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Plating and Surface Treatment

Industrial Manufacturing - Machinery and Electronics · 製造分野 · Written by Tokutei Pass based on the official study texts; not copied verbatim.

Purpose of Plating, pH, and Pretreatment (Degreasing, Acid Pickling, Rinsing)

Surface treatments such as plating improve corrosion resistance, decorative appearance, wear resistance, and surface functionality.

In aqueous solutions, pH 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and greater than 7 is alkaline (basic).

Before plating, buffing smooths the surface, alkaline degreasing removes oils (verified by the water-break test), and acid pickling removes rust and oxide scale.

Pickling inhibitors prevent over-dissolution of the base metal and hydrogen absorption, and thorough water rinsing between steps prevents solution drag-in.

Purpose of Plating, pH, and Pretreatment (Degreasing, Acid Pickling, Rinsing)

Key points


  • (○ True) A solution pH of 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic, and above 7 is alkaline.

  • (○ True) Uniform water wetting without break indicates good degreasing (residual oil repels water), and inhibitors are used in acid pickling.

  • (× False) Saying you should 'plate first and degrease/pickle last' or 'skip water rinsing between steps' is FALSE.
WordMeaning
surface treatment
degreasing
acid pickling
inhibitor
water rinsing

Electroplating Principles, Bath Control, Defects, and Hydrogen Embrittlement

In electroplating, the workpiece is connected to the DC negative terminal (cathode) and the metal plate to the positive terminal (anode); coating thickness is proportional to current multiplied by time.

Areas with short inter-electrode distance or sharp edges concentrate current and become thicker; excessively high current density causes dark, rough 'burning' (yake).

Continuous filtration removes solid particles to prevent roughness, Hull cell tests check coating appearance across current densities, and gas bubble removal prevents pinholes (pits).

To prevent 'hydrogen embrittlement' in high-strength steel, baking (heat treatment) is performed promptly after plating to drive out absorbed hydrogen.

Key points


  • (○ True) Connect the workpiece to the negative terminal (cathode); plating thickness is proportional to current × time.

  • (○ True) Dark rough deposits at high current density are called 'burning' (yake), pinholes from hydrogen bubbles are 'pits', and baking prevents hydrogen embrittlement.

  • (× False) Connecting the workpiece to the positive terminal (anode) or calling the Hull cell test a 'destructive tensile test' is FALSE.
WordMeaning
cathode (negative electrode)
anode (positive electrode)
current density
Hull cell test
hydrogen embrittlement

Rack Plating, Barrel Plating, Electroless Plating, and Hot-Dip Galvanizing

Large parts are hung on racks (rack contact buildup must be stripped regularly to maintain conductivity), while small screws and bolts are tumbled inside a rotating perforated barrel ('barrel plating').

'Electroless plating' (chemical plating) deposits metal via chemical reduction without external power, producing uniform thickness even on complex shapes and enabling plating on plastics.

Electroless Ni-P coatings increase greatly in hardness when heat-treated at about 400°C, and decorative chromium plating applies a thin chrome layer over a nickel or copper-nickel undercoat.

'Hot-dip galvanizing' immerses steel in molten zinc at about 450°C to form a thick coating whose corrosion service life is roughly proportional to coating thickness.

Key points


  • (○ True) Use 'barrel plating' for mass-producing small screws, and 'electroless plating' for uniform thickness without external power.

  • (○ True) Electroless nickel hardens with heat treatment at ~400°C; hot-dip galvanizing uses molten zinc at ~450°C and lasts longer with greater thickness.

  • (× False) Saying non-conductive plastic can be electroplated directly without pretreatment, or rack contacts never need stripping, is FALSE.
WordMeaning
barrel plating
electroless plating
undercoat plating
hot-dip galvanizing

Conversion Coatings, Anodizing (Alumite), and Dry Plating

In chromate conversion treatment used to prevent white rust on zinc plating, industry has shifted from toxic hexavalent chromium to RoHS-compliant trivalent chromium.

'Phosphate conversion coating' on steel forms a crystalline underlayer that improves paint adhesion and corrosion resistance.

In aluminum 'anodizing' (alumite), the aluminum part serves as the anode to grow a porous oxide film; dyeing must be done before hydrothermal sealing.

High anodizing bath temperatures dissolve and soften the oxide film, whereas cooling the bath to 0–5°C produces thick, wear-resistant 'hard anodizing' (vacuum coating is called dry plating).

Key points


  • (○ True) Trivalent chromate replaces hexavalent chromate for environmental safety, and phosphate coating improves paint adhesion.

  • (○ True) Anodizing dye is applied before sealing the pores, and hard anodizing uses a low-temperature bath at 0–5°C.

  • (× False) Saying dyeing is performed after sealing the micropores, or that higher bath temperature makes the oxide film harder, is FALSE.
WordMeaning
trivalent chromate conversion
phosphate conversion coating
anodizing (alumite)
sealing treatment
hard anodizing

Metal Properties, Quality Inspection, Titration Glassware, Safety, and Wastewater

Ionization tendency follows the order 'Al > Zn > Fe > Cu' (zinc sacrificially protects steel), and density is about 2.7 g/cm³ for aluminum versus about 7.1 g/cm³ for zinc.

Visual inspection requires at least 500 lx illumination, neutral salt spray testing uses 5% NaCl solution at 35°C, and coating thickness is measured non-destructively by XRF or magnetic gauges.

In titration analysis, a volumetric (whole) pipette transfers a fixed sample into a conical beaker, an indicator is added, and reagent is dispensed from a burette.

Never mix cyanide compounds with acid because lethal hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gas is generated; cyanide, hexavalent chromium, and acid/alkali wastewaters must be segregated and treated separately.

Key points


  • (○ True) Ionization tendency is Al > Zn > Fe > Cu; neutral salt spray testing uses 5% NaCl at 35°C; visual inspection requires >= 500 lx.

  • (○ True) Titration uses a whole pipette, conical beaker, burette, and indicator; coating thickness is measured non-destructively by XRF or magnetic gauges.

  • (× False) Storing cyanides with acids or mixing untreated cyanide and acid wastewaters is strictly prohibited because it releases lethal gas.
WordMeaning
ionization tendency
salt spray test
electromagnetic thickness gauge
burette
hydrogen cyanide

Metal Surface Treatment

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