Manufacturing and Production

Electroplating and Surface Finishing

A plated coating is only as good as the surface underneath it, so most plating failures are cleaning failures that appear weeks later as blisters, peeling or rust through. This course starts with preparation. Delegates work through substrate cleaning: degreasing, alkaline cleaning, acid pickling and the water rinsing between stages that prevents drag over. Surface preparation for difficult substrates follows. Electrochemistry is covered in usable terms, including current density, throwing power and the distribution that leaves recesses thin. Plating processes are addressed for zinc, nickel, chromium, copper and tin, with the bath chemistry and control each needs. Bath analysis, additives and contamination are covered. Passivation and conversion coatings follow. Anodising is addressed for aluminium. Thickness measurement and adhesion testing are covered, alongside salt spray and its correlation with service life. Effluent treatment and metal recovery are addressed, since plating effluent is heavily regulated. The course closes on defect diagnosis and on rack and barrel selection.