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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
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for Metal Finishing 1989-2025
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New Developments in Rotogravure Cylinders: Copper Plated Aluminum
Tip: Readers want to learn from Your Situation 🙂
(little can be learned from abstract questions, so many readers skip them)
- Delhi
August 31, 2024
? Hi SHINDE.
What is the starting point towards answering your question, i.e., what is the closest thing to copper plating onto aluminum that you already know how to do? Have you done copper plating? Acid, cyanide, or what? Have you done any plating on aluminum -- do we need to talk about zincating?
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
SHINDE,
COPPER PLATE ON ALUMINUM PROCESS STEP
1) CLEANER
2) RINSE
3) ACID DIP
4) ZINCATING
5) RINSE
6) NITRIC ACID DIP
7) RINSE-RINSE
8) ZINCATING
9) ELECTROLESS NICKEL
10) RINSE
11) ALKALINE ELECTROLYTE COPPER STRIKE
12) ACID COPPER PLATE
Electroplate consultant - Sterling Heights
September 3, 2024
A. Dear Sir
Aluminum plating with zincate is art more than industry; for big objects it's problematic because of slow movement, also long and costly line. So after cleaning & etching you may use this bath:
100 gm/l nickel chloride
50 g/l boric acid
12 ml/l HF or HCl
... then acidic copper or any kind of plating.
Best of luck
Raafat
- RIYADH ,SAUDI ARABIA
January 13, 2025
⇩ Related postings, oldest first ⇩
Q. Are there any new technological developments which have substantially improved upon rotogravure cylinder making? Putting it the other way, are there any developments facilitating high speed bulk printing, which are a threat to the business of rotogravure cylinder manufacturer?
Questioner is a printing novice. Hence please forgive obvious mistakes if any and respond accordingly.
Thank you,
- Baroda, Gujarat, India
2002
A. Hi Chetan. I am quite familiar with the metal finishing industry, but I too am a novice (at best) to the printing industry. I still see shops that anodize aluminum or plate & engrave copper for use in printing. But I can't say if it's threatened by a competitive manufacturing method so much as by the disappearance of a large portion of the industry to electronic media.
It may be a bit like asking if there are any new developments in vacuum tube or incandescent lamp manufacturing on the horizon :-)
Good luck, and hopefully someone familiar that industry will respond.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Aluminum Alloy Rotogravure Cylinder Problems & Solutions
Q. In the factory I work (Gravure Cylinders), there is the idea of changing the production from steel cylinders to Aluminum ones.
We use a Nickel Strike bath for pre treatment and Copper baths (H2SO4-CuSO4)
If we switch from steel to Aluminum, will we have to change the production line, or do we just insert the Zincate immersion step before the Nickel Strike?
Also If we can keep the same production line which Zincate would be preferable?
Chemical Analyst - Athens
November 17, 2021
A. Instead of a Wood's Nickel Chloride strike, consider an alkaline electroless nickel strike. It will withstand more zincate contamination.
Robert H Probert
Robert H Probert Technical Services
Garner, North Carolina
Thank you so much for the advice.
Chemical Analyst - Athens
Q. Which Aluminum Alloy is best for Rotogravure? I am researching it to add it in the production line where I work.
We use Nickel strike and Alkaline Unicopper NC. for the first layer of the copper plating.
Chemical Analyst - Athens
June 1, 2022
A. Hi Efstratios
Often it is necessary to pick an aluminum alloy based on strength rather than plateability, but 6061 is probably the most often selected alloy for plating or anodizing.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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