The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
  

  -----

Comparison of properties of plating materials

With the reduced availability and potential elimination of cadmium plating, we are looking for a substitute. The application is electrical. The primary issues are conductivity, corrosion-resistance, cost and availability. The application is relatively low volume, with many batches of different terminal and electrical connectors. A plating source in Cleveland, or Northern Ohio is preferred. Is there a chart available that lists the properties of plating material for comparison?

John Taylor
- Cleveland, Ohio
2004

The most common substitute talked about are zinc alloy products. Tin zinc is the closest to being the same as cad, but not many shops do it. nickel zinc might do. Ring up one of the major plating chemical vendors and ask them for their recommendation and who the closest job shop is that uses their product. Most will answer this question as it is a better than average probability of an increase in sales.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2004