Summary for silver plating barrel plating Discussion
silver plating barrel plating process standards are best handled by starting with the silver chemistry supplier’s technical data sheet and accepted operating ranges, rather than trying to infer every possible failure from bad conditions. Mohan.G asked what process parameters matter most for optimum barrel plating and what problems might occur if water pH falls below 5 or rises above 9. The main reply, from Ted Mooney, said the first step is to obtain a couple of the “must-have” plating books and the supplier’s technical data sheets for the exact chemistry in use. He stressed that anything outside the supplier’s specified range should be treated as unsatisfactory, and only after meeting those limits should further optimization be attempted. He also noted that a deionizing system is often a good idea, depending on incoming water quality, and recommended comparing water quality to textbook requirements instead of trying to list every possible defect from poor water.
2003
Q. Dear Sir,
I am Mr. Mohan.G, Working as a Asst. Mgr- Vendor Quality. In charge for source development & process upgrading at supplier premises.
We are one of the connector manufacturers and most of the our connectors are silver plated with local established vendors.
I would like to know, what are all the process parameters we have to concentrate for optimum barrel plating?
If water pH less than 5, what are all the failures can take place in plating?
If water pH more than 9, what are all the problems can occur in finished component?
Regards,
Mohan.G.
– Bangalore , Karnataka/ India.
“Water and Waste Control for the Plating Shop”
by Kushner & Kushner
(If you can’t buy it, try Worldcat for a library which has it).
on Amazon (rarely)
or
eBay (rarely)
(affil link)
2003
A. Welcome to finishing.com and good luck on your mission Mr. Mohan. I’d start by getting a couple of the
“must-have” plating books, which will cover not just silver plating but the preparatory cycles as well so you understand the general relationships. But get the technical data sheets from the suppliers of the silver plating chemistry used at your vendor’s premises. Your starting point should be deciding that anything outside of the accepted ranges on the supplier’s technical data sheet is flat-out unsatisfactory. Once you’ve gotten within the acceptable range, you can further optimize if you wish.
Trying to approach it from the other direction, i.e., asking what can go wrong if you ignore the proper ranges, will unfortunately prove to be a fool’s errand. Firstly, it dismisses decades of experiments and empirically acquired knowledge and condemns you to repeat them all; secondly, it’s no different than asking “What are the problems and complaints I’ll get if I use rotten eggs in my omelets” or “List all the possible infections if I don’t sterilize surgical instruments between patients” :-)
Sorry, but there’s just no doing it that way.
It is never a bad idea to install a deionizing system although it may not be strictly necessary for success, depending on your incoming water quality. Compare its quality to the textbook requirements; don’t try to list each possible thing that may go wrong if the water is bad. Please see Kushner’s
“Water and Waste Control for the Plating Shop” ⇦[this on
eBay,
Amazon,
AbeBooks affil links].
I think you’ll find it very enlightening about water quality, and you’ll see why efforts towards getting cleaner water are never wasted.
Good luck!
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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