WHAT'S NEW at APC?

Artistic Plating Featured in Products Finishing Magazine for Expansion in Medical Industry
Artistic Plating was recently featured in a cover story of Products Finishing Magazine…

Artistic Plating to once again Exhibit at 2012 Medical Design and Manufacturing Show in Minneapolis, MN
Artistic Plating will be exhibiting in booth 1436 at the upcoming 2012 MD&M Minneapolis show in Minneapolis, MN October 31st through November 1st…

Artistic Plating Launches Expansion of Precision Tin/Lead and Lead Plating Lines
Artistic Plating recently tripled the capacity of precision tin/lead and lead plating services due to recent growth in plating within the bearing, power distribution/transmission and energy sectors…

Artistic Plating Expands with New Flagship Heavy Build Copper Plating Line
Artistic Plating recently launched its newest plating line, which was designed to offer expansion in heavy build copper plating. "This line is truly a state-of-the-art machine that combines over sixty years of plating experience with today’s most modern PLC and SCADA controls…"

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CERTIFICATIONS

Tin/Cobalt Chrome Alternative Plating Services (Techni-Crom)

Artistic Plating Company provides innovative tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services that offer a similar blue-bright appearance as decorative chrome.  Unlike traditional chrome our tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is fully RoHS compliant and can be barrel plated.  Our tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is an excellent choice for providing a brilliant chrome-like appearance on products that must meet RoHS compliance (hexavalent chrome free).  Significant cost savings can be realized on smaller products over traditional chrome due to the mass loading and unloading afforded by bulk barrel plating. 

Artistic Plating’s tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating can be deposited over an underplate of bright nickel for a bright-chrome appearance or it can be plated over a grained or electroless nickel underplate to achieve a satin-chrome look.  Artistic Plating has worked with numerous manufactures in various industries to employ our tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating where traditional chrome plating had been used thereby eliminating hexavalent chrome on their product.  Current industry applications of our tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating include the medical, plumbing, hardware, hand tool, appliance and electronics markets.  Specific examples of application include appliance hinges and hardware, hand tools, decorative fasteners and interior trim pieces such as lock bezels.

Tin/Cobalt Chrome Alternative Plating Services – Tin/Cobalt Corrosion Performance

Artistic Plating’s tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating has proven to provide up to double the corrosion protection of a similar deposit of traditional hexavalent chrome over an equal nickel underplate.  However, the corrosion protection offered by Artistic’s tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is different than that seen by hexavalent chrome in terms of cosmetic attributes from neutral salt spray testing per ASTM B117.  The primary mechanism which a traditional chrome deposit protects a substrate is by forming a dense oxide film on the surface of the chrome metal.  The chrome oxide acts as a passive barrier for the chrome deposit and is transparent to the human eyes without a visible “tarnish” being seen.

Tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating does not protect in the same manner since it is not a chrome deposit.  While the substrate protection of tin/cobalt is equal or superior to that seen from hexavalent chrome, the surface of the deposit can exhibit a slight tarnishing when subjected to accelerated corrosion testing per ASTM B117.  Service conditions of traditional chrome deposits are well defined in ASTM B456, “Electrodeposited Coatings of Copper Plus Nickel Plus Chromium and Nickel Plus Chromium.”  The five service conditions listed are as follows:

Service Condition 5 – Extended Severe Service
Service Condition 4 – Very Severe Service
Service Condition 3 – Severe Service
Service Condition 2 – Moderate Service
Service Condition 1 – Mild Service

Artistic Plating generally recommends the use of tin/cobalt chrome alternative for most SC 1 and SC 2 applications and in some instances SC 3 environments. 

Artistic Plating’s tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating has been proven to outperform traditional chrome plating over an equal nickel underplate as measured by time to substrate corrosion (e.g. red rust on steel).  Artistic has the ability to apply a duplex nickel underplate in both rack or barrel methods to enhance overall corrosion performance.  If a specific corrosion performance is required the type, thickness and number of underplates used can be engineered to meet your finishing requirement (reference What causes metals to oxidize or “rust” in our Plating Topics section). 

Tin/Cobalt Chrome Alternative Plating Services – Tin/Cobalt Hardness

Artistic Plating’s tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is a simultaneous codeposit of approximately 78% tin / 22% cobalt generally applied over an underplate of bright nickel or electroless nickel.  Since the tin/cobalt chrome alternative is a combination of both tin and cobalt the properties of the coating exhibit similarities of both metals. 

The hardness of tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is not as resilient as chromium.  When tested per ASTM D968 the weight loss of tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is an average of 0.8mg versus 0.9 mg for that of chromium. This testing shows that tin/cobalt chrome alternative is in an acceptable range of wear for most applications with hardness of approximately 70-80% that of chromium.  This hardness is consistent with that of most electrolytic bright nickel deposits.

Tin/Cobalt Chrome Alternative Plating Services – Tin/Cobalt Appearance

The appearance of tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is a key attribute as it is often compared to traditional chrome deposits.  Artistic Plating employs stringent color quality control measures to develop customer-specific color standards.  Lots processed are quantitatively measured against these standards to verify the color of tin/cobalt chrome alternative deposits.  Spectrophotometer measurements of the plated deposits to the CIE Lab 1976 color space can be provided with each lot processed.

The CIE Lab (CIE L*a*b) is the most complete color space specified by the International Commission on Illumination.  It describes all colors visible to the human eye and plots them in a three dimensional graph where the L-axis represents light-to-dark, the A-axis represents the green-to-red shades and the B-axis provides the blue-to-yellow colors.  Artistic Plating pioneered the use of this technology in decorative gold plating and currently utilizes the equipment and methods to maintain tight color control over all alloy deposits including tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating.

Tin/Cobalt Chrome Alternative Plating Services – Tin/Cobalt Specifications

Tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating is a relatively new technology which as recently found growing application with the advent of RoHS compliance and general environmental regulations/concerns about traditional chrome plating.  Due to this fact there are presently no ASTM or MIL specifications which address tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating.

A number of major manufacturers in various industries have adopted company specific tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating specifications.  Artistic Plating has been able to meet all of these specifications to date and can provide certifications to such documents if required.  If needed Artistic Plating’s certified finishing engineers can pair with your engineering and design teams to help identify key attributes and develop a specification that meets the desired functionality of your product. 

Tin/Cobalt Chrome Alternative Plating Services – Why Artistic Plating? 

Artistic Plating provides expertise in tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services to fulfill even the most demanding applications. From prototyping and PPAP qualification to full production processing – it is Artistic’s dedicated effort to exceed your expectations.  The following points highlight why Artistic Plating is a leader in tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services:

• Consistent Color Control:  Tin/cobalt deposits must be controlled to maintain a consistent color for order to order.  Artistic Plating utilizes stringent, quantitative measures to certify the color consistency with each order to the CIE L*a*b color space (see above).  Artistic has taken over several existing tin/cobalt chrome alternative accounts from job shops that were not able to provide this service to their customers.
• Diversity of substrates:  Artistic Plating provides tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services on nearly any metallic substrate such as copper & copper alloys including beryllium, chromium and tellurium coppers, hardened and alloyed steels, stainless steels, Inconels, Hastalloys, Monels, ductile & cast iron and metalized plastics.
• Delicate and Difficult Geometries:  Artistic Plating offers tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services on delicate parts employing specialty oscillating, rock-and-roll, compartmentalized, vibratory and minimum part movement barrel technologies as well as custom-engineered rack fixturing when required to ensure even the most delicate parts are handled properly.  Artistic has a working R&D relationship with several tooling manufactures that has lead to several patented designs.
• RoHS and REACH Compliance:  Artistic is at the forefront of environmental compliance and can certify our tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services as needed to the current RoHS, ELV and REACH regulations.  Tin/cobalt chrome alternative is an outstanding way to achieve the bright-blue appearance of chrome and maintain full compliance with RoHS.
• Competitive Pricing:  The ability to barrel plate tin/cobalt plating offers the potential for dramatic cost savings on smaller parts which must be rack plated in traditional chrome.  Economic advantages such as this can help your company thrive in today’s competitive global marketplace. 
• Lean Lead Times:  With inventories leaner than ever, rapid turn around is an underpinning company core value to ensure the service our customers need in tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services.
• Value Added:  Artistic prides itself on meeting the customer’s needs.  Whether it’s custom engineering packaging, vacuum or nitrogen sealed packaging to enhance storage, Kanban inventory management, light subassembly or multiple finishing combinations – Artistic will work with you to ensure we meeting your needs in nickel finishing services.

Extensive in House Analytical and Quality Lab Services:  SPC is employed in all wet-lab work surrounding our tin/cobalt chrome alternative plating services to ensure baths are analyzed and adjusted at optimum frequencies to maintain operation between critical upper and lower control points.  Our quality lab employs the latest in x-ray, coulometric and spectrophotometer technologies to inspect your parts and will work to your requirements to provide testing as needed.  Our quality lab can certify salt spray performance to ASTM B117, adhesion to ASTM B571 and solderability to ASTM B678.  Mounted cross sections of parts are also available.