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Metal Finishing Services

Free Metal Finishing Guidebook

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Metal finishing is the process of changing the surface of an object, for the purpose of improving its appearance and/or durability. It is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of different categories, techniques and processes.

The Metal Finishing field can be quite overwhelming for

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What Is Pickling For?

picklingpickling metalwhat is pickling for?

Many of us may be familiar with the term ‘pickling’ as a way of preserving food. So how can metals be Pickled and what is the purpose and advantages of this process?

What Is Pickling?

Pickling is a cleaning process that removes impurities from ferrous metals. Ferrous Metals include

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How Plating Affects Dimensions

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Here at Silchrome we are often asked the impact that a metal finishing process will have on the dimensional tolerance of a component. Here is a broad overview we hope will answer many of your questions.

Amount Added

Most metal finishing processes such as electro-plating or paint and

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You asked: Can you Anodise Stainless Steel?

Black stainless steelblue stainless steel can you anodise stainless steel

 

We sometimes get enquiries asking if it’s possible to anodise Carbon and Mild Steels. Most often this is being done for decorative rather protective reasons, with customers looking for a uniform and flake free coating. The short answer is that no, Silchrome cannot offer anodising on steels

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Zinc Passivation Colours

zinc gold yellow passivationzinc olive drab passivatezinc trivalent

Zinc Plating is always accompanied by a Passivation process which will often have a colour associated with it. The difference between these colours and what exactly they are specifying can be a little confusing so here is a quick guide to some often misunderstood terms.

Blue Passivate -

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2 New Process Worker Roles Available

process worker jobjob vacancies leedsengineering and manufacturing roles

Silchrome Plating are proud to be expanding our thriving metal finishing business through the addition of 2 new process workers, at our facility in leeds, West Yorkshire. Morer details below:

Job Title: Process Worker

Job Type: Permanent

Location: Silchrome Plating Ltd, Barras Garth

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Tin Whiskers

tin whiskers formationtin whiskers and gow to avoid themtin whiskers

Tin Whiskers are electrically conductive, hair like structures that can grow on surfaces that have been electroplated with pure Tin. This causes failures within electronic components and represents a challenge for manufacturers looking to eliminate lead from production whilst keeping failure

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Tin Plating To Replace Lead

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Tin Plating To Replace Lead

The Manufacturing industry at large have been looking at the best ways to produce components that are not only fit for purpose but will have as little environmental impact on the earth as possible. RoHS or the Reduction of Hazardous Substances is a directive that

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FAQs about Plating Thickness

how big is a micronx-ray machinesilchrome plating thickness

Here are some commonly asked questions about plating thickness.

Units

Plating thickness is measured in Micrometres which are commonly referred to as Microns. The symbol for Microns is μm, but it is not unusual for this to be written as um. A micron is one thousandth of a millimetre or

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Which Finish? 4 Crucial Factors.

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Extending a component’s life span is crucial in any industry, but selecting a metal finishing process is often like opening a can of worms. Not only are there a wide variety of processes to choose from but many have their own sub-categories (3 types of Electroless Nickel for example) not to

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Benefits of Zinc Plating

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Zinc Plating with Passivate is one of the most popular metal finishing processes for a wide range of components including screws, fasteners as well pressings and automotive components. It is popular for a number of reasons:

 

Low Cost: Zinc as a material is abundant in nature within the

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Corrosion Resistance of Zinc Plating

zinc plating with passivatezinc yellow yorkshirecorrosion resistance of zinc plating

 

Zinc Electroplating offers a low cost but highly effective way in which to protect ferrous metals against a range of Corrosion sources. So what is Zinc, what can it be used for?

 

What is Zinc?

 

Zinc is a naturally occurring element that is abundant in the earth’s crust and is

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How Metal Finishing Reduces Manufacturing Costs

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The engineering world is fast paced and competitive with every company looking at ways they can reduce costs whilst still providing high quality goods. One such option is Metal Finishing which encapsulates Plating, Coating, Painting and generally covering a component in another substance.

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You asked: What is ‘Throwing’ in Metal Finishing?

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If you have ever worked with or been quoted any sort of metal finishing process then you may have come across the term ‘throwing’ but what exactly does this term mean?

Throwing is short for throwing power. It is defined as the measure of a metal finishing solution’s ability to plate a

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Porosity of Nickel Plating

electroless nickel porosityporosity of nickelelectroless nickel high phosphorus

We recently had a customer who was concerned about the porosity of an Electroplated Nickel finish for an application within the marine industry. So what is porosity, why is it undesirable and what is the best finish to combat against this?

Porosity is the measure of small voids/pours within

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Chrome Plating Process

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One of Silchrome’s most popular metal finishing processes is Electroplated Chrome. This finish is most noticeable in our everyday lives in ‘Chrome’ Bumpers which are in fact electroplated steel, so what is Chrome, why is it so popular and what is involved in ‘Chroming’ a component?

Chrome

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Blue, Gold and Trivalent Passivation.

zinc plating clear passivatezinc plating gold passivatezinc plating trivalent passivate

Zinc Plating is always accompanied by a passivation process and often this will have a colour associated with it. The difference between these colours and what exactly they are specifying can be a little confusing so here is a quick guide to some often misunderstood

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Barrel, Rack and Jigging Explained

electro-plating rackingjigging electro-platingrack,jig and barrel

Silchrome Plating always endeavour to process our customer’s parts in the most cost effective manner that will achieve the desired specification. You may have heard about Barrel, Rack and Jigging when talking with us about finishing your parts, but what does those terms mean?

BarrelRead more

Bright, Shiny and Reflective Finishes

 

silchrome bright and decorative finishesbright shiny finishlevellers and brighteners

As a metal finisher, many of Silchrome’s customers want bright and reflective components. This could be because this particular component will be ‘on show’ and so an endurable, decorative finish is desirable for instance in the Chrome Plating of vintage car bumpers. In many cases a

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Silchrome Awarded ISO 2015

 

silchrome electro-platingISO 9001:2015 approved platersilchrome anodising

 

Silchrome Plating are proud to announce that we have been granted ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications. These certifications are a globally recognised Quality Assurance Standard and is a reflection on the processes and procedures Silchrome have in place which enable us to

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  • The official logo for the Surface Engineering Association.
  • The official logos for the ISOQAR and UKAS industry regulatory bodies.
  • The official logo for the Institute of Materials Finishing.
  • The official logos for the ISOQAR and UKAS industry regulatory bodies.