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-----Poor adhesion on stainless steel springs
1999
I'm having an adhesion problem plating electroless nickel onto 302 stainless steel spring.
Processing steps: Alkaline cleaner, Rinse, 50% HCl, Rinse, Nickel strike, Rinse, Electroless nickel.
The plated parts look good and appear to have good adhesion, until you break the part (a required test from the customer). Then plating peels from the break area. I am not having adhesion problems on any other stainless steel. Is there a special problem presented by the fact that the part is spring material?
- Seattle, Washington
When I was actively plating and someone said 302SS, the immediate question was "any suffix?". The machine shops very nearly always were using a modified 320. Leaded materials require special cycles as do most Si materials. You probably will have to add a fluoboric or hydrofluoric acid step to remove the modifying material from the surface.
PS, on Monday it was guaranteed that it was plain 302 but on Wed after it failed it amazingly was a modified 302.
- Navarre, Florida
1999
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