Commercial Uses for Zinc Plating
Zinc, which has a distinctive bluish-white tint and a brilliant shine, is one of the most extensively used metals in the surface finishing industry. What makes it particularly popular commercially is its effectiveness and affordability as a form of plating. Zinc plating is also done in combination with other metals such as nickel, cobalt and tin. Zinc plating is most widely used commercially for plating iron and steel, but it is also used to protect finished products ranging from structural steelwork for buildings and bridges to nuts, bolts, screws, strips, sheets, wires and tubes.
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Galvanization
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Zinc plating provides a soft and anti-corrosive covering around the substrate, preventing oxidation of the substrate (metal that is to be guarded) by forming a protective anti-corrosive barrier. Unlike other metal-plating techniques, it shields the object by acting as a sacrificial coating that prolongs the life of the underlying metal.
Automobiles
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Zinc plating technology has been used in the automotive industry for years in Japan, Europe and the United States. The auto industry uses zinc-nickel coatings for most of its products. The plated end products are used in passenger car and light truck power steering components, air conditioning, hydraulic brake components and, in general, for most under-the-hood components.
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Electrical Transmission
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Many zinc plating processes have been extensively used for heavy electrical transmission components. Metal parts or structures that are used in engineering products or for the purpose of providing linkages and anchorage are ideal candidates for zinc plating. Good examples of such cases would be nuts and bolts, ship anchors or cleats, or for that matter, any metal fixtures that spend the majority of their productive life on the highways or the high seas. Zinc plating on such objects gives additional protection by providing a highly resistant anti-corrosive film, thus increasing its longevity. Another popular use of zinc plating is in the coaxial TV cable connector, which is assembled within the aluminum hosing. These connectors are used indoors and outdoors. Alkaline zinc-nickel plating used here is also an environmentally safer substitute.
Fasteners
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Fasteners are another product that heavily depends on plating. Traditionally, cadmium has been used for plating, but it is not environmentally friendly and its anti-corrosion properties break down when exposed to heat. This has therefore given way to zinc plating as a much better option. Plating fasteners in zinc- nickel plating is therefore now a fast- growing industry.
Defense
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Zinc plating is also found in manufacturing of tanks and armored personnel carriers, with additional research going on in this area so as to find new avenues of its application.
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