The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Tungsten process list required

Process / cycle list needed. I have a customer requesting equipment for "tungsten". I need a process/cycle list.

Thanks,

Ron Landrette
plating equipment supplier - Bristol, Connecticut
2002

---

ASM Metals Handbook, "Surface Engineering" volume has a great chapter with prep cycles for refractory metals, Ron. Worth a look!

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

---

There are two forms of tungsten that I've seen for plating and they behave quite differently. Mostly when we've received "tungsten" for plating it's a powdered metal sintering with a copper-iron binder that holds the tungsten particles together. The trick with this material is NO ETCH and adhere to the binder.

Tungsten, as Ted suggested, is plated using techniques in either ASM Handbook, Volume 5 on Surface Engineering, or try the ASTM specification for Plating on Tungsten. Plating on tungsten is much more difficult than the sintered version (in my experience).

Milt Stevenson, Jr.
Syracuse, New York
2002