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Will electroplated metal plates rust if touched with bare hands

We would like to know if rust will form if we touch an electroplated metal plates with our bare hands.

What's the reason for the electroplating of the metal plates if rust will form if we touch them with bare hands.

Is there a specific coating thickness on the metal plates to prevent the forming of rust when we touch it with our bare hands.

Roberto Cruz
Quality Assurance in Manufacturing - Paranaque, Manila, Philippines
2004

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You haven't given us enough information to be able to answer, Roberto. You don't say what the parts are, what material they are fabricated from, or what metal they are plated with. There are certainly electroplated coatings available that will not rust if touched with your bare hands ... but it is almost always considered poor practice process to touch finished parts with bare hands during manufacturing and packaging.

Asking why to bother plating parts if they will rust when touched with bare hands during manufacturing is like asking why waste tax money on a fire department if the officers don't serve you pancake breakfast on Sunday mornings. Some fire departments occasionally do that, but it's not why they exist; similarly, there are all sorts of functional and aesthetic reasons to electroplate parts.

Please describe your situation in more detail and explain why you think it is necessary, or more practical, to touch the parts with bare hands. Then we can try to help you deal with the problem confronting you. Thanks.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2004

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Dear Mr Roberto,

Mr Mooney said it all. We never know what the hands were contaminated with; which is why we leave behind fingerprints on parts. I have a customer whose QC inspectors hands are like a 180 grit file! He can remove chromate from a component even if he holds the part like a baby! Since every part is headed for an ultimate user who pays for everyones efforts in the manufacturing stage, its good practice to handle parts in MINT condition till they reach their buyer.

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

2004