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Cadmium Color?

Hi, I am with a contract manufacturer in Poughkeepsie, NY. We periodically make a heater box that gets cadmium plated. Historically the color has been clear or more accurately closer to silver (like clear zinc). The batch we just sent out came back gold or yellow. Is Cad even typically available in Yellow or gold?

Scott Syska
Contract Manufacturer - Poughkeepsie, New York
January 15, 2008

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If you didn't specify, Scott, I'm surprised that you usually got it in silver, as yellow and olive drab are more common than clear in my experience. More importantly, if you are just continuing making this box sort of by rote, it is time to re-examine things. Cadmium used to be used almost interchangeably with zinc decades ago, but it is a bioaccumulative toxic metal and it is now only used for those applications where it's unique combination of properties make it indispensable. Please ask the designer to carefully rethink whether it couldn't be zinc plated or zinc alloy plated; and while s/he's at it, whether the chromate could be RoHS compatible trivalent. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 15, 2008