Zinc alloy plating is a surface treatment process typically used on zinc alloy products to enhance their properties, increase corrosion resistance or improve appearance.
Author: Anna
Zinc alloy plating is a surface treatment process typically used on zinc alloy products to enhance their properties, increase corrosion resistance or improve appearance. Zinc alloys are alloys consisting of zinc as the main component and other metals (such as aluminum, copper, magnesium, etc.). These materials are widely used in many industries because of their good casting properties, mechanical strength and low cost.
The process of zinc alloy plating mainly includes the following steps:
Pre-treatment: Preparation before plating is crucial, including cleaning, degreasing, activation, etc., to ensure that the surface of the substrate is clean and free of grease, oxides or other impurities, which improves the bonding of the plated layer with the substrate.
Electroplating: The prepared zinc alloy workpiece is used as the cathode and placed into an electrolyte solution containing the target metal ions, and the target metal is used as the anode. When energized, the metal ions receive electrons at the cathode and are deposited to form a metal plating layer.
Post-treatment: After plating is completed, the workpiece usually needs to be cleaned and dried, and sometimes passivated to further improve the corrosion resistance of the coating.
Common plating layers for zinc alloy plating include:
Nickel plating: Provides good corrosion resistance and decorative properties, and can also be used as a base layer for subsequent plating.
Chrome plating: improves hardness and abrasion resistance, and improves appearance.
Copper plating: improves electrical conductivity and can also be used as a base layer for plating.
Gold plating: used to improve electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance, suitable for electronics and jewelry industries.
Decorative plating such as imitation gold, chrome, antique copper, yellow bronze, red bronze, and pearl nickel are used to meet specific appearance requirements.
Zinc alloy plating process requires careful design and strict control, because the characteristics of zinc alloy itself may affect the quality of the coating, such as prone to hydrogen embrittlement, uneven coating and other problems. Therefore, parameters such as plating bath selection, current density, temperature and time need to be optimized according to the specific plating requirements and characteristics of the zinc alloy. In addition, the de-plating process after plating is also a part of zinc alloy plating, which is used to remove unqualified plating or to recover metal resources.