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Blistering problem with Nickel Plated Titanium
Q. After Nickel Plating the Titanium and post bake (to harden the nickel), the part itself, which is round and about 3 inches, begins to blister and chip. Prior to the "baking", the part itself is fine, which leads me to question whether to bake the part or not?
Also is it okay to use an Alkaline copper to strike the part? Alternative methods to nickel plate the titanium would also be welcome.
Regards,
finishing - Ventura, California
2003
A. Sounds as if you are losing adhesion due to inadequate pretreatment or co-deposition of hydrogen that is released by the thermal treatment. Try looking at 13456, where plating onto titanium has been discussed.
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2003
A. You need to look at your cleaning and prep process to eliminate it as a root cause of your adhesion failures. Is your blast media clean? Are you plating immediately after blast. Are you using concentrated HCL for etching? Are you using a rochelle salt [on eBay or Amazon] solution after HCl then acid copper plating? Are you checking for adhesion of your copper to base metal? Are you giving your bath a 1-2 volt hot shot when introducing parts into you EN bath?
Mike Perezjet engine overhaul - San Antonio, Texas
2003
A. Titanium oxidizes extremely rapidly, enough to cause adhesion failures. There are probably as many ideas on the "best" process as there are platers doing it.
I would suggest that you do a search for processes and try the one that you feel most comfortable with. If that fails, try the next most comfortable one.
From my exposure to one of the first commercial processes is that it requires very aggressive etches and must remain wet at all times until it gets into the EN tank.
There are a lot of differences of opinion on copper or Woods nickel strike.
My nickel goes with a high acid percentage woods nickel strike.
- Navarre, Florida
2003
2003
A. Hi.
I'm agree with Jim try to do a research study on what method has be writing on about plating on titanium. I know I have some letter at finishing.com on it about pretreatment for titanium, you can search on my name or plating on titanium. I can give you some research article.
EW Turns J.W Browing and R,L Jones Electroplated titanium properties and effect, Plating and Surface Finishing May 1975 page
443-451.
M Thoma plating on titanium , Plating and Surface Finishing May
1983 page 160-165.
CG Jones Electro plated coating for engineering application, Proceeding International Conference Designing with Titanium Institute of metal 1986 page 191.
M.Thoma plating on titanium Alloys 850716, MTU Motoren-und Turbinen-Union Munchen GmbH.
Metal Finishing Guide Book 2000 page 204.
United States Patent 4,127,709.
ASTM B481 -68 Standard practice for preparation Of Titanium alloys for Electroplating. Unite States Patent 4,127,7
Best regards,
Anders Sundman
4th Generation Surface Engineering
Consultant - Arvika,
Sweden
Q. I am a student from one of the universities in my country. Now I am doing a project about plating on titanium. My question is how to do direct plating nickel to titanium with high speed electro-deposition? Is there any patent on it?
nurul arisastudent - johore, Malaysia
March 17, 2011
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