Hi, my name is Brooke, and I used to run the HR department in a factory. I filed a lot of injury reports and helped a tragic number of people make claims for workers' compensation or WorkCover. In many cases, the accidents involved convener belts. By seeing what not to do, I really learned what should be done in terms of conveyor safety. I love writing and wanted to convey some good will to the world through a blog – I also love puns. In this space, I plan to post on conveyor belt safety as well as other posts related to a range of industrial equipment. I hope these posts help to protect you and your workers.
Plating refers to the process of bonding one material or metal onto the surface of another metal. For instance, steel can be zinc-plated in order to protect it from corrosion. You need to take several precautions before you instruct a metal fabricator to plate your components. This article discusses some of those precautions.
Request for Rack Plating of Interlocking Components
Barrel plating is the most cost-effective way to plate components. However, interlocking components may hold onto each other as they are tumbled inside a barrel dipped into a tank containing the plating material. This can prevent the plating substance from reaching some parts of those components. It is therefore better for you to set aside extra funds so that those components can be plated using the more expensive rack-plating method. Rack plating is more expensive because individual components are arranged on a rack before being lowered into a tank containing the plating substance. This process is labour-intensive and that is why it is more expensive.
Include Drainage Holes
Tubular components can trap plating compounds in their interior that was welded shut. Those trapped substances eventually seep out and stain the surface of the component. You can prevent this defect from marring the quality of your fabricated components by including a drainage hole in the design of the component. That hole will serve as an outlet for the plating compound so that it leaks out soon after the plating process.
Clean Welded Components
Welded components may have defects such as burrs and welding slag on their surface. Such defects can prevent the effective adherence of the plating substance on the surface of your components. Metal fabricators know this and usually charge clients to clean the components before plating is done. That charge may be higher than what it would have cost you to clean those components at your facility. It may therefore be cost-effective for you to clean the parts thoroughly before you dispatch them for plating.
Avoid Plating Un-Machined Components
Un-machined parts (such as castings) are porous and can absorb plating materials. The fabricator may levy a higher plating rate because he or she will have to rinse the parts several times after plating them in order to remove all the plating materials that were absorbed into the pores of your raw components. You can avoid that extra charge by machining all parts that need to be taken for plating.
The precautions above will go a long way towards ensuring that you keep plating costs affordable. They will also help you to have high-quality products that are uniformly plated.
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