Zinc is a naturally corrosive-resistant material/metal and its comparatively lightweight, prevents rusting, and this metal can be applied in very thin layers. For the automotive industry, this property of a metal was an important consideration because a heavy metal plating would definitely result in reduced efficiency of the vehicle to manuvere or control at various accelerations and functions. Zinc-nickel plating is thus being used in the automotive industry for the past 50 years and it hasn’t changed much since. For cars, although zinc had its fair share of good properties, it needed to be more durable and resistant to abrasion. A combination alloy of zinc and nickel allows the automotive industry to get the best of both worlds – a hard-wearing metal, customised to control salt spray, heat, and abrasion, all at the same time.
Electroplating Applications
Electroplating provides a corrosion-resistant envelope or coating on smaller metal parts like screws, nuts, bolts, and fasteners. To sum up, most hardware parts are generally coated with zinc using zinc electroplating applications. Electroplating also gained widespread in the automotive industry as a method of protecting intricate parts like brake pipes, brake calipers, and components for power steering. Metal electroplating usually serves as a protective coat under the paint layers, in this way promoting greater paint adhesion.
Metal Electroplating Benefits In The Automotive Industry
Other than providing excellent anti-corrosion layering, plating has these other benefits to offer:
Economical – Metals like zinc is found in abundance where it is viewed as a more cost-effective plating process than plating other precious metals such a gold or palladium. This makes Zinc Electroplating a low cost and preferred choice for any industry or company that has to keep an eye on expenditures.
Increased strength – Even though zinc is relatively lightweight, a zinc plated coat increases the substrate’s strength.
Flexibility – Most metals have a wide range of compatibility for bath chemistries, providing greater flexibility for customizing the electroplating outcome.
Why Automotive Industry Prefers Zinc for Electroplating Their Components?
Ductility – Zinc is extremely ductile, meaning it can be stretched into long, thin strands without breaking. This makes zinc easy to contour into the substrate’s shape, even if it’s irregular.
Tolerance to High temperature – Zinc is capable of tolerating temperatures of up to 120° F, which can help lower cooling costs.
Control of hydrogen embrittlement – Hydrogen embrittlement is a condition where metal becomes brittle because of hydrogen diffusion in the surface. Zinc is less susceptible to the development of this condition. However, substrates have to be zinc plated with high-strength metal fasteners for appropriate relief from hydrogen embrittlement.
Friendly to the environment – Zinc electroplating in the automotive industry is considered to be an eco-friendly process, specially while comparing it to its counterpart: Cadmium. Zinc is even recyclable.
Aesthetic appeal – Zinc electroplating improves the outer appearance of an iron or steel part or component. Introducing colours during post-treatment helps you customise the aesthetics of the finished product.
Role of Metal Plating in Automotive Industry’s ADAS Manufacturing
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a revolutionary system developed to make autos easier for operation and more importantly enhance driver safety. ADAS is a collection of technologies that aid and help drivers avoid accidents by providing timely alerts while on the road or even take vehicle control if a potential hazard is detected. Common ADAS examples are automatic braking, pedestrian detection, drowsiness monitoring, lane detection warning.ADAS technology is a rapidly growing automotive electronics manufacturing segment. The system function relies on highly intuitive sensors to gather information and deliver the info to specific systems inside the vehicle, also to the driver. This high-precision nature of the ADAS demands meticulous attention to detail during the manufacturing and designing processes ensuring best quality.
Metal electroplating plays a significant role in the automotive industry for many years now. Automotive manufacturers typically prefer zinc electroplating as it provides long-lasting results at a relatively low cost. And choosing the right plating company is essential. DU Organics manufactures electroplating chemicals that not just match but exceed international standards of safety and quality.