Dyclad & Service Preparation
The DyClad process, developed in 1977 through research in proprietary bath electronics and surface finished, can be used with most ferrous and nonferrous metals. We apply DyClad with the same high levels of skill and quality built into our conventional hard chroming service.
Typical Applications Include:
- Cutting Tools
- Bearings and bearing surfaces
- Molds for plastic parts
- Cold or warm forming equipment
- Aluminum and stainless steel drilling
- Engine and transmission components
- Dies for stamping, drawing, forming and blanking
- Standard-built pumps and meters
No need for special engineering
You don’t have to engineer the DyClad process into your design calculations. The treatment does not change the dimensions or mechanical properties of your base metal (0.0001″ maximum growth).
Manufacturing and Performance Advantages
DyClad surface enhancement makes manufacturing more efficient while improving end-product performance.
Fewer finishing steps – The process eliminates additional grinding, polishing and secondary operations needed with almost any other surface treatment.
Extra hardness – DyClad produces an equivalent micro-thin hardness of Rockwell C70. The result is longer service life with dramatic reductions in galling, seizing, metal pickup, sticking, erosion, and corrosion.
Less friction and wear – The treatment improves surface retention and circulation of lubricants. When DyClad is applied to just one surface of two gliding steel parts, it will reduce friction by about 47%. (Some applications call for DyClad on both bearing contact surfaces).
Superior Bond – DyClad bonds so strongly that it will adhere under standard bent tests and withstand the forces of cold extrusion and forming. The bond stands up to repeated flexing without chipping, flaking, cracking, peeling, or separating.
Easy removal – Unlike other types of surface treatments, DyClad can be removed without damage to the substrate. You can make engineering changes easily, then simply re-apply the DyClad process.
Please call if you need more information. Our consulting services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’ll help you evaluate our DyClad process as it relates to your application. And we’re happy to consult with you on all of your surface treatment needs.
SURFACE PREPARATION FOR HARD CHROME PLATINGM
“Improper surface finishing is probably one of the most common reasons for plating failure.”
The Handbook of Hard Chrome Plating, copyright 1986
At Hale Performance Coatings, we translate that quote to :
” A clean surface equals a good plating job.”
Why? – Chrome plating is an electrolytic process. Electric current flows through a solution containing chromium from the anode surface to the metal surface that needs plating. To accept the chrome, the work piece surface must conduct the current evenly. A dirty surface won’t conduct the current. No current flow, no chrome adhesion or uniform deposit. So surface cleanliness is, by far, one of the most important factors in successful hard chroming.
How Clean is Clean? – The surface must be free of anything that could insulate it from the electric current – oil, paint, cosmoline, wax, polish, oxidation, heat-treat scale, and corrosion. Even the slightest resistance in a specific area can prevent that area from being plated. Watch out especially for oxidation and corrosion. They are almost invisible barriers to the electric current. If these areas aren’t prepared as well as the rest of the surface, they may not plate at all.
Surface Preparation Methods
The appropriate method depends on the type of material to be plated and its surface condition. The most common cleaning methods are:
- Submerging in a chemical solvent bath
- Dry blasting (silica, sand, walnuts, shot, ect.)
- Wet blasting (vapor hone)
- Polishing (as done in tool and die or mold shop)
- Scrubbing with non-abrasive cleaner and hot water
- Proprietary electro-etching
Hurrying might waste time and money
Any imperfection left after cleaning and polishing will be magnified and mirrored on the finished plated surface. Take all the time you need for thorough surface preparation. Shortcutting on polishing or other treatments to get the work to us sooner, actually can slow down the job. You can save both time and money, and ensure superior quality, by preparing your surfaces to conduct electricity easily and evenly. It’s our job to give you help if you need it. If you have question before we plate your next tool, please call us anytime for consultation. We have technical support people available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can recommend the best method to clean and prepare your work piece.
We expect hard chrome plating to be economically productive for you, providing the highest possible return on your investment in the process.