Electroplated Process on iron or steel

Basically, Electrical plated process  is protective coating which will be provides to sustain against corrosion  on the parts, assy , etc.. 

STANDARD 7-TANK PROCESS

A standard 7 tank DIP ZINC PHOSPHATING process is used, where good paint adhesion and corrosion resistance are required before painting. However, where hot rolled sheet metal or heavily rusty surfaces are to be dealt with,  the use of mineral acids like hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid will have to be used. An additional tank for cold water rinsing after derusting will be necessary to ensure that carryover of mineral acid into the zinc phosphating bath is avoided as it is detrimental to  its functioning.

PROCESS

TANK #	FUNCTION	CHEMICAL	STRENGTH	TEMPOC	DIP TIME (MINUTES)
1.	Degrease	Chemlene 1D	3-5%	85-95	5-15
2.	Cold water Rinse	-	-	-	1
3.	Derust	Chemdine250 (Cold) Chemdine170 (Hot)	25-30% 20-25%	RT 60-70	5-10 5-10
4.	Cold water rinse	-	-	-	1
5.	Zinc Phosphate	Chemphos 20 Chemtoner	3% 0.025%	70-80	3-5
6.	Cold Water Rinse	-	-	-	1
7.	Passivation	Chemlyte 10	0.025%	RT-70	1

CHEMDINE 250 (cold) or CHEMDINE 170 (Hot) is generally used, for derusting of cold rolled metal.  Where the use of mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid is used to remove scale, an additional Cold water rinse , after pickling (Tank # 3) will be necessary.  This will make it a 8 Tank  Process.

CHEMPHOS 20/CHEMTONER forms a micro-crystalline uniform tightly adherent zinc phosphate coating which has excellent paint adhesion and corrosion resistance.

ZINC PHOSPHATING PROCESS USING PRECONDITIONER CHEMFIX 50

Often, the use of a PRECONDITIONER before zinc phosphating is preferred to condition & prepare the surface to receive an extremely fine textured coating.  This becomes particularly important in certain steels and steels which show  some resistance to coating formation.

The following process will then apply.

TANK #	FUNCTION	CHEMICAL	STRENGTH	TEMPOC	DIP TIME (MINUTES)
1.	Degrease	Chemlene 84	3-5%	50-60	5-15
2.	Cold water Rinse	-	-	-	1
3.	Derust	Chemdine250 (Cold) Chemdine170 (Hot)	25-30% 20-25%	RT 50-70	5-10 5-10
4.	Cold water rinse	-	-	-	1
5.	Preconditioner	Chemfix 50	0.5-1.0	RT	1
6.	Zinc Phosphate	Chemphos 72 Chemtoner	3% 0.025%	50-60	3-5
7.	Cold Water Rinse	-	-	-	1
8.	Passivation	Chemlyte 10	0.025%	RT-70	1

 

TANK CONSTRUCTION

All the tanks, except Tank # 3&4, may be constructed of mild steel.  Tank # 3 (Derusting) and Tank # 4 (Cold water rinse) must be made of acid-resisting material, like fiber glass or rubber lined.

HEATING

All heated tanks may be heated directly by electrical immersion heaters, closed steam coils or Thermopac.

The zinc phosphating tank (Tank # 5) will have to be provided with a water-jacket to place the electrical immersion heaters, if electricity is used.  However, where steam or Thermopac is used, the heating coil may be placed inside the phosphating tank, at the sides, leaving a clearance of a minimum of 1 foot (300 mm) for the sludge to settle down.  Where possible, the steam or Thermopac coils may also be placed in a water jacket.  This will make cleaning and maintenance of coils easier, but will mean an extra cost of heating.

QUALITY OF WATER

The quality of water used in metal pretreatment is very important.  In hard water areas, the water is often the main cause of contamination and to be sure that it will not affect the performance of the subsequent paint, the salts in the water should not exceed any of the following limits.

1. 200 ppm of Total Alkalinity (Calculated as CaCO3)
2. 70 ppm of Total Chlorides and Sulphates (calculated as Cl & SO4)
3. 225 ppm of (a) plus (b) above.

If the contamination of the water exceeds any one of these limits, Deionised water or uncontaminated steam condensate is recommended for use in the following baths:

1.     Zinc phosphating baths.

2.     Final passivation baths,

3.     Pre-phosphating rinse bath

In all other baths, such as Degreasing, Derusting and Cold water rinsing baths, normal water may be used.