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Get It Plated Right
This fact sheet series is produced
by the Minnesota Association of Metal Finishers &
Minnesota Technical Assistance Program for metal fabricators
and their platers.
Cleaning and Design for Plating
An Introduction
Clean parts are critical for high
quality, economical electroplating results. Electroplaters
generally have the expertise and capability to clean
the parts they receive. However, some combinations of
contaminants, parts configurations, and methods of processing
or manufacturing make adequate cleaning nearly impossible.
Inadequate cleaning cannot always
be detected by visually inspecting parts prior to plating
but may show up through finished parts that are rejected.
Once parts are rejected, production costs mount with
the need for additional processing, including stripping
and plating rework. And, order turnaround times lengthen.
Even when difficult cleaning tasks
are identified before hand, achieving adequate cleanliness
may require extra processing time with stronger chemicals
and more vigorous cleaning methods. This adds to production
costs. Missed delivery deadlines and remanufacture of
scrap parts also add direct costs for a manufacturer.
Additional cleaning costs borne by
the plating vendor can result in indirect costs to a
manufacturer. Higher plating costs may be assessed for
subsequent jobs if a manufacturer develops a reputation
for jobs that entail difficult cleaning tasks.
Parts that can be troublesome to metal
finishers include:
- Parts stamped
using coolant when mill oil remains on them.
- Parts heat treated without
adequate precleaning.
- Tubular parts sealed by
welding and welded parts in general.
- Sheet metal assemblies with
lapped joints and spot welds.
- Heavily oiled screw machine
parts.
- Porous die cast parts.
- Ground, sanded or polished
parts with particles remaining on the surface.
- Wire assemblies.
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