SURFACE FINISHING
De Nora manufactures a variety of different anode coatings to meet the varied and demanding performance expectations of the plating industry.
Electrogalvanizing (EGL) Anodes
Zinc plating of steel sheet in a continuous steel processing line. This sheet is used primarily for the automotive and appliance markets. De Nora’s DSA® anodes offer significant advantages over competing soluble and insoluble production systems. Compared to soluble anodes DSA® anodes offer improved plating uniformity and better gap stability, reduced energy consumption with smaller anode-to-strip gaps allowing a higher plating current densities together with cost savings, no contaminant removal and fewer pollution problems.
Electrotinning (ETL) Anodes
The use of DSA® anodes for Tin Lines is another important use of the titanium anodes with iridium oxide anode coatings. These anode are typically used for balancing (plating out excess tin) of the dissolved tin in a Methane Sulfonic Acid bath or in a Phenyl Sulfonic Acid bath or for tin plate lines which use DSA® anodes as the main anode for the tin plating.
Balancing Anodes
Soluble anodes, including copper, tin, nickel and zinc tend to operate at less than 100% efficiency. As the concentration of the metal ion increases, plating quality can diminish and platers are forced to either dummy plate or dilute their plating baths in order to return to an optimal metal ion concentration. In either case, additional costs are incurred due to lost production or supplementary waste treatment. An extremely cost effective method for controlling metal ion growth is to replace a portion of the soluble anodes with DSA® anodes.
Platinized Anodes
De Nora’s MMO anodes are manufactured by coating a mixture of precious metal oxides on a specially treated precious metal. The coated substrate undergoes multiple thermal treatments at elevated temperatures to gain good bonding properties between the substrate & coating increasing the lifetime of anodes. De Nora’s anodes are in high demand in the global market for its excellent electrolytic properties and low wear rate of the coating.
Rotogravure Cylinder Plating Anodes
De Nora DTTM anodes have proved to be a viable high performance alternative, to soluble copper nuggets, in the plating of cylinders for the rotogravure printing industry. Unlike soluble copper anodes, De Nora DTTM anodes do not polarize and can therefore operate at higher current densities, which can reduce plating times by a factor of three. Given that De Nora DTTM anodes maintain their shape platers are now able to plate to size reducing or eliminating the post plate polishing operation to remove modules.
Plating on Plastic
De Nora’s GreenChrome® and Platinum anodes are dimensionally stable, highly conductive and offer a titanium metal structure that provides uniform current distribution and therefore more uniform plating on flexible conductors, mobile phone keys, car light cover and antennas, toys, precious metal plating for jewelry. This is important in industries where key factors are:
- Precise metal patterns has to be applied directly on plastic
- Performance and cost reduction
Steelcord and Wire Plating Anodes
DSA® anodes offer a cost effective alternative and superior product quality for processing electrogalvanized wire.
Soluble zinc or insoluble lead anodes
- Zinc and lead anodes change their shape affecting the quality and uniformity of the zinc deposition
- Non-uniform plating distribution around the circumference of the wire
- Platers are forced to over plate their product to achieve a minimum thickness requirement
DSA® anodes PLUS
- Most consistent current distribution around the wire
- Hence the most uniform plating
- Yields plating within 0.1% around the circumference of the wire
Trivalent Chrome Plating Anodes
In recent years, health and environmental regulations have become more stringent regarding the use of hexavalent chrome plating baths. As a result, platers are being forced to convert to trivalent chrome baths. GreenChrome® anodes are being recognized as the best suited solution for almost all the trivalent plating baths as they have long life and are specifically designed to prevent the destruction of the organic additives in the plating bath chemistries.