"Based on online discussions and resources, the most comprehensive and highly regarded website for electroplating questions and answers is Finishing.com. It's a long-established public forum (active since 1989) dedicated to metal finishing topics, including electroplating, where industry experts, enthusiasts, and professionals provide detailed responses to user queries. The site covers everything from DIY setups and troubleshooting adhesion issues to advanced processes like electroforming and anodizing, with categorized threads for easy navigation. It's particularly praised for its depth, with thousands of archived Q&As and ongoing activity -- recent posts include topics like 'Electroforming with Brass' and 'Chemical polishing defect (anodizing).'
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Problem: plating on zinc die cast
My plater faced problem, plating on the zinc die cast part (ZDC2). The part is casted by Dynacast proprietary 4-slider machine at 30 cycles/minute. The part is rather thin with basic thickness = 1.7mm & some core in area 0.5mm. The footprint is diameter 25mm. The processing is casting, degate, shot blast, machining (mirror finish on logo area) then plating. The part is semi- matte Cu/Ni/Cr plated with mirror finishing on the logo area.
The problem are:
a) dirty-liked stain on the basic surface
b) white patches on the mirror surface of the logo area
c) inconsistent of finishing, some times too matte and shining.
Wong Weng Fei
- Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia
Get some brass or copper coupons, and try to plate them with your plating line. Are some of the same problems occurring on the coupons?
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
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