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Plating and Surface Treatment (Practical Level 2)

Industrial Manufacturing (SSW 2) · 製造分野(2号) · Written by Tokutei Pass based on the official study texts; not copied verbatim.

Faraday's Law, Current Efficiency, Throwing Power, and Pretreatment Control

By Faraday's law of electrolysis, theoretical metal deposition is proportional to electric charge (current $I \times$ time $t$), and actual deposition equals theoretical weight multiplied by cathode current efficiency ($\eta$).

Current density $D_k\text{ (A/dm}^2\text{)}$ equals 'current $I\text{ (A)} \div$ surface area $S\text{ (dm}^2\text{)}$', and the ability to deposit uniform thickness on recessed and protruding areas is called 'throwing power'.

Pretreatment uses alkaline soak and electrolytic degreasing (verified by water-break testing) and acid pickling with a 'pickling inhibitor' to prevent base-metal over-etching and hydrogen pickup.

Before electroplating on aluminum substrates, a 'zincate treatment' (zinc immersion displacement coating) is applied to prevent poor adhesion caused by aluminum's rapid native oxide film.

Faraday's Law, Current Efficiency, Throwing Power, and Pretreatment Control

Key points


  • (○ True) Plating a workpiece of surface area $12\text{ dm}^2$ at a current density of $2.5\text{ A/dm}^2$ requires a current of $12 \times 2.5 = 30\text{ A}$.

  • (○ True) Depositing uniform thickness across protrusions and recesses is called 'throwing power', and aluminum substrates require 'zincate treatment' before plating.

  • (× False) Claiming that hard chromium plating (cathode efficiency ~12–15%) uses 100% of the electric charge for metal deposition is FALSE (most goes to hydrogen evolution).
WordMeaning
Faraday's law
cathode current efficiency
throwing power
electrolytic degreasing
zincate treatment

Electroplating Baths (Watts Nickel, Zinc, Hard Chrome), Electroless Plating, and Plating on Plastics

The standard 'Watts nickel bath' consists of nickel sulfate (main metal source), nickel chloride (promotes anode dissolution and conductivity), and boric acid (pH buffer).

Decorative chromium plating applies a thin (0.1–0.5 μm) chrome flash over bright nickel, whereas hard (industrial) chromium plating deposits a thick, wear-resistant layer (~800–1000 HV) directly onto steel.

Organic contamination in plating baths is removed by 'activated carbon treatment', while trace metallic impurities (such as Cu or Fe) are removed by low-current-density 'dummy electrolysis'.

Plating on ABS plastic follows 'etching (creating micro-cavities for mechanical anchoring) -> palladium catalyst activation -> acceleration -> electroless plating (conductive layer) -> electroplating'.

Key points


  • (○ True) 'Boric acid' in a Watts nickel bath acts as a pH buffer, and 'activated carbon treatment' removes dissolved organic impurities.

  • (○ True) When plating ABS plastic, after etching and palladium catalyzing, 'electroless plating' forms a conductive layer prior to electroplating.

  • (× False) Claiming dissolved metallic ions like copper can be completely removed by simple mechanical filter cartridges alone is FALSE (dummy electrolysis is required).
WordMeaning
Watts nickel bath
hard chromium plating
activated carbon treatment
low-current dummy electrolysis
etching

Plating Defects and Remedies, Anodizing, Conversion Coatings, and Dry Coating (PVD/CVD)

Plating 'blistering/peeling' is mainly caused by poor degreasing or pickling, 'pitting' by clinging hydrogen bubbles (insufficient wetting/anti-pit agent), and 'roughness' by suspended particles from poor filtration.

High-strength steels and springs are baked promptly after plating at about 190–200°C for several hours ('baking treatment') to drive out hydrogen and prevent delayed hydrogen embrittlement fracture.

In aluminum anodizing (alumite), the aluminum workpiece is the anode (+), and the resulting anodic oxide film is electrically insulating (hydrothermal sealing after dyeing locks in corrosion resistance).

Vacuum coating processes include 'PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition: ion plating, sputtering)' and 'CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)', collectively known as dry plating.

Key points


  • (○ True) 'Blistering/peeling' stems mainly from poor pretreatment, 'pitting' from attached hydrogen bubbles, and high-strength steel requires post-plating 'baking'.

  • (○ True) Anodic oxide coating (alumite film) on aluminum is an electrical 'insulator'.

  • (× False) Claiming that an anodized aluminum oxide film conducts electricity as well as copper or silver is FALSE.
WordMeaning
poor adhesion (blistering/peeling)
anti-pitting (wetting) agent
baking treatment
Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

Coating Thickness Measurement, Corrosion Tests (SST, CASS), Adhesion Tests, and Wastewater Treatment

For non-destructive thickness testing: use a 'magnetic thickness gauge' for non-magnetic coatings on steel, an 'eddy-current thickness gauge' for insulating anodic films on aluminum, and an 'X-ray fluorescence (XRF) gauge' for multilayer or micro-area coatings.

Corrosion testing includes neutral salt spray (5% NaCl, pH 6.5–7.2, 35°C) and accelerated 'CASS testing' (copper-accelerated acetic acid salt spray at 50°C), while adhesion is checked by bend, tape-peel, or thermal shock tests.

In wastewater treatment, cyanide wastewater is oxidized using sodium hypochlorite under strongly alkaline conditions (pH >= 10) to prevent toxic hydrogen cyanide gas generation.

Hexavalent chromium wastewater is first reduced to trivalent chromium under acidic conditions (pH 2–3) using sodium bisulfite, then neutralized with alkali to precipitate chromium hydroxide sludge.

Key points


  • (○ True) Use a 'magnetic thickness gauge' for zinc on steel, and an 'eddy-current thickness gauge' for anodized film on aluminum.

  • (○ True) Oxidize cyanide wastewater under alkaline conditions (pH >= 10), and reduce hexavalent chromium under acidic conditions (pH 2–3) before alkaline precipitation.

  • (× False) Adding strong acid directly to cyanide wastewater to lower its pH to 2 is FALSE because it releases lethal hydrogen cyanide gas.
WordMeaning
magnetic thickness gauge
eddy-current thickness gauge
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) thickness gauge
CASS corrosion test
coagulation-sedimentation treatment

Metal Surface Treatment (Advanced)

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Official references