| CAPABILITY | BARREL | RACK |
|---|---|---|
| Cobalt |  |
|
| E-Coat | |
|
| Electroless Nickel | | |
| Nanomate | | |
| Nickel | | |
| Phosphate | | |
| Tin | | |
| Tin Zinc | | |
| Zinc | | |
| Zinc Iron | |
|
| Zinc Nickel | | |
| BAKING | ||
|---|---|---|
| Passivate (Clear) | | |
| Passivate (Black) | | |
| Seal (Clear) | | |
| Seal (Black) | | |
Capabilities
Zinc
One of the most common and inexpensive protection methods for steel is provided by zinc. Zinc plating offers two benefits — first as a barrier coating, then as a sacrificial coating. Zinc is often preferred for coating iron and steel parts when protection from atmospheric or indoor corrosion is the primary objective. Typical parts that are Zinc-plated consist of brake systems, fuel systems, chassis hardware and climate control components. Other industrial sectors that rely on zinc-alloy processing include manufacturers of hydraulic fittings, power transmission hardware and electronic connectors. Zinc is a key factor, too, in the extended corrosion warranties available from most automotive manufacturers. Instead of parts that withstand 240- to 360-hrs of salt spray testing, parts are now capable of 750 to 1,000 hrs. Marsh Plating offers clear trivalent on a rack or in a barrel.
Zinc-Nickel
Zinc alloy plating technologies were introduced in the mid 1980’s in the U.S. Although started in Japan and Europe some 10 years earlier, it was only recently that their acceptance and use on a commercial basis was felt in the U.S. and Canada. The zinc-nickel alloy corrodes at a much slower rate than zinc alone, affording better corrosion protection. Zinc-nickel alloy has been found to be excellent replacement for cadmium plating in many applications.
There are two types of zinc-nickel plating available at Marsh:
- Alkaline-type (non-cyanide) bath: The alkaline-type bath has the advantage of producing uniform thickness and nickel distribution. The deposit has been successfully used on parts requiring post plate forming. The inherent alkalinity of the bath reduces corrosion tendency of un-plated surfaces such as internal areas of tubular parts.
- Acid type bath: The acid type bath plates faster at twice the efficiency and has been used to produce 10-15% nickel alloys. However, due to its higher efficiency, plate distribution may vary across the significant surface of the part.
Several years of pilot lab and field tests have shown the zinc-nickel process to be superior to all other zinc alloys in terms of corrosion resistance, and range of applications, including cadmium replacement. Zinc-Nickel applications include the automotive market, as an example, under the hood components, power steering components, air-conditioning components and break components to name just a few. Other markets include the electrical transmission market, fastener industry, defense industry and army. Marsh Plating offers clear and black trivalent processing on a rack or in a barrel.
Zinc-Iron
This process was initially created to improve corrosion resistance. Some of the benefits of this deposit include good weldability and ductility that are needed in subsequent manufacturing steps. This alloy can be adjusted to improve adhesion of electropainting of formed steel components. Iron can be chromated to a range of colors, Marsh offers black. Zinc-iron applications include fuel system components such as fuel rails, automotive and non-automotive fasteners, chassis components, and door latch hardware. Marsh Plating offers clear trivalent and black trivalent processing on a rack.
Tin
Tin is a white, non-toxic, solderable, soft deposit, useful for its resistance to corrosion and tarnish. These qualities make it a prevalent finish in the food processing and shipping industries. Tin is also widely used in the electronics industry, due to its ability to preserve low contact-resistance on connectors, semi-conductors, and components. Tin is also very soft and malleable, so it can be transformed without cracking. Marsh Plating offers this on a rack or in a barrel.
Tin-Zinc
Tin-zinc alloy plating has been known for sometime. Tin plating is done to impart solderability to a variety of base metal substrates even after aging. With pre-treatment most metals can be tin plated including steel, copper and its alloys, nickel-iron etc. Tin is environmentally safe, neither toxic nor carcinogenic. Tin does not tarnish easily making it a good choice as a low cost decorative finish as well. Corrosion resistance equals or exceeds that of zinc-nickel alloys. Chromating is clear or yellow. Applications for the tin-zinc process are the automotive market and growing in the electronic industry, glass to metal seals and fasteners industry as a direct replacement for cadmium. Marsh Plating clear trivalent processing on a rack or in a barrel.
Nickel Plating
Nickel electroplating is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of nickel onto a metal object. The nickel layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, and wear resistance. Marsh offers this process on a rack.
E-coat
E-coat has many benefits to the customer, complex shapes can be coated evenly for applications that require coating uniformity across the part. Thinner coating thickness unlike powder coatings helps applications where tolerances may be a concern. E-coat improves product appearance such as drips and sags that are eliminated in the process. Excellent corrosion resistance when coupled with the proper pretreatment system aids in meeting tough corrosion testing. The most common applications of electro-coating include under-hood/underbody components, recreational goods, cooking and laundry appliances, HVAC products, and aerospace products. Recently, manufacturers of upscale consumer products have popularized electro-coating as a primer for powder-coated goods. Marsh offers specialized rack e-coating such as masking and special handling of complicated part configurations.
Electroless Nickel
Electroless nickel (EN) plating is an exceptional corrosion resistant and high hardness plating process. Electroless Nickel offers good adhesion and excellent service performance on a multitude of metallic parts. Electroless deposits are very uniform in thickness all over the part’s shape and size. This process offers distinct advantages when plating irregularly shaped objects, holes, recesses, internal surfaces, valves or threaded parts. Electroless nickel plating produces a non-toxic coating; as a result, this method is commonly used in medical devices. The process finds wide application on items such as valves, pump parts etc., to enhance the life of components exposed to severe conditions of service, particularly in the oil field and marine sector. Other applications include optical surfaces for diamond turning, door knobs, kitchen utensils, bathroom fixtures, electrical/mechanical tools and office equipment. Marsh Plating offers Rack and Barrel electroless nickel plating for thickness ranges of .0002” to .0007”.