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

Hot Dip Galvanising compared to Zinc Electroplating

We are in the business of fabricating telephone line plant accessories for fixed wire telecom lines that are used on the poles outdoors.

1) Due to difficulties in galvanizing we intend to switch to zinc electroplating.

How effective is the ZE as compared to hot dip galvanizing in terms of protection lifetimes, protection against, etc.

2) Where can I get good technical data on Zinc Electroplating.

Ken Lamba
telecom) - Kenya
2000

---

There is an old truism in the finishing industry: "Zinc is zinc." It means that the protective value of a given thickness of zinc coating is virtually the same whether the zinc is deposited by galvanizing, mechanical plating, acid zinc plating, cyanide zinc plating, or alkaline non-cyanide zinc plating.

It's primarily a matter of thickness. However, your problem will be that electroplated zinc is usually not as thick as galvanized zinc. It is not so much because it is impossible to electroplate a thicker coating; rather, it is the case that in the thin coating ranges electroplating is usually more economical than hot dipping, whereas in the thick coating ranges it is much less economical.

Have you considered mechanical galvanizing?

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2000

Hot dip galvanising will offer vastly superior performance to zinc electroplating. Couldn't be sure of the weather conditions in Kenya but in a Scottish climate I would expect galvanising to last up to 10 times as long as an 8-10 micron electroplated coating.

Dougie Lightfoot
- Fife, Scotland
2000