General Metal Finishing

CSP
Cleaners, Strippers, Pretreatments
Cleaning

Brian List – Rock Hill, USA – March 2014

Cleaning

 Q: Why Clean a Metal Surface?

 A: To facilitate the application of a subsequent Metal Finishing
operation or process.

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Cleaning
Why Do We Clean

 To obtain a commercially acceptable finish

 To prevent rejects for poor appearance, lack of adhesion and poor
corrosion resistance, etc.
 During fabrication, metal parts undergo a variety of processes which
produce contamination of their surfaces
 The subsequent electroplating process requires that these
objectionable soils be removed / or replaced by surface films more
suitable for maximum performance of the final finish, whether it is
functional or decorative

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Cleaning

 Q: What is cleaning?
 A: Cleaning is the removal of soil or unwanted matter from a
surface to which it adheres.

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Cleaning

 Q: Whose Responsibility?
 A: As cleaners and the cleaning/activation cycle are an integral
and fundamental part of the plating process, it is your
responsibility to educate your customer as to its absolute
importance in his plating line. When you are servicing his
plating tank, you are totally dependent on his cleaning cycle.

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Cleaning
Cleaning and Acid Activation Summary

 Selection of an aqueous cleaning cycle will depend very largely on

nature of soil and substrate. Typically, there are three basic steps:
 Soak (immersion) Cleaning – Most important Cleaning step.
‒ (If oily soils are not effectively removed here – plating problems are likely)

 Electro-cleaning is essential to ensure total cleaning so that high

quality electro deposition can occur.
 Acid Activation to remove all oxides / tarnishes and to activate the
surface of the base metal.
 Thorough rinsing between every cleaning and pickling step is
mandatory to achieve high quality plating.

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Cleaning
Factors Influencing Cleanliness for Maximum Plating Quality

 Cleaners
‒ Concentration
‒ Temperature
‒ Time in contact with cleaning solution
‒ Agitation
‒ Contamination factor

 Rinses
‒ Temperature
‒ Time in contact with rinse waters
‒ Agitation
‒ Flow pattern
‒ Contamination factor

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 Typical Substrates

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General Metal Finishing
Typical Substrates
Ferrous

 Steel
 Steel has a carbon content between 0.1 – 1.5 % with traces of sulfur and
manganese.
 Lead is sometimes present to aid formability.
 Low carbon steel is considered < 0.35 % carbon, and is less likely to be
heat treated
 High carbon steel is considered > 0.35 % carbon.
 As steel is difficult to form it is usually contaminated with heavy oil and
lubricants.

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Typical Substrates
Ferrous

 Stainless Steel
‒ This is mostly alloyed with chromium or nickel (or both).
‒ The alloy is corrosion resistant due to a transparent, adherent, thin film of
oxide.
‒ This tenacious oxide film must be removed prior to plating if adhesion is to
be achieved.

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Typical Substrates
Ferrous

 Aqueous Cleaners Used

‒ Soak Cleaner
 Medium to highly alkaline with strong oil emulsifiers.
 They will usually contain silicates, phosphates and chelators.
 Used at high temperature and concentration.
‒ Electro Cleaner
 High free alkalinity to provide conductivity.
 Usually anodic
 Usually contain built in fume suppressing wetters
 Contains emulsifiers, silicates, phosphates and chelators
 If alkalinity is too low, steel will oxidize and Fe(OH)2 will form on surface
 For stainless steel, cathodic electrocleaning is mandatory

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Typical Substrates
Non-Ferrous

 Copper
‒ Copper is a relatively inactive metal, although it will tarnish heavily under
certain conditions
‒ Copper is easily formed and therefore less likely to be soiled with heavy
oils and lubricants. As such, it requires much less aggressive cleaning
than steel

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Typical Substrates
Non-Ferrous

 Copper
 Soak Cleaner
 Similar cleaners to steel although used at lower temperatures and
concentrations
 Copper will tend to tarnish at high temperature
 Do not air agitate
 Electro Cleaners
 Similar cleaners to steel although used at lower temperatures and concentration

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Typical Substrates
Non-Ferrous

 Brass
‒ Castings (most common) and stampings
‒ Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It has poor formability
‒ Leaded Brass (usually castings) is much easier to machine – assume
that machined parts ( i.e threaded components) are produced from leaded
brass
‒ Unleaded brass is usually stamped from sheet material
‒ Typical soils are machining fluids and polishing compounds

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Typical Substrates
Non-Ferrous

 Brass
‒ Typical soils are polishing compounds & machining fluids
‒ More chemically active than copper (due to the alloyed zinc)
‒ Requires much reduced caustic level cleaners used at reduced
temperatures in comparison to copper cleaners
‒ Special acid activators needed if leaded brass

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Typical Substrates
Typical Cleaners for Brass

 Soak Cleaner
‒ Reduced alkalinity, lower temperatures, usually highly inhibited to prevent
attack of the zinc metal alloy.

 Electro Cleaner
‒ Reduced Alkalinity and well wetted.
‒ Usually inhibited.
‒ Anodic is preferred.

 Acid Activation
‒ For leaded brass – special acid dips are required to remove surface lead.

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Typical Substrates
Non-Ferrous

 Zinc Die Cast (ZDC)

‒ ZDC is a relatively active metal - it therefore needs careful pretreatment.
‒ ZDC will be etched or dissolved by prolonged contact with acidic or
strongly alkaline conditions
‒ When ZDC are provided for plating in polished form, typical soils are
buffing compounds, metal fines and waxes.

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Typical Substrates
Typical Cleaners for Zinc Die Cast (ZDC)

 Soak Cleaner
‒ Mildly alkaline to prevent attack of substrate with good emulsifiers and
wetting agents.

 Electro Cleaner
‒ Medium Alkalinity and highly inhibited to prevent attack of substrate.
‒ Anodic or cathodic.

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 Thank you for your
attention!

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General Metal Finishing