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

-----

Is this advisable to use agitation in hard chromium while bath is running?

We are using hard chromium plating in out process shop. Our deposition range is 5-8 microns. Still we have improper deposition. I expect one of the reasons for improper deposition is improper agitation. We use to agitate the bath once per 10 lots. Is it enough for distributed chemistry and temperature in bath? And Is this advisable to use agitation while bath is running?

Thanks in advance...

V. Ranga Bhuvana Balaji
Process Shop - India
2005

Continuous air agitation ⇦ huh? is not a problem usually and can be an excellent idea unless you use a partially soluble fluoride catalyst designed to settle to the bottom of the tank.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
2005

Slow mechanical agitation, if it is feasible, can also help even deposition of chrome on your components.

K.V.Phadnis
Balmer Lawrie-Van Leer Ltd. - Mumbai, India
2005

Thanks a lot for your response...

Actually before we were using continuous agitation. But at that time we got some defects like pitted deposition and peel off. So we stopped continuous agitation. Is it possible that continuous agitation can cause above mentioned defects?

V. Ranga Bhuvana Balaji
Process Shop - India
2005

You didn't answer my implied question about whether you use a sparingly soluble fluoride catalyst or not. If there are solids in the bath, keeping them in suspension will cause that kind of problem. If the bath does not require solids, it is possible to filter them out. In other words, my guess, until you tell us about the bath, is that suspended solids rather than air per se is causing the problem.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
2005

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: