Metals

Chrome layers offer good corrosion protection with excellent appearance and high hardness.

A further increase of the corrosion protection and the wear resistance is possible with hard chrome.

Suitable base materials for chrome plating are non-ferrous and ferrous metals, stainless steel and die-cast zinc.

Chromium coatings are popular in the automotive, furniture and many other industrial sectors for their decorative appearance. Fields of application of hard chrome are heavily stressed workpieces such as brake discs, ball valves in pipelines or rollers and cylinders of all kinds in the printing industry, film production, paper production, the food industry and in mechanical engineering.

Copper has a good covering, a high ductility and a very good current and heat conductivity. Therefore, as a sub-layer, it counteracts tensions between the component and the layer system. Copper ensures good adhesion and provides a corrosion barrier in the combination coating. A copper layer is an ideal intermediate layer before nickel-plating and tin-plating. Copper plating has a levelling effect and a decisive influence on the gloss effect of the finished coating. Copper surfaces can be passivated subsequently.

The copper plating is suited for non-ferrous and ferrous metals, stainless steel and die-cast zinc.

Copper coatings alone are seldom needed, as copper tends to turn green, especially in moist air. However, it can serve as a painting substrate or as pre-treatment before other surface treatments. Components coated in this way are used for decorative purposes or in the electrical and electronics industries (e.g. connectors).

DURALLOY^® coatings optimise frictional processes. They effectively contribute to protection against friction and vibration corrosion and thus significantly increase the wear resistance of materials, for example, when used in gears or shaft-hub connections. The nodular-textured surface of DURALLOY^® coatings provides outstanding chemical resistance and material hardness for areas where conventional coating systems with comparable coating thicknesses are no longer sufficient.

The range of materials which can be finished using DURALLOY^® includes steels up to 62 HRc and up to 15% chromium content, stainless steels, grey cast iron, sintered metals and bronze.

DURALLOY^® coatings protect against pressure loads, inadequate lubrication, friction corrosion and vibration corrosion. They withstand high temperatures as well as corrosion and wear. They ensure low friction and dry lubrication. DURALLOY^® coatings are particularly suitable for linear guides or ball bearings and are also suitable for components that are exposed to aggressive gases (rolling mills, metallurgy, defence technology).

The most important client sectors are: automotive, decorative areas, printing press manufacture, hydraulics, industrial gears, aerospace, medical technology, offshore sector, textile machines, rolling bearing technology, defence technology and machine tools.

Gold layers generally exhibit high ductility, tarnish resistance, good solderability, and low specific electrical resistivity. We offer conventional gold layers as well as gold/cobalt alloy layers, which are more wear resistant and harder.

Gold and gold cobalt are deposited on aluminium alloys, non-ferrous and ferrous metals and titanium materials. Only gold plated are additionally stainless steel and die-cast zinc.

Gold and gold / cobalt alloy coatings are for example suitable for connectors for the electronics industry, batteries, LED manufacturing, professional halogen lamps, aerospace components, radar equipment, and high temperature brazing.

By means of special organic additives in the electrolyte and by varying certain process parameters, fine irregularities in the surface of the workpieces are flattened and a shiny surface is produced. Nickel plating increases electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance.

Non-ferrous and ferrous metals, stainless steel and die-cast zinc are nickel-plated by us.

Nickel-plating as a final coating for components is a possible alternative to chrome coatings in the decorative sector. As a final coating, nickel can be polished very well from matt to glossy. Nickel layers are in demand, above all in the automotive industry and in electrical engineering / electronics.

Nickel coatings from nickel sulfamate electrolytes (nickel sulfamate coatings) have a low residual stress, which can also be converted into compressive stress. They can be deposited in much thicker layers than classic nickel coatings. Nickel sulfamate coatings are very ductile and provide good protection against wear and corrosion attack. The coatings can also be machined without difficulty.

A nickel sulfamate treatment is suited for aluminium alloys, non-ferrous and ferrous metals and stainless steel.

Nickel sulphamate is especially recommended when extremely thick, stress-free coatings are needed. Such nickel coatings also serve as a primer for thermal spray coatings.

Silver coatings have very high electrical conductivity, good chemical resistance and high ductility. They are well suited for soldering, reduce contact resistance and have a self-lubricating effect.

We silver-plate aluminium alloys, non-ferrous and ferrous metals, stainless steel, titanium materials and zinc die-casting.

Due to their outstanding electrical conductivity, silver coatings are frequently used in the electronics, high-voltage and telecommunications industries, amongst others: electrical switches, high-voltage conductors or housings. In addition, silver is often used in the food industry and the chemical industry. For example, stainless steel fittings and shut-off valves are silver plated to prevent seizing and corrosion.

Tin coatings are also good for soldering and have a high ductility. They have good electrotechnical properties and offer excellent corrosion protection, including on copper and steel. They are chemically resistant to organic acids in the absence of oxygen. Like silver coatings, tin coatings are self-lubricating.

At Aalberts surface treatment we tin-plate aluminium alloys, non-ferrous and ferrous metals, stainless steel, titanium materials and zinc die-casting.

Tinning is mainly for technical parts that must be electrically conductive, solderable and electromagnetically shielded: housings for electrical plugs, plug contacts. Self-lubricating bearings are also an application for both tin and silver coatings.

Zinc coatings are decorative and functional. They have good temperature resistance and reliable corrosion protection. The coatings are Cr(VI) - free.

Galvanising is usually carried out on steel alloys.

Galvanic zinc is used in all conceivable sectors, such as the automotive industry, sanitary technology, construction and fittings industries as well as the metalworking industry, in areas with normal temperature loads right through to high corrosion protection requirements.

Zinc-iron coatings result in a technical surface with decorative qualities. The corrosion protection is very good. The coatings have an increased temperature resistance and show their strength even under extreme temperature loads. Zinc-iron coatings are environmentally friendly because they are free of hexavalent chrome.

Base materials are steel alloys and ferrous materials, including cast iron.

Typical application opportunities can be found in the automotive industry, construction machinery industry, sheet metal processing, electrical engineering as well as instrumental and mechanical engineering.

Zinc-nickel coatings offer high, long-term corrosion protection, even with high thermal loading. Contact corrosion with steel parts in combination with aluminium is avoided with this coating.

Zinc-nickel coatings are very ductile. Coated products can be strongly mechanically formed without flaking and cracking of the ductile ZnNi layer. Depending on the part geometry and base material properties, investigations have shown that the surface coating can be flanged (formed ) up to 180° while maintaining a consistently high corrosion resistance.

Base materials are steel alloys and ferrous materials, including cast iron.

Classical applications of components with zinc-nickel coatings are engine compartments, chassis and underbody areas in automotive engineering, as well as the offshore sector.