Product category:
Materials processing and testing
News Release from: Pickersgill-Kaye | Subject: Trivalent chrome plating
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 08 May 2006
Brighter future for RoHS-compliant
plating
A noncarcinogenic, brighter, shinier, chrome plating process is proving its potential for a Leeds company which is one of the first suppliers of the new system in the UK.
A noncarcinogenic, brighter, shinier, chrome plating process is proving its potential for a Leeds company which is one of the first suppliers of the new system in the UK And it is already receiving praise from a number of satisfied customers including Sound Leisure - an innovative and quality driven supplier of classic jukeboxes and music systems
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 7 Aug 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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Pickersgill Electroplating (PEP), a member of the Pickersgill-Kaye Group, is one of the few companies in the country offering a trivalent chrome plating process that is visually as bright and shiny as the traditional hexavalent chrome process.
Until now there has been a visual discrepancy between the two systems, which has proven to be very difficult for trade platers in the metal finishing industry.
Previous trivalent systems produced a duller finish with a dark bloom, rather than the bright and blue result the new version creates.
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And as well as an excellent finish, the new process means a safer working environment.
PEP's Technical Manager Andy Watts said: "With the hexavalent chrome, fortnightly mist checks had to be completed to monitor and ensure health and safety performance".
"As well as the health and safety aspect, plating quality has also improved".
"The new system has improved throwing power to ensure the plated film is more evenly spread and therefore better for complicated parts".
He added that with the hexavalent system, it was very easy to burn, or darken areas on chrome plated parts - adding extra work in polishing these areas out or replating as necessary.
The quality of finish using the new process has been an important element of the company's service to Sound Leisure - the UK's leading supplier of classically styled jukeboxes, digital jukeboxes and digital foreground music systems with a broad client base at home and overseas.
PEP electroplates thousands of different products for Sound Leisure, not just the external decorative parts, but many internal components are also plated for surface protection against corrosion, as well as for aesthetic reasons.
Sound Leisure's Phil Paterson commented: "Our customers spend longer looking at the inside of our machines than they do the exterior".
"When our products have a typical 10-12 year life span, we need to ensure the surfaces maintain a superb appearance for as long as possible, and PEP, with whom we've worked for about 18 years, ensures that happens with its first class quality".
PEP also ensures that Sound Leisure parts achieve their quality and legal requirements, such as the new WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive.
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