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While leaded steal is remarkable for machining, it can lead to quality issues in the zinc plating process. Leaded steel is steel alloy that contain lead components, and this type of material has the ability to increase machinability by 25%, increase cutting speeds,...

In our last Plateco Pointer, “Hydrogen Embrittlement: What It Is and How to Combat It,” we discussed how hydrogen embrittlement occurs, its consequences, and the hydrogen embrittlement relief baking process. While baking product does remove hydrogen and reinstate the...

Hydrogen embrittlement is a phenomenon where hydrogen is introduced into the substrate of steel during the zinc electroplating process, causing brittleness and causing steel to be susceptible to failure in the field. To combat this embrittlement, the process of...

Do these pictures look all too familiar? These images demonstrate a lack of zinc coverage due to poor substrate and excess surface contaminants. When steel parts have excess surface contaminants such as heavy scales, weld flux or oils, the chemistry in an...

It is finally summertime! The winter months are over, and we can all finally enjoy the sunshine and outdoors again. With the warmer weather, though, comes some challenges such as mosquitos, sweat stains, heat, humidity, and premature zinc corrosion. As heat increases...

There are many different elements that need to work in tandem for quality zinc plating: time, temperature, pH, concentration, sequence, agitation, and contamination. With the many different steps involved with zinc plating, many one of these elements not being in...

Every company must determine the price customers will be willing to pay for their product or service, while also being mindful of the cost of bringing that product or service to market. The words "cost" and "price" are often used interchangeably; however, they have...

Chromates and passivates are terms that we all see quite frequently in the various plating specifications. These terms are often used interchangeably; however, they technically differ. In this Plateco Pointer, we will take a deeper dive into the difference of a...

As you know if we've ever plated any parts for you, we're pretty much obsessed with quality. We're constantly striving for perfection in everything we do, and the idea of compromising quality is something that goes against everything we stand for. HOWEVER...we're also...

We have a lot of parts manufacturers ask us if we do hot dip galvanizing. Our usual response: We don't, because we offer something that is very often a better solution - mechanical galvanizing. It's generally accepted that mechanical galvanizing often provides at...

Some parts have what we call double-blind holes, and they can be a real challenge from a rack electroplating standpoint. The parts shown in the photo below have the exact same holes on the bottom that you see on the top. The term "double blind holes" refers to the...

We talk a lot about our unending pursuit of plating perfection, and we certainly will go to any length to give our customers the best zinc plating quality possible. However, here are five things you can do to optimize plating quality: Don't scrimp on packaging. Be...