Spring 2012

The Latest News on Surface Engineering from

Anoplate Corporation

ANOPLATE NEWS

Continued on Page 3

ANopLATE NEwSSpring 2012

A publication ofAnoplate Corporation459 Pulaski StreetSyracuse, New York 13204-1134Phone: (315) 471.6143Office Fax: (315) 471.7132Quote Fax: (315) 471.4206

www.anoplate.com

Anoplate is an equal opportunity employerFor a free subscription to Anoplate News please email:sales@anoplate.com.

Established 1960

4

In this Issue:

COVERDesign and Thickness of Plating Affects Dimensions PAGE 2Fast FactsOn Time To Promise InitiativeQ&A

Page 3 Q&A

Page 4The Faces of Anoplate Customer Service

Almost all surface finishes cause some dimensional change, however

small, to the part being finished. Many coatings even result in a significant buildup-a buildup that should ideally be considered while the part is being designed. Typically, though, metal finishers and machinists are concerned with controlling the dimensions of existing parts on which design changes are not possible.

What at first looks like a “simple” plating job can actually entail complicated considerations involving electricity, chemistry, and physics, and it may require special processing steps. On the other hand, with the right preliminary information and the right testing, half the plater’s problems are solved. And while plating thicknesses are sometimes difficult to predict, after trial runs and process adjustments they can be duplicated quite accurately.

If the part’s design can’t be changed-and it usually can’t then it often falls to the plater to insure that final dimensions are maintained.

An electroplater’s formulaA basic formula of electroplating states that the amount of plating deposited

is proportional to the amount of electricity that passes from the anode to the part. In other words, plating thickness is directly related to amps and time, or “amp-minutes.” (The power company figures your electricity bill each month based on the number of amp-minutes registered on your meter.) For example, say a part is plated at

10 amps for 10 minutes (100 amp-minutes ) and the resulting coating is 0.0002 in. thick, but a 0.0003-in. minimum is required. According to the basic formula, increasing the amp-minutes from 100 to 150-increasing them by half will generate the required additional thickness. So thickness and amp-minutes have a predictable, proportional relation to one another-in theory.

Remember that this formula is a guideline. As such, it’s far from being reliable as a technical measurement.

Variations, variablesTwo common plating baths conform neatly to the values of the basic

Design and Thickness of Plating Affects Final Dimensions

The Faces of Anoplate Customer Service

The speed of product delivery from PO to shipment is faster than ever. Inventories are shrinking, logistics streamlining, queue times are non-existent.

With over 1,000 orders in-house on any given day, and over 150 orders received and shipped daily, Anoplate understands this. We know that constant and effective communication is paramount in order for you to keep your customers satisfied. Our Customer Service Representatives work every day to ensure that our customers are proactively updated with the best and most up to date information regarding the status of their orders.

You may have talked with one, or all, of our customer services representatives at one point in time; you may know their voices well, but let’s take a minute to introduce you to the faces of Customer Service:

Sean Novak, Customer Service Manager, joined Anoplate in 2006 and has extensive experience in plating engineering, coating applications, and business development.

Georgette Moncrief joined the Customer Service Team in 2006 and has been at Anoplate for 24 years with extensive previous experience in production and front-office functions.

Teri Knickerbocker joined Anoplate in 2011 with over 25 years sales, marketing, and customer experience.

Rebecca Carducci joined Anoplate in 2012 with 4 years of management experience and has been in customer service for 13 years.

While each customer service representative interfaces with different production areas within our facility for updates, each is available and able to handle any calls regarding status updates.

Over the past year, our reps have also been busy promoting our Customer Service Portal to our customers. The portal allows each customer to log in to a web-based portal to view the status and ship date of their orders that are at Anoplate. Inquire today!

Customer Service Cust_service@anoplate.com 315-471-6143x310

Sean Novaksnovak@anoplate.com315-471-6143 x128

Georgette Moncrief gmoncrief@anoplate.com315-471-6143 x162

Rebecca Carducci rcarducci@anoplate.com315-471-6143 x139

Teri Knickerbockertknickerbocker@anoplate.com 315-471-6143 x142

Design and Thickness of Plating...continued from Page 1

3

formula: acid copper sulfate and silver cyanide. With these solutions, increases in thickness are proportional to increases in amp-minutes. Both solutions plate very efficiently, at nearly 100 percent of what the formula predicts. But some baths-conventional hard chrome, for instance-may plate at less than 20 percent efficiency. Such baths can require increases in amp-minutes vastly different from what the formula would suggest. Here, your plater’s experience and technical knowledge are the best guides in estimating how a particular coating will affect dimensions. Especially on unusual coatings, we advise trial runs that include careful, sophisticated thickness testing.

Every plating solution also has a characteristic “current density” range that will affect results. Current density is usually expressed as amps per square feet-the number of amps applied to a part, divided by the part’s exposed surface area. If the current density is too high, parts can burn, and deposits may be powdery, dull, or frosty. But if the current density is too low, the coating can still be dull-or a coating may never form to begin with. Current densities vary from a mere two or three amps per square foot for many gold baths to several hundred amps per square foot for hard chrome.

Effects of current distributionWhile overall current density is measurable, current distribution is much harder to predict. Electricity travels the path of least resistance, so the distribution of current over a part’$ full surface is almost never uniform (see Figure 1). Depending on the shape of the part, the racking method, the anode configuration, and the distance between anode and part, the current density may be ten times greater at one point than at another. Plating thicknesses are consequently affected. The thickest deposits (due to high current density) often occur at the bottom-most point of a part

closest to the anode. Thin deposits (due to low current density) occur mostly on interior surfaces, typically inside corners and grooves. Controlled thickness is also difficult to achieve in blind holes and on the inside surfaces of long cylinders.

Uneven current distribution, then, is often a real problem. Yet with certain baths it can actually become an advantage. In most cyanide solutions- zinc, copper, and cadmium, for instance-plating efficiency rises at points where the current density drops, usually at inside corners and recesses. Such areas receive a lower current density, so plating there is more effective, allowing coverage to occur in places where it otherwise would not.

Because they provide coverage, however thin, in these normally hard-to-reach places, cyanide baths are said to have good “throwing power.” Baths with “poor throw,” such as bright nickel and chrome, will cover less thoroughly.

Robbers, dummies, thievesHow, then, does the plater control uneven plating buildup? He can only minimize it. First, the plater can shield the high-current areas. The shields - often called robbers, dummies, or thieves - may be conductive or nonconductive, but generally they either accept some of the excess current or block its flow.

A second approach might be to raise the current in low current density areas through an extra anode. In the case of the part shown in Figure 1, the plater might place an additional anode “inside” the part, thereby boosting the current flow. More current will then reach the interior surfaces, helping to coat them

more uniformly. Often, for interior

surfaces where a minimum thickness is specified, we

will isolate all the exterior anodes and

use interior anodes exclusively for at least part of the plating cycle.

Q&AQ: Can you black oxide modified

420 stainless steel. If you do what

effect does it have on the stainless

steel? Does it alter the hardness

or any of the chemical structure of

the material?

A: Steel in an alkaline environment

(pH >>13) and at relatively high

temperature (~ 280F) forms

the black form of iron oxide as

opposed to the red form (a.k.a.

rust).  To call black oxide the black

form of rust isn’t too far from the

truth.  It is also the exact same

process used in the gunsmith

industry known as bluing.  Along

these lines, black oxide provides

little or no corrosion protection

without a subsequent coating of

oil – the first thing any hunter does

after returning from the field is to

lubricate his gun.  This is done

much more to impart corrosion

resistance as opposed to lubricate

(yes, even 400-series of stainless

steel can rust!).  All black oxide

processed parts done at Anoplate

leave with some form of rust

preservative on them be it light

or heavy (the exception to this

would be 300-series stainless).

At this processing temperature,

that is below 300F, it is highly

unlikely that any metallurgical

change is occurring so there is no

detrimental impact on hardness

or other mechanical properties of

the steel. 

On Time to Promise InitiativeAnoplate has been listening to our customers

and we have been trying to make your experience here as painless and simple as possible. We know that your deadlines are tight and that plating is usually one of the last steps in the manufacturing process. In your eyes quality is often just as important as delivery times. While Anoplate has long been known throughout the industry for the quality of our work, we are now raising the bar on our delivery times. Our employees understand the importance of keeping our word and we have made several improvements aimed at ensuring that we promise you accurate shipping dates and then align our production schedule to meet them. We are in the process of streamlining our order scheduling process, enhancing communication between departments, and installing a visual system that displays real-time product flow-through. You can also monitor the progress of your orders by logging onto the customer portal at Anoplate.com or contacting one of our Customer Service Representatives.

FAST FACTSForecasting 2012

When it comes to looking into ones crystal ball and assessing what the level of sales in the

coming year will be, there are many approaches one can take but if the second week prior to Christmas is any indication of type of year ahead in 2012, it’s going to be busy. Anoplate juggled and otherwise entertained five out-of-state customers (Colorado, Arizona, Alabama, North Carolina and New Jersey) that week from 8 AM Monday through Friday noon. Milt Stevenson, Jr. commented, “this level of customer activity on-site is unprecedented in the history of the firm.” More unusual was it coming so close to the holidays and the end of the year when historically things begin to wind down. While 2011 showed some growth, we’re optimistic about what 2012 and our customers have in store for Anoplate.

2

Q: With increasing pressure to eliminate thin chromic anodize and sulfuric anodize being too thick to maintain tight dimensional tolerances on precision machined parts, what options do I have? [Aerospace Machine Shop, Dayton, OH]

A: One possible choice is boric sulfuric anodize, commonly referred to as BSAA or Type Ic per MIL-A-8625. It doesn’t contain the hexavalent chromium conventional Type I chromic anodize does and it is about one-fourth the thickness of Type II sulfuric anodize. BSAA was discussed at length in the Spring 2011 issue of Anoplate NEWS.

Q&A

Design and Thickness of Plating...continued from Page 1

3

formula: acid copper sulfate and silver cyanide. With these solutions, increases in thickness are proportional to increases in amp-minutes. Both solutions plate very efficiently, at nearly 100 percent of what the formula predicts. But some baths-conventional hard chrome, for instance-may plate at less than 20 percent efficiency. Such baths can require increases in amp-minutes vastly different from what the formula would suggest. Here, your plater’s experience and technical knowledge are the best guides in estimating how a particular coating will affect dimensions. Especially on unusual coatings, we advise trial runs that include careful, sophisticated thickness testing.

Every plating solution also has a characteristic “current density” range that will affect results. Current density is usually expressed as amps per square feet-the number of amps applied to a part, divided by the part’s exposed surface area. If the current density is too high, parts can burn, and deposits may be powdery, dull, or frosty. But if the current density is too low, the coating can still be dull-or a coating may never form to begin with. Current densities vary from a mere two or three amps per square foot for many gold baths to several hundred amps per square foot for hard chrome.

Effects of current distributionWhile overall current density is measurable, current distribution is much harder to predict. Electricity travels the path of least resistance, so the distribution of current over a part’$ full surface is almost never uniform (see Figure 1). Depending on the shape of the part, the racking method, the anode configuration, and the distance between anode and part, the current density may be ten times greater at one point than at another. Plating thicknesses are consequently affected. The thickest deposits (due to high current density) often occur at the bottom-most point of a part

closest to the anode. Thin deposits (due to low current density) occur mostly on interior surfaces, typically inside corners and grooves. Controlled thickness is also difficult to achieve in blind holes and on the inside surfaces of long cylinders.

Uneven current distribution, then, is often a real problem. Yet with certain baths it can actually become an advantage. In most cyanide solutions- zinc, copper, and cadmium, for instance-plating efficiency rises at points where the current density drops, usually at inside corners and recesses. Such areas receive a lower current density, so plating there is more effective, allowing coverage to occur in places where it otherwise would not.

Because they provide coverage, however thin, in these normally hard-to-reach places, cyanide baths are said to have good “throwing power.” Baths with “poor throw,” such as bright nickel and chrome, will cover less thoroughly.

Robbers, dummies, thievesHow, then, does the plater control uneven plating buildup? He can only minimize it. First, the plater can shield the high-current areas. The shields - often called robbers, dummies, or thieves - may be conductive or nonconductive, but generally they either accept some of the excess current or block its flow.

A second approach might be to raise the current in low current density areas through an extra anode. In the case of the part shown in Figure 1, the plater might place an additional anode “inside” the part, thereby boosting the current flow. More current will then reach the interior surfaces, helping to coat them

more uniformly. Often, for interior

surfaces where a minimum thickness is specified, we

will isolate all the exterior anodes and

use interior anodes exclusively for at least part of the plating cycle.

Q&AQ: Can you black oxide modified

420 stainless steel. If you do what

effect does it have on the stainless

steel? Does it alter the hardness

or any of the chemical structure of

the material?

A: Steel in an alkaline environment

(pH >>13) and at relatively high

temperature (~ 280F) forms

the black form of iron oxide as

opposed to the red form (a.k.a.

rust).  To call black oxide the black

form of rust isn’t too far from the

truth.  It is also the exact same

process used in the gunsmith

industry known as bluing.  Along

these lines, black oxide provides

little or no corrosion protection

without a subsequent coating of

oil – the first thing any hunter does

after returning from the field is to

lubricate his gun.  This is done

much more to impart corrosion

resistance as opposed to lubricate

(yes, even 400-series of stainless

steel can rust!).  All black oxide

processed parts done at Anoplate

leave with some form of rust

preservative on them be it light

or heavy (the exception to this

would be 300-series stainless).

At this processing temperature,

that is below 300F, it is highly

unlikely that any metallurgical

change is occurring so there is no

detrimental impact on hardness

or other mechanical properties of

the steel. 

On Time to Promise InitiativeAnoplate has been listening to our customers

and we have been trying to make your experience here as painless and simple as possible. We know that your deadlines are tight and that plating is usually one of the last steps in the manufacturing process. In your eyes quality is often just as important as delivery times. While Anoplate has long been known throughout the industry for the quality of our work, we are now raising the bar on our delivery times. Our employees understand the importance of keeping our word and we have made several improvements aimed at ensuring that we promise you accurate shipping dates and then align our production schedule to meet them. We are in the process of streamlining our order scheduling process, enhancing communication between departments, and installing a visual system that displays real-time product flow-through. You can also monitor the progress of your orders by logging onto the customer portal at Anoplate.com or contacting one of our Customer Service Representatives.

FAST FACTSForecasting 2012

When it comes to looking into ones crystal ball and assessing what the level of sales in the

coming year will be, there are many approaches one can take but if the second week prior to Christmas is any indication of type of year ahead in 2012, it’s going to be busy. Anoplate juggled and otherwise entertained five out-of-state customers (Colorado, Arizona, Alabama, North Carolina and New Jersey) that week from 8 AM Monday through Friday noon. Milt Stevenson, Jr. commented, “this level of customer activity on-site is unprecedented in the history of the firm.” More unusual was it coming so close to the holidays and the end of the year when historically things begin to wind down. While 2011 showed some growth, we’re optimistic about what 2012 and our customers have in store for Anoplate.

2

Q: With increasing pressure to eliminate thin chromic anodize and sulfuric anodize being too thick to maintain tight dimensional tolerances on precision machined parts, what options do I have? [Aerospace Machine Shop, Dayton, OH]

A: One possible choice is boric sulfuric anodize, commonly referred to as BSAA or Type Ic per MIL-A-8625. It doesn’t contain the hexavalent chromium conventional Type I chromic anodize does and it is about one-fourth the thickness of Type II sulfuric anodize. BSAA was discussed at length in the Spring 2011 issue of Anoplate NEWS.

Q&A

Spring 2012

The Latest News on Surface Engineering from

Anoplate Corporation

ANOPLATE NEWS

Continued on Page 3

ANopLATE NEwSSpring 2012

A publication ofAnoplate Corporation459 Pulaski StreetSyracuse, New York 13204-1134Phone: (315) 471.6143Office Fax: (315) 471.7132Quote Fax: (315) 471.4206

www.anoplate.com

Anoplate is an equal opportunity employerFor a free subscription to Anoplate News please email:sales@anoplate.com.

Established 1960

4

In this Issue:

COVERDesign and Thickness of Plating Affects Dimensions PAGE 2Fast FactsOn Time To Promise InitiativeQ&A

Page 3 Q&A

Page 4The Faces of Anoplate Customer Service

Almost all surface finishes cause some dimensional change, however

small, to the part being finished. Many coatings even result in a significant buildup-a buildup that should ideally be considered while the part is being designed. Typically, though, metal finishers and machinists are concerned with controlling the dimensions of existing parts on which design changes are not possible.

What at first looks like a “simple” plating job can actually entail complicated considerations involving electricity, chemistry, and physics, and it may require special processing steps. On the other hand, with the right preliminary information and the right testing, half the plater’s problems are solved. And while plating thicknesses are sometimes difficult to predict, after trial runs and process adjustments they can be duplicated quite accurately.

If the part’s design can’t be changed-and it usually can’t then it often falls to the plater to insure that final dimensions are maintained.

An electroplater’s formulaA basic formula of electroplating states that the amount of plating deposited

is proportional to the amount of electricity that passes from the anode to the part. In other words, plating thickness is directly related to amps and time, or “amp-minutes.” (The power company figures your electricity bill each month based on the number of amp-minutes registered on your meter.) For example, say a part is plated at

10 amps for 10 minutes (100 amp-minutes ) and the resulting coating is 0.0002 in. thick, but a 0.0003-in. minimum is required. According to the basic formula, increasing the amp-minutes from 100 to 150-increasing them by half will generate the required additional thickness. So thickness and amp-minutes have a predictable, proportional relation to one another-in theory.

Remember that this formula is a guideline. As such, it’s far from being reliable as a technical measurement.

Variations, variablesTwo common plating baths conform neatly to the values of the basic

Design and Thickness of Plating Affects Final Dimensions

The Faces of Anoplate Customer Service

The speed of product delivery from PO to shipment is faster than ever. Inventories are shrinking, logistics streamlining, queue times are non-existent.

With over 1,000 orders in-house on any given day, and over 150 orders received and shipped daily, Anoplate understands this. We know that constant and effective communication is paramount in order for you to keep your customers satisfied. Our Customer Service Representatives work every day to ensure that our customers are proactively updated with the best and most up to date information regarding the status of their orders.

You may have talked with one, or all, of our customer services representatives at one point in time; you may know their voices well, but let’s take a minute to introduce you to the faces of Customer Service:

Sean Novak, Customer Service Manager, joined Anoplate in 2006 and has extensive experience in plating engineering, coating applications, and business development.

Georgette Moncrief joined the Customer Service Team in 2006 and has been at Anoplate for 24 years with extensive previous experience in production and front-office functions.

Teri Knickerbocker joined Anoplate in 2011 with over 25 years sales, marketing, and customer experience.

Rebecca Carducci joined Anoplate in 2012 with 4 years of management experience and has been in customer service for 13 years.

While each customer service representative interfaces with different production areas within our facility for updates, each is available and able to handle any calls regarding status updates.

Over the past year, our reps have also been busy promoting our Customer Service Portal to our customers. The portal allows each customer to log in to a web-based portal to view the status and ship date of their orders that are at Anoplate. Inquire today!

Customer Service Cust_service@anoplate.com 315-471-6143x310

Sean Novaksnovak@anoplate.com315-471-6143 x128

Georgette Moncrief gmoncrief@anoplate.com315-471-6143 x162

Rebecca Carducci rcarducci@anoplate.com315-471-6143 x139

Teri Knickerbockertknickerbocker@anoplate.com 315-471-6143 x142