Metal Finishing Guide Book

2011-2012 Surface Finishing Guidebook

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Fig. 5. Various types of replaceable tips. ing, which is impervious to the acid or alkali attack that is prevalent in every plat- ing line. Plastisol racks and tips can be trimmed easily, exposing only the contact area to grip the part to be plated. Large racks will pick up more plastisol than small ones. It is important to try to maintain a consistent thickness, keeping in mind that small wire tips will retain very little heat and, therefore, pick up a lesser amount of coating. Replaceable tips have some advantage by being coated separately and retaining more heat, devel- oping a thicker coating. When plastisol is exposed to a trichloroethylene or perchloroethylene solvent, it will leach out the plasticizer and cause the coating to harden and crack. SPECIAL APPLICATIONS Anodizing Racks Anodizing racks are presently constructed out of two kinds of materials: alu- minum or titanium. Generally, anodizing racks are not coated. The main factor, as with copper racks, is that the contact with the anodized part must be positive. Titanium and aluminum do not lend themselves to spring-type tips as they are not spring-tempered materials. Aluminum is a much cheaper material, but it will be chemically attacked and also requires stripping of the anodic film after each cycle. Titanium has excellent corrosion resistance, long life, and mainte- nance-free operation. Titanium racks can be completely assembled with titanium nuts, bolts, and screws. Printed Circuit Board Plating Racks The requirements for printed circuit board (PCB) rack design for electronic plating of all types and sizes of boards are as complex as the microchip itself. The PCB rack must be designed to hold the board in a locked position with positive contact on the border of the board (see Fig. 6). The board must be held secure- ly because of mechanical or air agitation in the various baths. The contact point should be T316 stainless steel with a thumb screw of T316 with a Teflon tip, there- by creating a positive contact with minimum plating buildup. The most com- monly used thumb-screw size is 3/8-16. Some other sizes are 1/4-20, 5/16-18, 3/8- 12. The spine for PCB rack is fabricated out of copper with stainless steel rein- forcement or bracing. Some PCB racks are fabricated entirely out of T316 stain- less steel. All PCB racks have a top thumb screw, which securely fastens the rack to a work bar, this top thumb screw is stainless steel, plastisol coated, and is bigger than the screw that holds the board. The top thumb screw also is held 657

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