Why do spring components tend to become brittle after undergoing electroplating following electrolytic degreasing?
A Shaanxi electroplating plant produced a batch of spring components that snapped with minimal force. Since they had purchased electrolytic degreasing powder and other products from Bigely, they sought assistance from Bigely engineers.
Generally speaking, hydrogen absorption after spring plating occurs with a certain probability, though it rarely causes severe fractures upon light pulling. Upon arriving at the site, the engineer initially suspected excessive acid pickling time. However, the opposing technical personnel clarified this was not the case, as acid pickling only took one to two minutes. Electrolytic degreasing and bright nickel plating both lasted approximately fifteen minutes.
Based on the information gathered, the engineer inspected the electrolytic degreasing process. It was discovered that the entire degreasing process was occurring at the cathode, which completely contradicted the process requirements.
Why is that? Because for components like spring parts and high-strength high-carbon steel, cathodic degreasing is strictly prohibited. Doing so would cause the so-called “hydrogen embrittlement” phenomenon, severely compromising the mechanical properties of the workpiece.
Accordingly, the engineer recommended that the electroplating plant switch from cathodic degreasing to anodic degreasing when using Bigely electrolytic degreasing powder. He instructed the workshop workers that this measure was specific to this particular workpiece. For plating other workpieces, the process must follow the sequence of cathodic degreasing first, then anodic degreasing. This approach completely resolved the brittleness issue with the spring components.
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Guangdong Bigely Technology Co., Ltd. ,founded in 2003, is a high-tech enterprise integrating R & D，production, sales and service, specializing in the production of electroplating additives. As a famous electroplating additives source manufacturer in China, Bigely has over 20 years' experience in electroplating additives production and own production base of 5000 square meters. We can produce 15,000 tons of electroplating additives every year, which can fully meet the needs of customers.
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