MFSA MEMBERSHIP ROSTER. ........................... .37 i mechanically deposited zinc, zinc alloys, cadmium and cadmium-tin, as well 1 as chromate conversion coatings. In the decade of the ~O’S,QMF Guides on 1 MASS FINISHING and TIN and TIN ALLOY COATINGS were written and I printed to further demonstrate our devotion to Quality; ELECTROLESS i NICKEL was added in the ’80s. One reason for the concem of the MFSA that high quality shall be achieved is that it is usually impossible to rate the quality of finished metal products by I appearance alone. A coating which will preserve the eye appeal and utility of a metal article throughout its expected life may look exactly like one that is 1 Obviously, an industry can afford to pay more for improved quality of given article than the amount spent on repair or replacement of defecti units produced at an inferior quality level. Every unit which does not seI out its expected life with acceptable appearance and performance is a star ing advertisement against further sales of the part. Good management aims build in the right amount and kind of high quality which is needed to guara tee the expected or promised service of the unit. What management needs to know is how this quality level can be achieve how it should be specified for a given service and how to control the relea of products to insure that they meet the standards. At the same time manag ment must be confident that this know-how is based on sound engmeeri principles yet does not incorporate an excessive factor of safety. DESIGN FOR PLATING Illustration A - Zinc plated steel shop truck Swivel wifh Olive drab chromate coating. The program to improve and control the quality of a metal product shou: not thick enough to prevent premature rusting when the part is put into ser- start at the desk of the designer. Basic principles of mechanical finishing ar vice. electroplating impose important restrictions on the sue and shape of camp, Much testing and evaluation had to be done to provide the technical daia nents. The desi~ershould know enough about these principles so that he cz required before standard specifications could be written for electroplated fin- design to minimize costs of quality fqshing while planning products whic ishes. The American Society for Testing and Materials, the American Electro- will have a long service life. Metal finishing processes are at least as cor platers and Surface Finishers Society, the National Bureau of Standards and plicated as metal stamping, casting or forging with which the designer many industrial laboratories all have carried out such programs for many usually more familiar. Proper selection of finishes and processes offers man years. opportunities to improve quality, reduce wsts, and increase productiol ASTM Designation B-507 can provide the designer with helpful information. The QMF Project evaluates the status of existing and proposed quality stand- ards, selects those that are supported by technically sound data, relates the specified quality level to various kinds and degrees of severity of service and Significant Surfaces then disseminates the information to those in industry who can and should A most important term used when specifying metal fmishes is “significan use it. In addition QMF provides information which can be used by producers surface” because on many products the same standard of quality is not re to make it easier or less expensive to meet the standards. For example, it may quired at all points on the surface. The significant surfaces can be defined a be better to change to a different finish rather than incur the expense of up those normally visible directly or by reflection which are essential to th, grading a current one. It may be more desirable to alter a design detail which appearance or serviceabiity of the article or which, if they are a source o would facilitate application of a more uniform finish thereby lowering cost. corrosion products, can alter the appearance or performance of visible SUI faces. Significant surfaces preferably should be agreed upon between pur Quality chaser and manufacturer and should be indicated on drawings. Furthennor( points at which thickness measurements are to be made should be identified. How much is quality worth? 2 i Design for Barrel Processing (Electroplate or Mechanical Plate) Metal parts which are to be zinc or cadmium plated do not ordinarily require polishing with belts or wheels before plating. Those to be cleaned or smooth- ened are often treated by barrel finishing or tumbling or other vibrating pr& cesses. In designing to improve quality, consideration should be given to cer- tain rules applicable to such processing, whether this be surface preparation or barrel plating: li bvoid blind holes, recesses and joint crevices which can retain tumbling compounds and metal debris. Y Avoid intricate surface patterns which will be blurred by barrel finishing. 0 Parts must be sturdy enough to withstand the multiple impacts of barrel rotation. 0 Small flat parts which tend to nest together should be provided with ridges or dimples to prevent this. Design for good entry and drainage of solutions during rotation by using simple shapes. 0 Significant surfaces must be exterior for barrel work in order to undergo proper mechanical preparation and cleaning or to receive their share of metal deposit. They should be convex, if possible, rather than recessed. Design for Racking, Draining and Air Entrapment There are design considerations other than the above for parts which are to be Avoid shapes which can trap air on entry into a processing tank if mounted on racks for processing in cleaning and electroplating tanks. Among this air can prevent access of solutions to areas requiring treat- them are the following: ment. Wherever air can be trapped, hydrogen or oxygen may also accumulate during cleaning and plating. 0 Products which would occupy a volume in processing tanks large in proportion to surface area should be designed to be plated in Design for Good Distribution of Electrodeposits sections for assembly after coating. The most important factor determining the quality of a coating on metal parts 0 Consult the plating department to make certain that parts can be is its thickness on significant surfaces. Fundamental laws of