Von Gerd Reineck - TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH, Aschaffenburg
In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the use of decorative metallised plastic bezels and controls associated with the steering wheels of trucks. Such components must meet the highest standards in terms of their visual appearance and functionality. Components with very small, yet visible internal surfaces are, on account of unfavourable current distribution, extremely difficult to plate. The resulting poor throwing power impedes formation of a uniformly thick deposit. In many cases, requirements in terms of deposit thickness and visual appearance cannot be met and in such cases, the reject rate after finishing, exceeds acceptable values. In order to form satisfactory deposits in such situations, auxiliary anodes, also known as internal anodes, must be used in conjunction with the overall electrodeposition process.
Given that no European decorative chromium plater could be located that was able to deposit Cu/Ni/Cr coatings in internal recesses using auxiliary anode technology, a multinational project (with the Elsyca simulation technology being at the core) under the leadership of TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH in Aschaffenburg was initiated to meet this special requirement.
Click below to download the article that was published in Galvanotechnik, September 2012.
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