No passwords, no registration, no paywalls, no popups, no AI

As an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner we earn from affil links

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

Search our quarter-million Q&As

Home of the finishing HOTLINE since 1989

-----

Cadmium/zinc interaction between mating connectors

I am a project engineer at a large defense firm. I have been asked by the procurement department if a vendor can substitue a cadmium finish on a printed wiring board connector in lieu of the zinc finish that is specified. The mating connector has a zinc finish. I want to know if I will experience a galvanic reaction between the two finishes, and how severe it may be. I do not know the composition of the connectors base material.

Stephen Hivnor
defense electronics - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
2004

Adding cadmium to any specification nowadays is a questionable action. I have no direct experience mating these zinc and cadmium surfaces but suspect it would not be a highly active galvanic couple.

Have you considered other alternatives? Perhaps a Zn-Ni alloy plate would accomplish what you want. Out of simple curiousity, why do you feel a need to switch to a cad-plate on this connector?

Thomas Hanlon, Materials Engineer
aerospace finishing - East Hartford, Connecticut, USA
2004

Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: