Technically Speaking: Jan./Feb. 2013 Vol. 111 No. 1

The Plating and Coating Industries Technology Magazine
www.metalfinishing.com
Jan./Feb. 2013
Vol. 111
No. 1
Technically Speaking
Electroless nickel/immersion
silver for PCB applications
New developments in DC acid
copper for vertical plating tanks
On the surface
Critical cleaning for
electronic components
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Technically Speaking
12 Electroless Nickel/Immersion SilverA New
Surface Finish for PCB Applications
20 New Developments in DC Acid Copper for
Vertical Plating Tanks
23 Zincate- or Stannate-Free Plating of Aluminum
and its Alloys
26 The Study of Color Strength Measurement in
Anodizing Dyes
Finishers Profile
30 AR Iron LLC Supplements its Sought-After
Decorative Forging Capabilities with Expanded
Powder Coating Services
Columns
3 Tuckers Take
Electronics Sector Poised for Short-Term
Growth
34 Cleaning Times
Ultrasonic Transducers: Part IHow They
Work
37 On the Surface
The Right Surface for Electronic
Components
39 Quality Control
Fault Tree Analysis Helps Explain the
Reasons Why?
42 Guest Column
Making Reviews Worthwhile for Employees
and Managers Alike
Departments
4 News & Briefs
44 Finishers Directory
45 New Products
47 Classifieds
48 Calendar of Events
48 Ad Index
WHATS
inside
tuckerstake
F
or those tracking North
American printed circuit board
production activity, 2012 didnt
exactly end with a bangor shall I
say surge. Nonetheless, analysts
are hoping that a projected spike in
new orders will give the electronics
sector a much-needed spark.
According to a newly released
report from IPCthe Association
Connecting Electronics Industries
rigid printed circuit board shipments
were down 16.1% in December 2012
compared to December 2011, with
bookings off 8.8% year over year. Year
to date, rigid PCB shipments
declined 5.5% and bookings
decreased 1.7%. Compared to the
previous month, rigid PCB ship-
ments were actually up 7.1%, with
rigid bookings rising 19%.
With respect to flexible circuits,
shipments in December 2012 were
up 6.7%, and bookings climbed 9.4%
compared to December 2011. Year
to date, however, flexible circuit
shipments decreased 1.5% and book-
ings decreased 10%. Compared to
the previous month, flexible circuit
shipments decreased 7.4% but flex
bookings were up 20.2%.
For rigid PCBs and flexible cir-
cuits combined, shipments in
December 2012 were down 14.5%
and bookings decreased 7.5%, com-
pared to December 2011. Year to
date, combined shipments were
down 5.2% and bookings were off
2.4%. Compared to the previous
month, combined shipments for
December 2012 increased 5.7%, with
bookings rising 19.1%. On the
whole, industrys sales ended 2012 at
5.2% below 2011.
Sharon Starr, IPCs director of
market research, focused on the
bright spot, citing a combined rigid
and flexible book-to-bill ratio of
0.98 for Decemberan indication
that demand is ahead of supply.
North American PCB book-to-bill
ratios appear to have begun recover-
ing after a downward trend that
began in the second quarter of
2012, she explained.
Other major indices support
Starrs observations. According to
the Federal Reserves latest report on
U.S. industrial production, durable
goods advanced 1% to end the year,
increasing at an annual rate of 1.8%
in the fourth quarter alone. A closer
inspection shows output rose for
most major categories during that
period, including gains of more than
1% in the index for electronics.
Yet another critical barometer of
industrial activitythe PMI Index,
released by the Institute for Supply
Managementbodes well for the
electronics sector. The latest report
shows that out the 18 manufactur-
ing industries surveyed, 13 sectors
reported growth during January.
Among them (you guessed it!) elec-
trical equipment. Particularly
encouraging is the overall index for
new orders, which rose 3.6 per-
centage points to 53.3 last montha
mark that is generally consistent
with an increase in the Census
Bureaus series on manufacturing
orders.
Taking all of this into account,
analysts believe it is a positive indi-
cator for sales growth over the next
two to three months.
Heres hoping theyre right!
Electronics Sector Poised
for Short-Term Growth
January/February 2013
Volume 111 - Number 1
Publisher
David Hopwood
Editor
Reginald Tucker
re.tucker@elsevier.com
Art Director - Production Manager
Susan Canalizo-Baruch
s.canalizo@elsevier.com
Advertising Sales Manager
Arnie Hoffman
Ph: (847) 559-0909
E-mail: arnie@edmancompany.com
Advertising Sales Reps
Donald Moeller
512-585-2391
E-mail: moeller.donald@gmail.com
Lynne Arons
847-853-7001
E-mail: Lynne.lyongroup@comcast.net
Annabelle Jacobson
847-256-6850
E-mail: Annabelle.lyon@comcast.net
Gabe Jacobson
E-mail: lyongroup1@comcast.net
Tel: 847-256-6818
Marketing/Circulation Manager
Caroline Champney
c.champney@elsevier.com
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metal finishing
www.metalfinishing.com January/February 2013 I metalfinishing I 3
APPOINTMENTS
SIFCO ASC welcomes Alex
Jachnycky to the SIFCO sales team.
He will be based out of SIFCOs
headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jachnycky, a graduate of the
University of Phoenix, holds a
Bachelor of Science in Business
Management. He will draw on his
years of sales experience, most
recently working with Arrow
Electrics as an on-site customer serv-
ice representative. SIFCO ASC is
looking forward to utilizing his high
energy and strong analytical abilities
to help customers with their selective
plating needs.
This addition to our sales team
strengthens our ability to meet the
growing needs of our customers,
noted Rick Wilson, director of sales
and marketing of SIFCO ASC. Alex
brings a fresh perspective of the sales
process to our team.
Columbia Chemical has hired Dave
Boogaard as technical sales repre-
sentative, with responsibility for
servicing new and existing accounts
in the Southern Ohio, Kentucky and
Central-Southern Indiana territories.
He reports directly to Tom Alderson,
sales manager, Americas.
Boogaard comes to Columbia
Chemical with more than 16 years of
experience in the plating industry,
specializing in the development and
application of corrosion-resistant
coatings for the automotive, aero-
space, military, and construction
industries. Most recently, Boogaard
served as technical director at Plating
Technology, where he was directly
involved with product development,
technical guidance and training, and
environmental compliance. Notably,
he was responsible for managing the
automotive approval process as well
as delivering technical information
presentations to the Detroit
automakers and various industry
segments.
We are thrilled to have Dave as a
member of the Columbia Chemical
team, Alderson said. His extensive
knowledge of industry specifica-
tions, along with experience working
directly with the OEMs, translates to
solid value for our customers. His
hands-on experience with Columbia
Chemicals products and knowledge
of the market are key in allowing
Columbia Chemical to be responsive
to our customers needs and a true
partner in their success.
Boogaard holds a Bachelors degree
in Chemistry and Biology from
South Dakota State University. He
has completed numerous programs
from the MRA Institute of
Management and is a certified mem-
ber of several industry organizations,
including AIAG and the National
Association of Safety Professionals.
DuPont Powder Coatings
announces the assignment of Robert
R. Phillippi, area manager, as rebar
segment leader. In addition to his
sales role, he will be responsible for
leading DuPonts efforts in this mar-
ket segment.
Having served in both technical and
sales capacities with DuPont Powder
Coatings for 15 years, Phillippi brings
years of experience and devotion into
this new responsibility.
The recent launch of a new
DuPont rebar coatingwhich pro-
vides improved wet adhesion, faster
application rates and optimal cold
weather flexibilitylays the ground-
work for aggressive growth in the
rebar market, DuPont said. With
this new rebar coating and our com-
mitment to future development, I
am very excited about this new role
and our path forward in the rebar
market, Phillippi stated. Though
our name will change in early 2013,
the commitment to this market will
remain strong.
ZESTRON, a leading provider of
high-precision cleaning products,
services and training solutions, is
pleased to announce the addition of
John Neiderman as the Midwest
regional sales manager. In his role,
Neiderman will focus on growing
ZESTRONs product and service
business while expanding the current
customer base in the Midwest region.
Mr. Neiderman is an excellent
addition to our global team, said
Michael McCutchen, vice president
Americas and South Asia,
ZESTRON. This reinforces
ZESTRONs commitment to
expanding our operations in North
America.
Neiderman, who brings more than
13 years of sales and technical experi-
ence in the precision cleaning indus-
try, most recently worked as a sales
engineer for Speedline Technologies
cleaning equipment product line. In
addition to increasing sales, .
Neiderman has a proven track record
of developing effective cleaning
process equipment and applications.
As an active member of the Surface
Mount Technology Association and
the IPC, he has authored and co-
authored numerous articles that
have been circulated in various publi-
cations. Neiderman has also present-
ed at numerous industry events and
participated in a number of expert
cleaning panels discussing the fac-
tors surrounding cleaning and sol-
dering of electronics.
Enthone, Inc. has promoted Jason
Maupin to the position of vice pres-
ident, Americas. Prior to his promo-
tion, Maupin served as vice presi-
dent sales, Enthone North America,
where he was instrumental in work-
ing with the companys regional
NEWS&
briefs
JOHN
NEIDERMAN
JOHN
FLETCHER
DAVE
BOOGAARD
4 I metalfinishing I January/February 2013 www.metalfinishing.com
Corrosion (ICorr) following their
AGM held in Birmingham at the end
of November 2012. Fletcher will
serve as vice president for two years,
at which point he will become presi-
dent-elect.
Fletcher, who has been with
Elcometer for more than 30 years,
has held the post of technical sup-
port manager since April 1998. He
sales managers and business devel-
opment teams to grow market
share by leveraging Enthones tech-
nical and market expertise at new
and existing key accounts. Most
recently, he also was appointed gen-
eral director for Enthone Mexico.
Maupin has more than 15 years
experience in sales management
and business development.
Jasons unique background, expe-
rience and leadership ability provide
a natural succession to his new role,
said Rick Reagan, Enthone presi-
dent. His passion for our customers
and industries we serve are certain to
deliver immediate value throughout
the region.
Maupin proudly served in the U.S.
Navy for six years from 1991 to 1996.
After graduating from the Naval
Nuclear Propulsion Program, he
served on a Los Angeles Class fast
attack submarine where he was on a
team responsible for the chemical
control of the nuclear reactor and its
support systems. Maupin plans to
relocate to Connecticut in the com-
ing months.
In a related move, Terrence
Copeland, previously vice president,
Enthone Americas, has been
appointed vice president, commer-
cial business development. In this
new role, Copeland will be responsi-
ble for identifying new business
opportunities supporting current
Enthone business in addition to
developing new strategic initiatives.
Terrys industry knowledge, con-
tacts and business relationships are
ideal for this position," Reagan said.
"Terry has made significant contri-
butions as regional vice president,
and we are well positioned for con-
tinued success in the Americas due to
his leadership.
Elcometer, a leading manufacturer
of high-quality inspection equip-
ment, is pleased to announce that
John Fletcher, technical support
manager, has been elected to the post
of vice president of the Institute of
has been a member of ICorr for more
than 25 years and was elected a
Fellow in 2009.
I was very proud to be asked to
stand as vice president, and I would
like to take this opportunity to
thank Bob Crundwell, the immedi-
ate past president, for all his work
during his two years as president,
Fletcher said. I am glad that I will
NEWS&
briefs
Electroplating Electroless Coatings Anodize
Thin Film Measurement Compositional Analysis
Solution / Bath Analysis Coating Applications
Flexible Measurement
Solutions for your
Plating Applications
fies those who excel at manufactur-
ing quality product through superior
special processes, said Joe Pinto, vice
president and chief operating officer
at the Performance Review Institute,
PRI. SIFCO ASC worked hard to
obtain this status, and they should
be justifiably proud of it. PRI is
proud to support continual improve-
ment in the aerospace industry by
helping companies such as SIFCO
ASC be successful, and we look for-
ward to continuing to assist the
industry moving forward.
PPG Industries has received a $1.5
million award from the federal gov-
ernments Strategic Environmental
Research and Development
Program, or SERDP, to develop a
chemical-agent-resistant coating
(CARC) in powder form for use on
military vehicles and support
equipment.
PPG Industries, which is already
qualified by the U.S. Army Research
Laboratory (ARL) as a producer of
powder primer for CARC systems,
is now collaborating with ARL to
fulfill the challenge of developing a
powder topcoat that will meet mili-
tary standards for ultraviolet dura-
bility, matte finish and resistance to
chemical agents. The powder top-
coat also must be compatible with
pretreatment and primer products
have access to Bobs experience and
knowledge for the next couple of
years.
In addition to his work with ICorr,
John is the current Chairman of the
ASTM International D01 Main
Committee on Paint and Related
Coatings, Materials, and
Applications and has been Chairman
of the D01.23 sub-committee on
Physical Properties of Applied Paint
Films since January 2009.
CERTIFICATIONS
SIFCO ASC has received the Nadcap
accreditation for Chemical
Processing. Nadcap also recognizes
SIFCO ASC for its commitment to
continual improvement in aerospace
quality.
Lillian Smereczynsky, quality man-
ager, along with the SIFCO ASC
team achieved the stringent require-
ments of Nadcap accreditation.
SIFCO ASC received Nadcap accredi-
tation for demonstrating their ongo-
ing commitment to quality by satis-
fying customer requirements and
industry specifications.
Achieving Nadcap accreditation is
not easyit is one of the ways in
which the aerospace industry identi-
already developed and approved for
CARC applications. To date,
according to PPG, no coatings man-
ufacturer has been able to develop a
CARC powder topcoat that achieves
this required combination of prop-
erties using standard powder for-
mulation techniques.
PPG has developed proprietary
processing and resin-synthesis capa-
bilities for powder coatings that we
believe will support development of
powder CARCs meeting the MIL-
PRF-32348 specification, said
Lawrence Fitzgerald, PPG senior sci-
entist. He added that the project will
leverage powder coating technology
that earned PPG an R&D 100 Award
in 2009.
Combining PPGs coatings
expertise with the critical design
requirements of the U.S. Army makes
this partnership ideal, said John
Escarsega, who leads ARLs Organic
Coatings Team within ARLs
Weapons and Materials Research
Directorate. Escarsega doubles as the
Department of Defense (DoD) com-
modities manager for CARCs.
Developing a CARC powder topcoat
would benefit both DoD and com-
mercial enterprises because of inher-
ent program environmental health
and safety standards.
For more information about PPGs
industrial coatings development
capabilities, call 1-888-774-2001 or
visit www.ppgindustrialcoatings.com.
PARTNERSHIPS
Clariant has chosen Coatzacoalcos
for its new production unit in
Mexico in order to integrate the
operations of its Industrial &
Consumer Specialties Business Unit,
or ICS, in one place, taking into
account its strategic geographical
position, in between the two sites
producing raw materials in the coun-
try. The new production unit repre-
sents an extension of four hectares
and entails an investment of more
than $20 million.
Clariants new production unit in
Mexico will produce several chemical
specialties and technological solu-
tions for different markets, includ-
ing personal care, crop protection,
NEWS&
briefs
metalworking, construction and
painting.
With the opening of this produc-
tion unit in Coatzacoalcos, Clariant
will strengthen the competitive
solutions for which we are known
by our clients around the world,"
said Clariant CEO Hariolf
Kottmann, who was present on-site
to start its operations and to reas-
sure the commitment of the com-
pany to the industrial community
in Mexico and Latin America.
Mexico is a key player for our oper-
ations in Latin America, and this
site will be an important reference
for the international standards of
innovation, sustainability and com-
petitiveness that we want to consol-
idate within the region.
Michael Willome, Global Head of
Business Unit ICS, explained that the
new production unit will enable the
integration of the production of
both finished products and interme-
diates in one place. In short, it will
increase the effectiveness of our
processes in the supply of raw mate-
rials and logistics costs, which will
benefit our customers, he noted.
Omya, through its subsidiary com-
panies Durr Marketing Associates,
Azalea Color Company and
Lipscomb Chemical Company, will
become a national distributor and
represent DuPont Titanium
Technologies products in all 50
U.S. states as well as Western Canada.
Omya is a worldwide distributor of
specialty chemical products focused
on Industrial and Life Science appli-
cations and a leading global produc-
er of industrial minerals, mainly
fillers and pigments derived from
calcium carbonate and dolomite.
Omyas distribution network
extends from coast to coast across
the United States.
We see an outstanding fit between
Omyas approach to the markets we
serve together and expect that this
partnership will improve our market
position and better serve our cus-
NEWS&
briefs
www.uyemura.com
In 4 Important Ways
HIGH PERFORMANCE PLATING HIGH PERFORMANCE PLATING
UYEMURA REDEFINES
Corporate Headquarters: Ontario, CA
ph: (909j 466-5635 (800j 969-4842 fax: (909j 466-5177
Tech Center: Southington, CT
ph: (860j 793-4011 (800j 243-3564 fax: (860j 793-4020
ANP Electroless Nickel Plating for
aluminum provides excellent
adhesion through at least six MTOs.
The process does not employ a
strike and adds no additional steps
compared to normal aluminum
preparation double zincating.
CL Satin Nickel is quite possibly
the most versatile plating fnish
ever developed. It produces fne
crystalline nickel deposits, even on
polished base materials. Diferent
color efects can be achieved with
chrome, antique nickel, black nickel,
black chrome and gold.
Miralloy is the ultimate high fyer and
industrys best alternative to 3 important
fnishes: silver, palladium and nickel. Mirror-like
Miralloy is tarnish-free, and exceptionally
abrasion and corrosion resistant. Its RoHS
compliant, non-magnetic, non-allergenic, and
RF-friendly. This advanced electroplating alloy
(Sn, Cu, Zn) plates with exceptional uniformity.

CL-NC Alkaline Copper is the frst-ever
solution for direct plating on aluminum. CL-NC
replaces the cyanide copper strike used prior to
zinc die cast plating, and is ideal as a base for
bright nickel/microcrack chrome fnishing. Used
with a nickel barrier, its an excellent base for
gold plating.
Talk with Uyemura today about test processing!
ANP was developed by the Uyemura Tech Center, Southington, CT.
Miralloy is a registered trademark of Umicore G-T. CL-NC and CL Satin
Nickel are trademarks of K-HW Technology.

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atin -NC and CL S CL
. on, CT T. outhingtto S
tions and services, as well as our lead-
ing-edge technologies, have con-
vinced Nissan to extend their collab-
oration with us in Smyrna now, too.
Especially the 3 Wet waterborne
coating technique, which is used in
Smyrna, but also, for example, in
Huadu (China) played a major part.
The most notable advantage of the
3 Wet waterborne system is the elim-
ination of one drying phase.
Previously, car bodies required two
30-minute rounds in the drying
oven, after application of the primer,
and the basecoat/clearcoat. In the
new method, these three layers are
applied wet-on-wet, and then subse-
quently dried. This shortened
process leads to shorter production
time, less energy consumption,
streamlined paint lines and, above
all, lower emissions.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
Pioneer Metal Finishing has acquired
Parts Finishing Group, headquar-
tered in Auburn Hills, Mich. With six
operating facilities in the United
States and Mexico, Parts Finishing
Group is one of the largest contract
service suppliers to companies mak-
ing components for domestic and
international auto manufacturers.
Parts Finishing Group offers a
range of coating processes, specializ-
ing in metal-to-rubber bonding,
enamel and epoxy paint, and applica-
tion of dry-film lubricants--services
that are in high demand by manufac-
turers for sound and vibration reduc-
tion in new autos.
This acquisition is another step in
our aggressive growth strategy, said
Bob Pyle, president & CEO of
Pioneer Metal Finishing. Parts
Finishing Groups substantial size,
international customer base, and
unique coating and bonding process-
es significantly increase our market
position in the growing auto indus-
try and add to our extensive portfo-
lio of metal finishing capabilities.
Parts Finishing Group is Pioneer
Metal Finishings second acquisition
in the past five months. In
September 2012 Pioneer purchased
Superior Metal Finishing of
Portland, Ore. Additional past acqui-
tomers in North America, said
Miren Salsamendi, North America
director, DuPont Titanium
Technologies.
DuPont Titanium Technologies is
the worlds largest manufacturer of
titanium dioxide, serving customers
globally in the coatings, paper, plas-
tics and laminates industries. The
company operates plants at DeLisle,
Miss.; New Johnsonville, Tenn.; Edge
Moor, Del.; Altamira, Mexico; and
Kuan Yin, Taiwan; all of which use
the chloride manufacturing process.
The company also operates a mine in
Starke, Fla.
Petroferm Inc., a leading supplier of
cleaning products for precision mar-
kets, has appointed Starry Oil
Corporation, headquartered in
Tokyo, Japan, as a distributor of
AXAREL, BIOACT, CleanSafe,
LENIUM and RE-ENTRTY aero-
space and precision cleaning product
lines. According to Petroferm, Starry
Oil Corporation is a well-respected
supplier of industrial metalworking
lubricants, compounds and cleaners
serving the Japanese market.
Our goal is to expand the sales of
Petroferm brands and increase our
footprint in the Asia Pacific Region,"
said Gilbert Siu, Asia Pacific
Distribution Manager at Petroferm.
"The partnership represents a major
step in our companys efforts to con-
tinue building a truly global business.
For more information please visit
www.petroferm.com.
BASF, which supplies Nissan with
coatings and paints for the
Pathfinder and Infiniti models at its
Smyrna plant in Tennessee, expands
that offering to include e-coat,
basecoat, and clearcoat.
Laurent Vaucenat, global account
manager for Nissan at BASFs
Coatings Division, called Nissan
asuccessful global company and a
very important customer with
whom BASF has been working close-
ly for a long time. Innovative solu-
sitions include Nimet Industries
and Dragon Anodizing.
In business since 1945, Pioneer
Metal Finishing is a nationally recog-
nized provider of cosmetic and wear-
resistant coatings for the aerospace,
industrial, medical, military, recre-
ational, electronics and automotive
industries. Employing more than
1,400 people, Pioneer operates pro-
duction facilities in Green Bay and
Oshkosh, Wis.; Minneapolis,
Monroe, Warren and Bellevue, Mich.;
Gaffney, S.C.; South Bend, Ind.;
Portland, Ore., and Queretaro,
Mexico.
Enthone has become an Alent plc
Company, following the December
2012 de-merger of Cookson Group
plc. Enthone and Alpha will contin-
ue operating under their current
trade names, with no changes to how
business is conducted.
As a result of the December 19,
2012 de-merger of Cookson Group
plc, its two main divisions, the
Enthone and Alpha businesses,
became part of the newly formed
Alent plc (LSEX: ALNT), previously
Cookson Performance Materials.
The management of the former
Cookson Performance Materials will
remain intact with chief executive
Steven Corbett continuing to lead
this new UK publicly listed company.
Enthone and Alpha will continue
operating under their current trade
names, and relationships and obli-
gations with customers and suppli-
ers will remain unchanged.
Enthone said it will stay strongly
focused on supporting business
growth and success; nothing will
change regarding the way in which
business is conducted.
This new business structure allows
both Enthone and Alpha to focus on
their core businesses, while provid-
ing enhanced value for customers
and the industries in which each par-
ticipates. The de-merger enables
Alent to invest solely on the needs of
the businesses that will result in
accelerated technology offerings, tar-
geted market growth, people devel-
opment, and targeted business
investments.
NEWS&
briefs
based manufacturer of metal prod-
ucts for the commercial vehicle, pow-
ersports, agriculture, construction,
automotive and military industries,
through a private stock purchase.
Specific terms were not disclosed.
As a result of the acquisition,
Center Manufacturing will become a
division of the MEC family of com-
panies, which includes MEC
Prototype & Service, MEC Contract,
MEC Shotshell Reloaders,
Fabricating Specialists and Phoenix
Coaters. Center Manufacturing,
which is headquartered in Byron
Center, Mich., produces complex
SIFCO ASC has been acquired by The
Norman Hay Group, a global chem-
icals, sealant, surface coatings and
engineering specialist. The acquisi-
tion of SIFCO ASC from SIFCO
Industries of Cleveland, Ohio,
includes SIFCO ASC LLC (USA),
SIFCO ASC UK, SIFCO ASC France
and SIFCO ASC Sweden.
This is an excellent acquisition for
us and fits into our strategic plan to
expand the Norman Hay Group
internationally into areas that have a
clear synergy with our existing busi-
nesses, said Vic Bellanti, CEO of
Norman Hay plc. The SIFCO-ASC
business will benefit greatly from our
Surface Technology contacts and
locations both in the UK and over-
seas, and we are excited about oppor-
tunities that we have already identi-
fied for its future growth.
Peter Hay, chairman of Norman
Hay plc, added: I am delighted to
welcome all the staff, agents and dis-
tributors of SIFCO-ASC into the
Norman Hay Group. We will work
hard with our new colleagues to
develop further the outstanding
brand and reputation that SIFCO-
ASC has built up over the years into
new countries and locations where
our group is already located.
Rick Wilson, co-general manager
and director of sales and marketing
for the ASC Group, said the move
ensures SIFCO ASC will continue
being the global leader in the selec-
tive plating industry for many years
to come.
This is a very exciting time for
SIFCO ASC, Wilson said. By join-
ing the Norman Hay Group, we see
great opportunities to better serve
our existing customers, while at the
same time expand our product offer-
ing and worldwide coverage to meet
the industries ever-changing needs.
Financial terms of the deal were
not disclosed.
Mayville Engineering Company,
Inc., or MEC, has acquired Center
Manufacturing, Inc., a Michigan-
assemblies, large and small diameter
tubes, fuel tanks, fluid-level indica-
tors and other products at eight
facilities in Michigan, Virginia,
South Carolina and Mississippi.
MEC is employee owned, has eight
facilities in Wisconsin, and provides
a broad range of prototyping, pro-
duction manufacturing, fabricating,
tube forming coating and assembly
services to a variety of markets,
including agricultural, construction,
military, recreational, medical and
industrial.
This acquisition brings together
two great companies into one great
NEWS&
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CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

February 1921, 2013
San Diego Convention Center
www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org
desi gn | pri nted boards | el ectroni cs assembl y | test
and pri nted el ectroni cs
Scan for your chance to win
a three-night hotel stay or
an MVP registration.
Join thousands of your colleagues from more than 50 countries
and more than 400 exhibitors at IPC APEX EXPO 2013 in beautiful
San Diego. Learn about new technologies and processes, see new
products, work on industry standards, network with industry experts
and participate in the worlds premier technical conference for
electronics manufacturing. Register today!
IPC APEX EXPO allows me and my colleagues to evaluate new technologies
to keep our company on the leading edge. The ability to learn and
communicate with suppliers along with IPC experts at the same place makes
IPC APEX EXPO a must-attend event.
David Gale
Manufacturing Manager
MJS Designs, Inc.
INFORMATION that
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primary laboratory complex located
in Cranston, Rhode Island. The 14-
month project encompassed more
than 20,000 square feet of space,
remodeled into an advanced labora-
tory providing support and services
in research and development, quality
control, analytics, and applications
engineering.
The renovation makes significant
improvements in both the size and
capabilities of Technics complex,
with a 100% increase in the size of the
R&D labs. According to Technic, the
renovation will significantly increase
operational efficiency and customer
service, as well as accelerate the
process of bringing new products to
market. In addition to expanding
their integrated laboratories, the
increased lab area and improved
infrastructure has allowed Technic
to add several analytical instruments,
thus further increasing the labs full
range capability.
We believe this expanded R&D
capability and investment in
advanced analytical instrumentation
demonstrates our ongoing commit-
ment to delivering the highest quali-
ty products and services to our cus-
tomers in North America and
beyond, said Tom Tyson, Technics
director of research & development.
For more information, please visit
www.technic.com.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
The recipients for the Aluminum
Anodizers Councils Awards of
Excellence were announced at the
21
st
Annual International Anodizing
Conference during Aluminum Week
in Chicago last fall. The Awards of
Excellence acknowledge exemplary
contributions by authors and pre-
senters from the previous year's
Anodizing Conference.
The Aluminum Anodizing Council
(AAC) recognized two authors for
their outstanding contributions at
the 2011 Anodizing Conference in
Tempe, Ariz. The Donald I. Johnson
Award of Excellence for best presen-
tation was awarded to Susan
Johnson, president and CEO of
Futura Industries in Clearfield,
Utah, for her presentation Building
team, said Robert Kamphuis,
chairman, president and CEO of
MEC. Center Manufacturing and
MEC both have long histories, blue-
chip customers and a talented and
committed workforce. Were
delighted to welcome Center
Manufacturing's employees to the
MEC family, and were excited to
work together to keep growing our
expanded company.
Richard Nielsen will remain presi-
dent and CEO of Center
Manufacturing, MECs newest divi-
sion, and will be involved in integrat-
ing the two companies. It is antici-
pated that all of Center
Manufacturing's 800 employees will
remain with the organization, with
no changes expected in the foresee-
able future.
EXPANSIONS
PAVCO is nearing the completion of
its pilot facility in Charlotte, N.C.
The state-of-the-art center created to
assist PAVCOs ongoing research,
sales and service efforts.
PAVCO's new facility has been
under design and construction since
mid-summer 2012 and is scheduled
to be completed later this month.
The new pilot facility will consist
of more than 40 process tanks to
include flexible pre- and post-plate
capabilities, along with a diverse
offering of finishing processes.
Finishing systems will include: zinc,
nickel, chrome, antimicrobial coat-
ings, copper, alloys and tin. The
state-of-the-art facility will also grant
the much-needed flexibility of quick-
ly modifying the process lines to add
or delete technologies resulting from
current industry relevance.
With our technical departments
second major capital improvement
in 18 months, PAVCO is well posi-
tioned to continue to lead the indus-
try forward by delivering quality
products with unmatched service,
PAVCO stated in a press release.
Technic has announced the comple-
tion of renovations at the companys
a Strong Company. Johnson
explained that a strong company can
be built through employee loyalty
and engagement. The prospect,
according to Johnson, is much more
complex, and yet at the same time
more straight forward than it might
seem. Her presentation demonstrat-
ed that, through a high level of
employee engagement driven by a
strong culture, companies can
achieve great things.
The Robert L. Kersman Award of
Excellence for best paper was award-
ed to Klaus-Dieter Baumgart, Ph.D.,
of Clariant International AG in
Muttenz, Switzerland, for his paper,
Enhancing the Use of Anodized
Aluminum by Demonstrating to
Decision-Makers the Increased Value
of Colored Aluminum in Terms of
Surface Properties, Appeal, as well as
Cost. Dr. Baumgarts paper chal-
lenged the perception that colored
anodized aluminum is more expen-
sive and more difficult to process
than other materials, such as powder
coated metals and plastics. Dr.
Baumgarts paper noted that, by
selecting input materials carefully,
cost can be significantly reduced,
weather and light-fastness properties
are enhanced, and environmental
and health issues may be avoided.
The AAC Awards of Excellence for
the 2012 Anodizing Conference held
during Aluminum Week in Chicago
will be announced at the 2013
Anodizing Conference. The 22
nd
Annual International Anodizing
Conference and Exposition is sched-
uled for October 13, 2013, at the
Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle Wash.
www.AACconf.org.
ENTHONES NEW CHINESE
LANGUAGE WEBSITE
Enthone is pleased to announce the
recent launch of the new Chinese-
language website, www enthone.cn.
Highlights of the simplified Chinese
site include:
Industry/Market/Application
emphasis permeates throughout the
new site. Relevant and differentiated
content is readily accessible for tech-
nologies centric to a particular mar-
NEWS&
briefs
sales manager of M&T Chemicals,
Inc., with responsibility for the entire
Mid-Atlantic region.
Muscarella eventually accepted an
offer from a California firm, Futura
Metal Technology, a small supplier
of corrosion-resistant equipment
that specialized in titanium fabrica-
tion for the electroplating industry.
By 1970, his small family had grown
to 10 children. Once again, Joe saw
the opportunity to accept a challenge
involving uprooting his family and
immersing himself into a more
encompassing job. It wasnt long
before Muscarella was appointed
president of the company. Under his
watch, Futura Metal Technology
grew from a local supplier into a
multimillion-dollar operation on a
worldwide scale.
The entrepreneurial spirit drove
Muscarella to start his own business.
In 1982, he founded Alert Supply, a
chemical distribution company in
Agoura, Calif. Soon after, an oppor-
tunity to purchase a small company
called Cosmos Minerals Corporation
in Camarillo, Calif., arose. His vision,
coupled with his experience in the
manufacture of corrosion-resistant
equipment, propelled the company
to become a major supplier of this
equipment to the pharmaceutical,
chemical processing, pulp/paper and
electroplating industries. The fabri-
cation of exotic metals, including
titanium, tantalum, niobium and
zirconium, became the vehicle for
worldwide success. Cosmos Minerals
was reputed to be the worlds largest
fabricator of tantalum products.
Joseph Muscarella was predeceased
by his first wife, Rosina; and parents,
Joseph Muscarella and Josephine
ket or application as diverse as auto-
motive, plumbing fixtures & fittings,
oil & gas, printed circuit boards and
more! Guests who wish to search for
a specific process or product may do
so via the customized technology
selectors and product finders that are
conveniently placed throughout the
site. The Literature & Knowledge
section provides another centralized
area to obtain information.
The launch of enthone.cn rein-
forces our customer interaction, par-
ticularly in the P.R. China, said
Rachel Leung, Enthone marketing
communication executive Asia. Its
comprehensive database, cross-
media interface and mobility will
anchor the companys already firm
regional position.
OBITUARY
Joseph Muscarella, 83
Joseph Muscarella, former president
of Cosmos Minerals Corporation in
Camarillo, Calif., died at home on
Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. He was 83.
Muscarella was born in Lodi, N.J.,
on March 27, 1929. His respect for
higher education and sheer determi-
nation to succeed were the determin-
ing factors that influenced the deci-
sions he would make in the future.
While working to support a small
family, he attended Rutgers
University. He received his Bachelor
of Science degree in Finance and
Marketing from Rutgers in 1959,
and he was employed concurrently
by M &T Chemicals, Inc. Muscarella
ultimately was appointed district
Muscarella. He is survived by his 10
children: Joseph P. Muscarella III of
Vista, Calif.; James A. Muscarella, of
Los Altos Hills, Calif.; Nancy J.
Patterson of Arroyo Grande; Michael
R. Muscarella of Camarillo; John P.
Muscarella of Camarillo; Thomas A.
Muscarella of Camarillo; David C.
Muscarella of Loomis, Calif.; Susan
M. Whalen of Arroyo Grande; Peter
S. Muscarella of Flagstaff, Ariz.; and
Steven F. Muscarella of Camarillo.
He is also survived by 27 grandchil-
dren and four great-grandchildren.
His brother, Mark Muscarella, and
sister, Giovanna Polito, currently
reside in Spring Hill, Fla.
NEWS&
briefs
Stay informed: Sign up for the
monthly Focus on Powder Coatings
e-newsletter!
Focus on Powder Coatings is a monthly
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Sign up online via Elseviers ScienceDirect portal: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13645439
Electroless Nickel/Immersion
SilverA New Surface Finish
PCB Applications*
I
ntroduction. As the demands of the
electronics industry change, the
expectations put on the fabrication of
the PCB become greater. This encom-
passes the operating cost of each
chemical process, the environmental
impact and the ultimate performance
throughout end-use life. These are
not only driven by OEMs and con-
sumers but also by the regulations
placed on the industry as a whole.
OEMs request that fabricators pro-
vide a 1015% cost reduction year to
year. So, as consumers receive tech-
nology that is more advanced than
the previous year the original equip-
ment manufacturers expect to pay
less for the components used to
make that product. It is this mental-
ity that pushes chemical suppliers to
constantly design and formulate
products that offer greater perform-
ance at a lower operating cost. In line
with this is the need to preserve our
environment by abiding to environ-
mental regulations and develop
products that have high perform-
ance with low environmental impact.
The benefits of ENIG are well
understood. It maintains superior
solderability even after environmen-
tal exposure and resists corrosion.
But just like every surface finish,
ENIG has its shortcomings. There
are three main issues commonly
associated with ENIG that are con-
sidered negative. The first that comes
readily to mind in todays price-sen-
sitive market is the high cost of gold
metal. The second is associated with
the chemical makeup of the plating
baths, and the use of cyanide whose
limitations will be discussed in the
next few paragraphs. The last is a sol-
der joint defect known as black line
nickel, which will be expanded upon
in the performance characteristics
section of the paper.
For years investors have watched
the stock markets plummet and pre-
cious metal prices rise. In recent
months, gold prices dropped to a
low of about 1600USD/troy oz. A
little over five years ago gold prices
were down around 600USD/troy oz
[3]. Yes, silver prices have also been
volatile in recent years but when
compared the cost ratio of gold to
silver, the former is typically found
to be on the order of 30 to 60 times
more expensive than silver. This dif-
ference in cost translates to bath
make up, drag out, replenishment,
and the cost of the plated metal. A
quick comparison of plated metal
price alone shows the significant
difference between the two.
For comparison, we will compare
plating 2 microinches of gold to 25
microinches of silver on 1000 panel
square feet of circuit board at 15%
metal area. Using a gold price of
1600USD and 30USD for silver, the
price of the gold plated parts are
almost eight times greater than the
silver-plated parts.
One may also reasonably suspect
TECHNICALLY
speaking
BY ERNEST LONG, PH.D., AND LENORA TOSCANO,
MACDERMID, WATERBURY, CONN.
ABSTRACT
Electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG) has been the primary, high-per-
formance surface finish used in the PCB industry for some decades now.
Market research confirms that in terms of processed surface area per year,
ENIG useage is second only to organic solderability preservatives (OSP) [1].
ENIG is typically described as a surface finish which is labor intensive to work
with at the fabrication level, but its high-performance characteristics miti-
gates this fact to a great extent. Electroless nickel/immersion gold is designed
to deliver a highly corrosion resistant and superior solderable surface. This
finish is also commonly used for aluminum wire bond applications.
With significant volatility in precious metal pricing and the constant
demand for better products at cheaper prices, original equipment manufac-
turers (OEMs) are being driven to search for ways to reduce cost whilst not
sacrificing quality. The layer of gold metal on an ENIG-treated surface,
although thin, adds a prohibitively high premium to the cost of this finish.
MacDermid has developed an electroless nickel/immersion silver
(ENImAg) process that delivers the performance characteristics afforded by
ENIG and eliminates the concern associated with the use of a high priced
metal, such as gold. This change, from using gold to silver, also has the added
benefit of eliminating a cyanide-containing process from the fabrication
house. Applying, qualifying for and maintaining a cyanide license is a cost
adder for the ENIG process.
This paper expands on the work conducted in 2010s A New Surface
Finish for the Electronics Industry [2]. Process flow and the associated
chemical steps will be discussed to alleviate concerns of fabrication difficul-
ties. This work will detail additional performance characterization and dis-
cuss the surface finish performance on a production scale. The test data pre-
sented will include solderability, tarnish and corrosion resistance, aluminum
wire bonding and contact performance.
*This paper was originally presented
at the SMTA International 2012
Conference.
time because of their lack of robust-
ness in a true production setting.
Process Flow. Directly comparing
the new electroless nickel/immersion
silver process to conventional ENIG
demonstrates clearly that the two are
very similar in process flow up to the
electroless nickel stage. Though the
conditions used for the electroless
nickel appear the same, the chem-
istry applied is different, offering
benefits over those processes cur-
rently on the market for ENIG appli-
cations. Advances made during the
formulation of the electroless nickel
bath for the immersion silver process
have resulted in a medium (6-9%)
phosphorous-containing EN that
has low working temperature and
that does not require the use of
dummy plating either on make up or
after a sustained period of idle time.
It does not require periodic over-the-
side additions of proprietary compo-
nents to keep the bath functioning
properly. Overall, the system is
extremely stable and does not fall
subject to the chemical swings that
sometimes have been experienced
with EN processes historically. This
unique formulation not only pro-
that gold thickness is being pushed
to the low end of industry specifica-
tions and possibly, on occasion, out-
side of specification to reduce costs.
Plating thinner gold deposits, natu-
rally, has some performance related
consequences. Will a thin gold
deposit be able to maintain the cor-
rosion resistance expected of a high
reliability finish? The IPC has set up
a committee which is evaluating
reducing the gold thickness specifi-
cation [4] to determine its perform-
ance effects. The performance sec-
tion of this paper will touch lightly
on the use of reduced gold thickness.
More thorough experimentation and
investigations will be conducted by
the IPC group.
Since 2001, a great portion of the
U.S.-based electronics manufactur-
ing industry has moved to China. In
recent history, China itself has expe-
rienced an industrial migration of
sorts, with the Chinese government
providing incentives for industry to
move further inland. For example, in
May of 2010, 30 suppliers signed
contracts with the Chongqing gov-
ernment which, like many inland
governments, is welcoming compa-
nies willing to abandon Chinas
wealthier coastal provinces [5].
Companies were hoping to find
reductions in labor cost which did
not necessarily come to fruition, but
also questions were raised about
environmental and government poli-
cy. The migration has the potential
for increased pollution on the
Yangtze River. To mitigate this pollu-
tion, the central government
required more stringent regulations
to be upheld [5,6]. Thoughts also
moved to water reduction and more
waste treatment practices which
require the removal of strong chela-
tors, such as cyanide. Using immer-
sion silver to replace the immersion
gold step in ENIG production elimi-
nates the use of cyanide entirely. It
should be noted that there are
cyanide-free immersion gold baths
available on the market; however,
their use is not widespread at this
motes more corrosion resistance for
both the galvanic reactions occur-
ring during plating but also resists
corrosive environments generally.
The bath is easier to run on the fabri-
cation level due to its chemical com-
ponent stability.
After the EN deposit has been
rinsed, the parts are immersed in a
silver pre-dip solution. This step
does not contain any silver ions but
readies the nickel surface for silver
plating. This step will also remove
any passivation which may have
occurred during nickel rinsing. It
wets the nickel surface uniformly
prior to silver plating. The pre-dip is
a low-temperature process step, typ-
ically not higher than 50C and
with a dwell time no longer than 2
minutes. After this step, the parts
move directly to the immersion sil-
ver plating solution. This bath oper-
ates at low pH and also a low tem-
perature (Table 2). The acidity of the
bath and the lower operating tem-
perature make it much less aggres-
sive on the PCB substrate materials
when compared to the higher pH
and high temperature (typically, 85
to 90C) immersion gold plating
bath (Table 1).
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Chemical Bath Working Temp (C) Estimated Dwell
Time (min)
Electroless Nickel 80-84 15-20
Rinse Ambient 2-3
Silver Predip 50 1-2
Immersion Silver 40 4-8
Cascading Rinse Ambient 3
Hot Rinse Ambient 1
Dry
Table 1. Partial process flow for ENIG.
Chemical Bath Working Temp (C) Estimated Dwell
Time
Electroless Nickel 80-88 15-25
Rinse Ambient 2
Immersion Gold 85-90 8-12
Drag out Rinse Ambient 0.5-1
Cascading Rinse Ambient 3
Hot Rinse Ambient 1
Dry
Table 2. Partial process flow for ENImAg.
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 1. Five-year metal prices for gold, 2007-2012. Figure 2. Five-year metal prices for silver, 2007-2012.
Figures 3a and 3b. Cross-sectional SEM of black
line nickel (a); horizontally across the metal lay-
ers (b) penetrating into the EN.
Figure 4. Cracked solder joint resulting from
black line nickel corrosion. .
The final rinsing stage can vary
from fabricator to fabricator depend-
ing on the quality of the water
employed and the temperature of the
environment. As with all surface fin-
ishing, the use of good clean rinsing
is always best, and the addition of
hot water in the last stage will help
improve ionic cleanliness. One differ-
ence between ENIG and ENImAg
that should be stated is all ENIG
lines contain a drag-out rinse. After
gold plating, parts must first be
immersed in a stagnant drag-out
rinse. This serves two purposes; one
is to contain the cyanide, thereby
protecting the wastewater stream
from cyanide contamination, and
the other is to enable the reclamation
of any residual gold drag-out in this
stagnant rinse once its concentration
rises to an appreciable concentra-
tion. Depending on the level of pro-
duction throughput, this practice
can prove to be an important cost-
saving exercise.
The following sections compare
the functional performance capabili-
ties of electroless nickel/immersion
silver to the incumbent ENIG
process.
FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE
Nickel Corrosion. It is widely accept-
ed that the most concerning per-
formance defect for ENIG is the
propensity or potential for black line
nickel [7]. Black line nickel is a corro-
sion defect that is initiated in the
immersion gold plating bath, which
is exacerbated during the assembly
process. Heavy corrosion of the EN
deposit results in a phosphorous rich
layer being produced. This layer does
not easily accept solder. If a solder
joint is made, it is weak and can
result in components falling off the
PCBA. After the gold is plated on the
PCB (unassembled) the defect can-
not be detected without destruction
to the circuit board, which means the
defect frequently goes undetected
until the board has already been
through the assembly process.
Sometimes it might not be apparent
until accelerated performance test-
ing is conducted.
IPC 4553 (3.7) states that chemical
resistance testing of an ENIG finish
is not applicable [4], but there is a
fabrication level method that has
been used in various forms to test an
electroless nickel surfaces ability to
resist corrosion. This type of corro-
sion test is used as an indicator of
resistance to black line nickel and the
corrosivity of the immersion gold
Tester
Conditions
Units
Speed 500m/s
Load 50g
Land Speed 0g
Shear Height 1500m/s
Over travel 100m
Table 3. Xytec bond tester parameters.
marry the relationship of nickel cor-
rosion resistance to solder joint relia-
bility, one must first expand on the
concept of black line nickel. The
term black line nickel directly relates
to a black line found along the solder
joint to nickel interface. It can run
horizontally across the solder joint
(Figure 3a) or it can present itself as
black hair line cracks (Figure 3b) in
the nickel deposit penetrating from
the outer layer of the nickel toward
the underlying copper substrate.
Both are forms of nickel attack and
have a detrimental effect on the sol-
der joint reliability.
As the solder is no longer bonding
to the nickel layer, it is now bond-
ing to a phosphorous rich layer
which has been produced by the
corrosive action of the immersion
gold process. This tin/phosphorous
joint is not a reliable bond.
Depending on the level of phospho-
rous, the solder joint can crack
readily or will crack with thermal
conditioning (Figure 4).
Solderability Test. Test panels con-
taining 25mil diameter metal
defined and soldermask defined
BGA pads were plated through ENIG
and ENImAg in production scale
tanks. The ENImAg parts were plat-
ed at two silver thickness levels; 6 to
8 microinches over the BGA pads on
one set and 14 to 16 microinches as
measured on the BGA pads for the
second set. For ENIG, the gold was
bath. As the test is used at different
conditions from fabricator to fabri-
cator, or chemical supplier to chem-
ical supplier, it is not an industry
standardized method. The founda-
tion of the test was adopted from an
ASTM method (B735) as pass/fail
criteria for high phosphorous elec-
troless nickel deposits. Parts are
immersed in concentrated nitric
acid for 30 seconds at room temper-
ature. If the part turns black, it is
considered a failure [8].
Unfortunately, the test is inconsis-
tent and extremely subjective when
performed on medium phospho-
rous nickel deposits which are the
norm for ENIG PCB plating. There
are also factors within the plating
baths themselves that affect the out-
come of the test. These include, but
are not limited to, the level of phos-
phorous in the EN deposit, the level
of sulfur in the deposit and the type
of sulfur included in the deposit.
Typically, as the phosphorous con-
tent increases in the EN deposit, the
greater the resistance to nitric acid
results. Likewise, the lower the sul-
fur concentration in the EN deposit,
the greater resistance to nitric acid
is achieved. In the interest of pre-
senting a more valid assessment of
solder joint quality through solder-
ability, this paper investigates the
comparison of ball shear data after
JECEC thermal cycling exposure.
Effect of BLN on Solderability. To
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 5. Lead-free reflow profile. Figure 6. Solder ball shear strengths.
plated to 2 microinches thick. All
process conditions were kept the
same up to, and including, the elec-
troless nickel step to ensure a true
comparison. After silver or gold plat-
ing, the parts were rinsed and dried
under the same conditions. The only
difference being the addition of 30
seconds in the gold drag-out rinse
for the ENIG parts, as is typically
applied in a production setting.
For the assembly, parts were pasted
with Kester EM907 SAC 305 using
an 8-mil stencil. Using a second sten-
cil, 6-mil thick, SAC305 solder
spheres were placed over the entire
BGA design, which includes 400
pads. The circuit boards were then
passed through a Vitrons convection
reflow oven with peak temperature
of 245C. Figure 5 displays the
reflow profile for multiple pads sizes
across the test vehicle.
Ball shear testing was conducted
on a Xytec Bond Tester (Table 3) on
the original samples. This estab-
lished a baseline of shear strengths
before thermal cycling. Parts were
then sent to a third party test house
for the thermal cycle exposure. The
parts were subjected to two styles of
thermal cycling, both detailed in the
JEDEC Standard 5.2 [9].
Conditioning included Method G
and J for 100 cycle exposure each.
Method G cycles from -40C to
+125C and Method J cycles from
0C to 100C. The samples were
returned to MacDermid for ball
ENEPIG, understand that the thick-
ness of the palladium layer has a dra-
matic effect on the solderability. The
solubility of palladium into a solder
joint is very slow. During the assem-
bly process if the palladium is too
thick the metal cannot readily solu-
bilize and leaves a tin/palladium
IMC which is not strong. The palla-
dium rich solder joint results in very
low solder shear strengths and frac-
turing at the IMC instead of in the
bulk solder. This is not the case for
metals such as gold and silverboth
solubilize very readily into the solder
joint. Though it was not expected,
increasing the silver thickness was
shear post conditioning.
For any surface finish the required
minimum shear strength is 1.5kg.
This was achieved on all finishes test-
ed. Overall the performance of
ENImAg was comparable to ENIG
for all conditions (Figure 6).
Increasing the silver thickness did
not have a detrimental effect on the
solder joint reliability.
Failure modes:
1.Removal of pad from substrate
= cratering
2. Fracture at IMC layer
3. Fracture in the solder joint
4. Fracture in the bulk solder.
The location of the fracture can
also indicate the quality of the solder
joint. In this instance, when an unde-
sirable fracture occurs at the inter-
metallic layer, the reason maybe a
function of the solubility properties
of a given metal. Many currently
working with or transitioning to
conducted to see if it had any effect
on solder joint reliability, in a similar
vein to ENEPIG finishes, such was
not the case for silver.
For this experiment, all failure
modes for every finish with and with-
out conditioning resulted in die
breaks. This failure indicates a
strong solder joint with failure
found in the bulk of the solder. This
test was also repeated a number of
times to understand consistency. In
the second test, electroless
nickel/electroless palladium/immer-
sion gold was also run for compari-
son. Electroless palladium thickness
levels were varied to determine the
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 7a & b. Wetting balance results for ENImAg (Ag 6-8u-in) and ENImAg (Ag 14-116u-in) after 24 hours at 85 degrees C/85%RH, respectively.
Surface Finish 8 oz As Plated 8 oz After 2x Reflow
OSP 11.5 776.5
Immersion Ag 4.1 4.4
ENIG 3.9 5.0
ENImAg 4.0 4.0
Table 4. Contact resistance of various surface finishes.
ENImAg resulted in shear strengths
above 1.5kg force, both as plated and
after thermal cycling. Again, all
resulted in die breaks excluding two
effect on shear strength and failure
mode. Thickness targets were 6, 12,
and 30 microinches for the palladi-
um layer. Again the ENIG and
soldermask defined pads which
formed die shears. It was later deter-
mined that these pads had poor sol-
der mask registration which was like-
ly a significant factor in the failure
mode. It was found, unsurprisingly,
that as the palladium thickness
increased on the ENEPIG samples
the failure modes transitioned from
die break in the bulk solder to dies
shears.
CORROSION RESISTANCE
The above section gives an indica-
tion of the nickels resistance to cor-
rosion caused by the top layer plat-
ing bath. This next section reviews
the finishs resistance to environ-
mental conditioning
For this set of testing the ENImAg
was compared to ENIG at two gold
thickness, 1 and greater than 2
microinches. As reducing gold thick-
ness is a concern for overall perform-
ance this test would help demon-
strate if the porosity of a lower gold
thickness is such that it degrades
with environmental exposure.
Expanding on the work of the 2010
paper discussing the same subject the
effect of 85C/85%RH was tested
more extensively. Subjecting the fin-
ishes to temperature and humidity
will also give a strong indication of
robustness of the finish. The following
was a comparison of ENIG and
ENImAg after a 24 hour exposure to
85C/85% RH. Visual observation of
all parts showed no change in appear-
ance after the temperature and
humidity exposure. After condition-
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Average
No Conditioning
Std Dev
No Conditioning
Average
3 hr bake @ 180C
Std Dev
3 hr bake @ 180C
4-6-in 8.110 0.809 8.427 0.567
4-6-in 8.034 0.822 8.557 0.403
8-10-in 8.220 0.527 8.102 0.873
8-10-in 8.230 0.463 8.436 0.747
12-14-in 8.387 0.542 8.347 0.503
12-14-in 8.290 0.438 8.486 0.512
Table 5. Average aluminum wire pull strengths.
Figure 8. Wetting balance results for ENIG (Au 1-in) after 24 hours at 85 degrees C/85%RH.
Steam Age Exposure. The sister sets
of the above coupons were exposed
to steam age for 8 hours. Typically, it
is not recommended to expose ENIG
to steam age as it is well known that
this will show degradation. However,
this test was to determine whether
ENImAg could withstand steam age,
as does its forerunner, immersion sil-
ver on copper. If deposit degradation
does occur it will also be evident in
the solder spread data. On the
unconditioned parts, regardless of
the gold thickness applied, there is
uniform full solder coverage of the
surface pads. Such is also true for the
unconditioned ENImAg. Visual
observation indicated that there was
degradation of the ENIG, the gold
displays oxidation in the form or
non-uniform appearance as light
and dark gold. This was the same for
both gold thickness levels. The
ENImAg did not show a cosmetic
change after steam age exposure.
After the temperature and humid-
ity exposure, the silver deposit
maintains full uniform spread as
does only the thicker gold deposit.
Degradation in spread is observed
on the thinner plated gold deposit.
The thin gold deposits showed
moderate pull away from the pad
edgessuch was not the case of the
thicker gold deposit which spread
ing and visual inspection, parts were
soldered using wetting balance testing
and solder spread testing conducted
in accordance with IPC J-std 003.
To introduce a more challenging
aspect to the wetting balance test,
lead-free SAC 305 solder globules
were used with Kester 959-T No
Clean solder flux. The choice to veer
from the exact specification was driv-
en in part due to a preference to use
of a flux more typically employed in
routine, everyday assembly. The
instrument used was a MUST III wet-
ting balance with globule [4]. Each
finish was tested in triplicate. One
test board per panel contains six
pads for solderability testing. The
charts herein are a representative of
the surface wetting on all 24 runs.
The results show that the ENIG
degrades after the 85C/85% RH
exposure, as demonstrated by the
significant reduction in wetting
forces measured. Though the majori-
ty of the pads tested maintained
passing forces, an increased propen-
sity for solderability issues was
observed and should be considered.
The ENImAg maintains fast solder-
ing with high wetting forces even
after conditioning.
The ENIG degradation was not
observed on the solder spread test. It
seems the act of placing the solder
paste on the pad was not sensitive
enough to show differences between
the finishes when the parts were
pasted in a one to one paste to pad
ratio. Uniform solder to the edge of
all pads was observed on both the
ENIG and ENImAg.
uniformly to the pad edges. This
type of gold response was expected.
All immersion plating baths result
in some degree of porosity, and
though some will say the formula-
tion can dictate the packing or den-
sity of the plated immersion
deposit, very thin layers will always
retain some degree of porosity. This
is clearly displayed by the ENIG
results obtained. Though the
ENImAg finish purposefully
involves the use of a thicker layer of
metal, the lower silver metal cost
and the less aggressive nature of the
chemistry used facilitates this well.
As expected, none of the finishes
passed the wetting balance test
according to IPC specification. The
thin gold ENIG finish would not wet
at all. On the thicker gold ENIG set,
50% of the pads tested did not accept
solder. The globule made contact
with the pad surface but would not
adhere. Therefore, the curves do not
pass the buoyancy line. The other
50% were slow to wet with low forces.
Surprisingly, but in line with the sol-
der spread testing, the ENImAg sam-
ples all accepted solder. Though the
parts were slow to wet with lower
forces, each pad exited the test with
solder adhered to the board surface.
Future testing will investigate the
effects of more active flux types.
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 9. SEM image of aluminum wedge bond.
Figure 10. SEM image of gold ball bond to lower stitch.
perature and are described as wedge
bonds (Figure 9). Gold wire bonding
uses a combination of heat, pressure
and ultrasonics to form two bond
styles known and ball bonds and
stitch bonds (Figure 10).
The following expands on the abil-
ity to successfully Al wire bond to the
new ENImAg finish. Wire pull
strength requirements vary from cus-
tomer to customer and are based on
conditioning the parts may see in
end use. The following test was con-
ducted as plated with no condition-
ing and after a 3-hour dry bake at
180C to simulate die attach and
curing steps. Immersion silver on
electroless nickel was tested at multi-
ple silver thickness ranges to under-
stand the effect of increased silver
thickness on performance. Wire
bonding and pull testing was con-
ducted at a third party facility.
Testing was conducted on an ASM
wire bonder with a 0.9mil Al wire
according to MIL-STD-883. The test
was conducted without any cleaning
process prior to the bonding opera-
tion, with 133 wires being bonded.
The resulting wire bonds were pulled
on a K&S 1470 machine and resulted
in all averages above 8 gram force
with and without conditioning for
each finish (Table 5). A total of 25
bonds per finish were pulled. The
thickness of the silver may play a role
in the standard deviation of the pull
strength recorded.
CONCLUSION
The benefits of gold surface finishes
are well understood, and just like
every surface finish, it has positives
and negatives. One surface finish is
not suited for every application.
ENIG has a strong hold of market
share but as great pressure continues
to be applied on the electronics
industry both financially and envi-
ronmentally, one must consider
alternatives to this now prohibitively
expensive finish. The adoption of
MacDermids electroless
nickel/immersion silver finish proves
to be high performing and economi-
cally viable alternative to the high
cost ENIG incumbent. ENImAg can
hold up to all the conditioning at
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
Contact Resistance. Though not
normally an issue with ENIG many
OEMs are concerned about the fall-
out of parts due to poor contact
resistance testing. This is a character-
istic that plagues organic solderabili-
ty preservatives and other organic
coatings on metal surfaces. During
probing for electrical connectivity,
the organic materials used transfers
onto the probe tip. This, in turn,
alters the resistance readings. The
industry has sought the introduction
of new probe styles which twist as
they test to penetrate the nonconduc-
tive organic surface finish. Silver
metal, naturally, is highly conductive
and will not transfer to probe tips. It
maintains high contact resistance
performance. Table 4 compares the
contact resistance of four surface fin-
ishes both as plated and after two
lead free reflow excursions. Parts were
probed 500 times. Each number is an
average of the resistance reading
taken every 25 hits. The tip style used
was a traditional 30 gold-plated con-
ical tip with 8 ounces of force. This
probe style is not sharp enough to
penetrate through organic layers
without transfer being observed, such
is the reason for the poor perform-
ance of the OSP. It should be noted
that the ENIG resistance was com-
promised by the reflow excursions.
The change in contact resistance
observed on the ENIG part was
somewhat unexpected. It may be
attributed to the thin layer of gold
being unable to properly protect the
underlying nickel from oxidation
during the reflow excursions. Results
may be different with a higher thick-
ness of gold on the surface.
Aluminum Wire Bonding. Though
currently the percentages may be
small, there are an increasing num-
ber of end-users specifying ENIG for
Aluminum wire bond applications.
Aluminum wire bonding is per-
formed differently than gold wire
bonding. Aluminum wire bonds are
created ultrasonically at room tem-
which ENIG proves successful.
Though ENIG has superior uncondi-
tioned solderability silver on nickel
displays a more consistent wetting
performance even after extreme con-
ditioning being applied. ENImAg
proves to maintain superior contact
resistance as expected from a silver
finish and displays superior alu-
minum wire bond performance.
Though the immersion silver finish
tested in this research involved a
thicker layer of metal than the
incumbent ENIG, the lower metal
cost of silver and less aggressive
nature of the chemistry allows for
this on the ENImAg finish and
proves the benefits as such.
REFERENCES
[1] Electronics Plating Chemicals,
Prismark Partners LLC, March
2011.
[2] Toscano, L., Long, E., A New
Surface Finish for the Electronics
Industry, SMTA International
Orlando, Oct. 2010.
[3] www.kitco.com
[4] www.ipc.org
[5] www.caixin.com Deng, Guo,
Zhang, Zhou. Groaning on the
Industrial Migration Trail,
September 2010.
[6] www.worldwater.org Gleick, P.
China and Water, Chapter 5.
The Worlds Water. 2008-2009.
[7] Cullen, Huenger, Houghton,
Johal, Toben. A Study on
Interfacial Fracture Phenomena
of Solder Joints Formed Using
Electroless Nickel/Immersion
Gold Surface Finish. IPC Works
2000.
[8] www.microplating.com
[9] JEDEC Standard 5.2
[10] Toscano, L., Cullen, D., The
Study, Measurement, and
Prevention of Tarnish on
Immersion Silver Board
Finishes, IPC July 03.
TECHNICALLY
speaking
New Developments in DC Acid
Copper for Vertical PlatingTanks
T
he North American printed cir-
cuit business continues to adjust
to the ever-changing landscape of
global market conditions. Initial
problems with supply chain manage-
ment are being continuously
addressed and sorted out. Most
OEMs are finding it advantageous to
manufacture their more established
big runners and their customary and
off-the-shelf (COTS) products, in the
Far East, particularly in China.
There are certain categories of prod-
ucts that remain in North America.
These are primarily the prototype
boards, the large backplane (>40 lay-
ers), and the boards for military use.
Boards with new proprietary designs
that require the respect of intellectual
property are kept in the U.S. OEMs in
the medical field continue to use U.S.
manufacturing on their products that
are used in life-sustaining devices and
require the highest level of reliability
over time.
The prototype boards require
elaborate front-end engineering to
bring the part to its final configura-
tion in a reasonable time frame.
Prototype boards are never made in
numbers, but they may go through
a series of iterations before finaliza-
tion. These boards cover a wide
range of complexity with some
being highly sophisticated with
high layer count, small holes, and
buried and blind laser drilled vias.
Less than 3 mil lines and spaces and
Via Fill were first encountered in
the prototype shops.
The backplane type boards may
reach a thickness of 400 mils, and
although the holes are usually >20
mils, it is the highest aspect ratio
demand. Boards with aspect ration
>20:1 are manufactured and plated
today. This is one of the highest
value added products in PCB manu-
facturing.
To meet these specification
requirements the board shop is
forced to seek new and advanced
processes in every department in the
manufacturing process. Acid copper
plating comes under heavy scrutiny,
as it is the process that forms the
traces and the thru hole connectiv-
ity that convey the signal from end to
end of the final device.
The uniformity of thickness distri-
bution on the surface and in the
holes is becoming ever more chal-
lenging as board designs continue
down the path of smaller holes and
finer lines as well as the need for
impedance control. Surface unifor-
mity is sometimes plagued with the
occurrence of nodules, which come
from a variety of sources. Gold wire
bonding applications have no toler-
ance to any level of nodulation.
In addition, there is a greater
demand on the physical properties;
tensile strength and elongation
(T&E) of the plated copper, to with-
stand the rigors of high temperature
assembly of lead-free (LF) solder as
required for RoHS compliance.
New developments are helping
meet this challenge. A big part of the
developments are focused on:
New chemical additive packages
for improved thickness
distribution.
Mass transfer improvements to
complement the additives
Nodules elimination by use of
insoluble anode
Via Filling, a specific application
ACID COPPER ORGANIC
ADDITIVES
Acid copper additives fall into three
main categories:
Carriers
Brighteners
Levelers
Carriers increase the polarization
resistance and are current suppres-
sors. The suppression is a result of
the carrier being adsorbed to the sur-
face of the cathode, which, in turn,
gives rise to an increase in the effec-
tive thickness of the diffusion layer.
Suppression causes the deposit grain
structure to be more uniform and
adherent. The carrier modified diffu-
sion layer also improves plating dis-
tribution without burning the
deposit.
The brightener is a grain refiner
its adsorption produces a film that
will suppress crystallographic differ-
ences. Brighteners may be adsorbed
preferentially on particular active
sites such as lattice kinks, growth
steps, or tops of cones, or surface
projections; growths at these loca-
tions are then blocked. Brighteners
give rise to fine-grained structures
that are equiaxed with no specific
direction. A fine grained structure is
a bright structure. The brightener is
the component that has the maxi-
mum effect on the final copper phys-
ical properties, namely tensile
strength and percent elongation.
Levelers or leveling agents are
inhibitors present at low concentra-
tions in the electrolyte as compared
to the depositing metal. In case of a
micro profile the diffusion layer does
not follow the profile contour, but is
maximum at the valleys and mini-
mum at the peaks. Consequently, in
absence of a leveling agent, deposit-
ing ions diffuse more rapidly to the
TECHNICALLY
speaking
BY GEORGE MILAD, UYEMURA INTERNATIONAL
CORPORATION, SOUTHINGTON CONN
the advantages attributed to pulse
plating are more the result of plating
at low ASF for extended periods of
time (up to four hours) rather than
the effect of pulse rectification.
High Throw DC Plating. A new gen-
eration of High Throwing Power
acid copper systems have come to the
market to fill the void. These baths
are designed for todays plating cur-
rents, which are lower than the tradi-
tional 2530 ASF, which was com-
mon in the days of double-sided and
simpler products.
High-throw baths are designed to
give the desired physical properties
at current densities as low as 5 ASF
and as high as 20 ASF. They produce
bright ductile deposits.
These bath types are characterized
by a specific combination of organic
additive package that includes a
unique leveling agent. The leveler
plays a key role in improving throw-
ing power particularly if it is coupled
with a well designed solution move-
ment system with or without air.
Some of these baths can give a
throwing power >80% for a 12:1
aspect ratio drilled hole plating 1.0
mil in the hole, in a plating time of
90 minutes, in a vertical dip tank
mode.
Figure 1 shows a 24:1 aspect ratio
peaks than to the val-
leys, and deposits
grow more rapidly on
the peaks, resulting
in an exaggerated
profile. With good
solution agitation,
the leveler will accu-
mulate more rapidly
and readily at the
peaks, and it will
inhibit growth or
deposition. The
absence of leveler in
the valleys will allow
faster deposit growth
and allow the valleys
to catch up to the
peak, thus creating
leveling.
Pulse Plating. For
the last few years the
copper plating
industry was focused
on pulse plating
and, in particular,
periodic pulse
reverse as the solu-
tion for all. As time
progressed and the
level of difficulty
continued to climb,
the plating current
density for pulse
began to drop and
the primary advan-
tage of plating at
higher current den-
sity began to disappear. Add to that
the complexity of operating a pulse
rectifier with added definition of
ASF, forward to reverse ratio, duty
cycle and waveform. In many
instances, pulse also required an
elaborate and frequent scheme of
organic regeneration to maintain
the copper thickness distribution
benefits.
Most pulse plating of printed cir-
cuit boards today is done at very low
current densities and for extended
plating times, many pulse cycles
include a series of ever-changing
pulse plating parameters. Most of
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 1. DC
Plating at 8 ASF
for 220 minutes;
6 mil hole in 240
mil thick board,
51% throw.
Figure 2. DC Plating 6mil in 93 mil thick board;
10 ASF for 120 minutes, 80% throw.
866.683.1570
www.cc-lc.com
info@cc-lc.com
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The One-Step Pretreatment Process
Have you read the story about
AR Iron, LLC in this issue on
page 30? AR Iron designs and
manufactures a wide range of
interior and outdoor ornamental
ironwork using Plaforization
as their pretreatment.
DID
YOU
SEE
?
without the use of air sparging. The
design and layout of the eductor
sparging system is important to max-
imize the solution shearing action at
the surface for the board to be plat-
ed. If properly designed eductors can
preclude the need for part agitation.
The increased solution flow at the
surface as compared to the middle of
the hole could be effective in improv-
ing the throwing power, provided the
chemical additives used are designed
to respond preferentially to solution
movement. Eductors eliminate the
need for compressed air or air blow-
ers, and also provides a safer environ-
ment where acid is not constantly
been blown into the air, or the
exhaust system.
Nodule Elimination Insoluble
Anode. The use of insoluble anodes
is well established in the acid copper
conveyorized equipment. It offers a
series of advantages over the conven-
tional copper slugs/balls in titanium
baskets. The most prominent advan-
tage is the absence of copper anodes,
which need to be filmed and bagged
to contain naturally occurring
sludge from getting on the work.
Anodes, even in their purest form,
are prolific sources of suspended
matter that leads to nodules.
Insoluble anodes eliminate the need
for dummy plating to film the
anode. The need for standard anode
maintenance is also eliminated. The
anode shape and dimensions are not
altered throughout the life of the
insoluble anode.
The insoluble anode requires a
continuous supply of copper ions
brought into the system from an
external source. Some of the meth-
ods used to generate copper are the
dissolution of copper oxide into the
electrolyte, the electrolytic dissolu-
tion in an external rectified cell and
the use of ozone to oxidize copper
metal in an adjunct device.
The elimination of anode mainte-
nance, the consistency of the anode
area and the elimination of the solu-
ble anode as a source of nodulation
make the use of the insoluble anode
a viable solution for the plating chal-
lenges today.
hole plated at 8 ASF (DC) for 220
minutes with 51% throw. Figure 2
shows a 15:1 aspect ratio hole plated
at 10 ASF (DC) for 120 minutes with
80% throw.
Mass Transfer. Mass transfer
becomes a key parameter that must
be understood and managed for high
aspect ratio plating. An example is
plating a 400 mil thick board with 20
mil holes diameter a 20:1 aspect
ratio, a 93mil thick board with 6 mil
holes, or a 125 mil thick board with 8
mils holes, both 15:1 aspect ratios.
Mass transfer is also critical for plat-
ing a blind via with an aspect ratio
greater >1.0.
Mass transfer is influenced first
and foremost by diffusion, also
affected by solution agitation, and
part or rack agitation. Of course, a
reduction in plating rate will always
improve distribution by maximiz-
ing the role of diffusion for mass
transfer.
Diffusion refers to the movement
of ions through the solution in
response to a concentration gradi-
ent. It is a consequence of random
molecular motion that operates to
produce more uniform distribution
throughout the solution. As soon as
plating begins to deplete the copper
ions in the immediate vicinity of the
cathode (in the diffusion layer) diffu-
sion drives more ions in to equalize
the concentration. If the plating rate
is higher than the rate of diffusion,
alternate sources of mixing must
be used to avoid burning the deposit.
Eductors. Eductors are used today in
many of acid copper plating tanks.
They create turbulent solution flow
Via Fill Plating. To meet the
demands of high density intercon-
nect, via filling is quickly becoming
a clear choice for connecting the dif-
ferent layers in build-up technology
(stacked vias and vias in pad) manu-
facturing. They result in an overall
improvement in long-term reliability
of the PCB and the package.
Suppliers have developed new elec-
trolytes for plugging vias shut. Both
pulse plating and DC plating propri-
etary Via Filling chemistries are
available in the marketplace. DC
plating offers a series of advantages,
as it does not require pulse rectifica-
tion and avoids the complexity of
managing a pulse wave. In addition,
DC plating systems are stable and do
not require the constant regenera-
tion of pulsed electrolytes. The use of
DC plating allows the filling of most
blind vias to be completed in under
120 minutes depending on the
degree of difficulty or aspect ratio.
Via filling is based on high deposit-
ing ion concentration coupled with a
unique additive package that is com-
posed of carrier and brightener, with
a low concentration of a leveling
agent. Most of these systems require
optimized highly uniform solution
flow. The flow allows the leveler to
accumulate on the surface, thus
inhibiting plating while the bottom
of the via continues to plate. The
plating dynamics in the bottom of
the hole are very different than those
on the board surface. Eventually, as
the hole fills, the difference in plat-
ing dynamics even out.
Figure 3 show DC plating of a via
completed in under two hours.
Acid copper plating has come a
long way since the early days of dou-
ble and single-sided printed wiring
boards. Plating challenges will con-
tinue to increase as new product
demands (lighter smaller and more
reliable) come to market. As one
leading edge milestone is conquered,
a new one is set. Stay tuned.!
George Milad is the National Accounts
Manager for Technology at Uyemura
USA. He may be reached at gmilad@uye-
mura.com.
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 3. Via Fill DC plating in under 120
minutes.
Zincate- or StannateFree Plating
of Aluminum and its Alloys
Introduction. Aluminum is light,
strong, environmentally acceptable
and relatively inexpensive. As such, it
enjoys wide use in the electronics
industry. However, it is easily corrod-
ed, relatively soft and not easily weld-
ed or soldered. As a result, it is quite
often plated.
The process being presented in this
article has now become part of ASTM
specification B253 Standard Guide for
the Preparation of Aluminum Alloys for
Electroplating, which also covers the
electroless deposition of metals on
aluminum and its alloys by the use of
zincates. Although other methods of
preparation are available[i], zincate
and/or stannate have been the most
widely used method for more than
80 years now[ii].
Zincates basically consist of an
alkaline solution of zinc as zinc
hydroxide, and a number of varia-
tions to this basic composition are
commercially available. Stannates
consist basically of an alkaline solu-
tion of tin as the hydroxide, and a
number of variations to this basic
composition are commercially avail-
able. After an extensive series of
cleaning steps, which may or may not
require more than one application of
a given zincate or stannate composi-
tion, the surface of the aluminum or
aluminum alloy ends up being coat-
ed with a very thin film of zinc or tin
metal which will be dispersed over
the surface of the metal in an irregu-
lar pattern depending upon the
nature of the alloy being processed
and/or the characteristics of the par-
ticular zincate and/or stannate solu-
tion being used. This then removes
or displaces a large portion of the
aluminum oxides on the metal and
sets up electrochemical cells where
by the aluminum or aluminum alloy
will more easily accept the metal
being plated on it, while at the same
time displacing the zinc and/or tin
out into the plating solution along
TECHNICALLY
speaking
BY JOHN BIBBER, LABORATORY AND RESEARCH DIRECTOR,
SANCHEM, INC., CHICAGO, ILL.
ABSTRACT
For more than 80 years now the
most generally accepted process
for the preparation of aluminum
and it alloys for plating has
involved the use of a zincate or
stannate processing solution.
Environmental issues relative to
the use of these processes are
becoming more and more of a
problem. The process itself is long
and involved and will differ from
one alloy to another. This article
presents a much more environ-
mentally acceptable alternative
that is considerably easier to work
with, gives far more consistent
results and is more cost effective.
Table 1. Commonly used procedure for processing wrought aluminum
alloy parts.
1. Clean in a sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid-based cleaner at about 120F for 2
to 3 minutes
2. Mineral-free water rinse.
3. Strong potassium hydroxide etch for 1 to 3 minutes at ambient temperatures.
4. Rinse in mineral free water.
5. Acid etch in 15%-25% sulfuric acid containing 1%-2% fluoride at ambient
temperatures.
6. Double rinse in mineral-free water.
7. Process in zincate or stannate solution.
9. Immediately place the parts in the plating bath.
Table 2: Commonly used procedure for the processing of cast aluminum
alloy parts
1. Strong alkaline (pH of 12 or higher) cleaner at about 150 170F for
2 or 3 minutes.
2. Double rinse in mineral free water.
3. 1% 3% fluoride salt added to 20% - 25% sulfuric acid with the balance
being nitric acid at ambient temperatures for one to three minutes.
5. Zincate or stannate processing of the casting.
7. Go directly to plating bath
nickel or chromium as the type of
zincate or stannate composition
used will influence the ability of the
aluminum or aluminum alloy to
accept subsequent metal
deposits[iii],[iv]. In addition the use
of zincates and/or stannates will
require you to use an alkaline
cyanide copper plating bath rather
then the more environmentally
acceptable acid copper plating bath.
The zincate and/or stannate-based
processes are totally dependent upon
generating and continually main-
with any other metals that the given
zincate or stannate solution may
have contained and were deposited
on the aluminum or aluminum
alloy.
In many cases, this will act to
shorten the bath life of your plating
solution. In particular, electroless
deposition solutions such as elec-
troless nickel. As is the case of met-
als other then aluminum, copper is
frequently plated directly onto a
given zincate or stannate-prepared
surface to facilitate the plating of
taining very reactive surface condi-
tions. This may be possible under
laboratory conditions, but very diffi-
cult if not impossible to maintain in
any given plating shop depending
upon the aluminum alloy being
processed. Thus the need for very
clean rinse solutions and numerous
processing tanks that need constant
attention to avoid the expense of
having to reprocess parts.
Once the parts have been processed
and rinsed, they need to be immedi-
ately placed in the plating bath and
quickly plated while the surface is
still active and ready to accept the
metal being deposited on them. The
larger the parts, the greater the
degree of difficulty involved. Table 1
illustrates one of the more common-
ly used methods of for processing
wrought aluminum with zincates or
stannates[v].
Table 2 illustrates one of the more
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Table 3: Procedure for the processing of wrought aluminum alloy parts by
new process.
1. Clean in a phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid based cleaner at about 110120F
for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Rinse in mineral-free water.
3. Activate by immersion in a 5% Potassium hydroxide solution at ambient
temperatures until you have uniform and even gassing of the part, generally
not more then 1015 seconds.
5. Acid etch in 20% sulfuric acid containing about 1.5% ammonium bifluroide for
2 minutes.
7. Rinse in 1% ammonia water solution to remove all traces of acid or acid salts
for 10 15 seconds.
8. Rinse in mineral free water and go immediately directly into plating catalyst,
making the part the anode at about 15 16 amps per square foot for about 2
to 3 seconds.
9. Rinse the part off in a 1% ammonia water solution, followed by a mineral-free
water rinse and take directly to the plating bath.
Table 4: Procedure for processing of cast aluminum parts by new process.
1. Strong alkaline (pH of 12 or higher) cleaner at about 150170F for
2 or 3 minutes.
3. 1% 3% fluoride salt added to 20%25% sulfuric acid with the balance
being nitric acid at ambient temperatures for 1 to 3 minutes.
4. Rinse in mineral-free water followed by a rinse in a 1% ammonia water
solution to remove all traces of acid or acid salts.
5. Rinse in mineral free water again and go directly into plating catalyze making
the casting the anode at 1516 amps per square foot for 2 to 3 seconds.
6. Rinse casting in 1% ammonia in water and mineral free water and go directly
into the plating bath.
Figure 1. Barrel plated 6061 Albefore & after
plating.
Figure 2. Cast 383 -electroless nickel, before &
after deposition.
to be processed at a later date by
soaking them in warm (100-120F)
mineral-free water for about 15
minutes, dipped in 1% aqueous
ammonia for about 10 seconds, and
then rinsing again before going
into your plating bath. The parts
may be processed in a rotating bas-
ket, if so desired. Regardless of what
aluminum alloy is being processed,
the same plating catalyst used and
your major source of loss is drag
out from the bath. The very thin
catalytic film (about 100 200 nm)
is displaced out into your plating
bath and will have no adverse effect
upon the bath. The electrochemical
deposition of the catalytic film is
not directional and once the depo-
sition process starts, the film will
deposit itself in any and all recessed
areas or small holes.
CONCLUSION
As outlined above, the electrolytic
deposition of a thin and environ-
mentally safe catalytic organic film
on wrought or cast aluminum or its
alloys will serve as a alternative to the
conventional zincate and/or stan-
nate processing to prepare alu-
minum and its alloys for plating. The
new process is accomplished with far
less difficulty.
BIO
John W. Bibber is the laboratory and
research director at Sanchem, Inc.
Chicago, Ill. He has a B.S. degree in chem-
istry from Shippensburg University,
Shippensburg, Pa., and a Ph.D. in
Inorganic Chemistry from the University
of Georgia, Athens, Ga. Bibber has U.S.
and international patents on surface
treatment processes for aluminum, mag-
nesium and titanium. He is an officer of
ASTM, a member of AESF and a
Member of ACS.
REFERENCES
i. Arrowsmith, D. J. and Clifford,
A.W., Int. J. Adhesion and Adhesives,
volume 5, page 40, 1985.
ii. Hweitson, E.H. ( Eastman Kodak,
Co. )U.S.Patent1,627,900 ( 1927 ).
iii. Mallory, G.O., Plating and Surface
Finishing, 72, No. 6, 86, 1985.
iv. Leloup, R. ( W. Canning and Co.,
commonly used methods in the pro-
cessing of aluminum castings[vi].
Castings are much more difficult to
clean, in that the silicon and other
elements in a given casting are gener-
ally present in much higher percent-
ages. Silicon, for example, will range
from about 6percent to as high as 25
percent, and it is rather difficult to
remove.
Table 3 is similar to the process
outlined in the ASTM B253 specifica-
tionStandard Guide for the Preparation
of Aluminum Alloys for Electroplating
and now in use as an alternative to
the standard zincate and/or stannate
process for the preparation of
wrought alloys to be plated.
Once the organic-based plating
catalyst is applied, the surface of the
metal being processed is more or less
sealed from the outside elements and
may, if so desired, be dried and stored
in a clean dry area to be processed at
a later date by first of all reactivating
the surface by soaking the parts in
warm (100120F) mineral-free
water for about 15 minutes, dipped
in a 1% aqueous ammonia solution
for about 10 seconds and then rins-
ing again in mineral-free water
before going into your plating bath.
Parts may be processed in a rotating
basket if so desired.
Table 4 outlines the currently
used process for processing cast
aluminum alloys with the organic-
based plating catalyst. Once again,
the casting may, if so desired, be
dried and stored in a clean, dry area
Ltd. ). British Patent 1,007,252 (
1955 ).
v. Wernick, S., Pinner, R., Sheasby,
P.G., The Surface Treatment and
Finishing of Aluminum and its
Alloys, Metals Park, OH., ASM
International, pp. 1043 1045,
1987.
vi. Wernick, S., Pinner, R., Sheasby,
P.G., The Surface Treatment and
Finishing of Aluminum and its
Alloys, Metals Park, OH., ASM
International, pp. 1043 1045,
1987.
TECHNICALLY
speaking
Figure 3. From left: Zamak untreated; Zamak,
nickel plated; and Zamak with electroless nickel,
copper plated.
The Study of Color
Strength Measurement
in Anodizing Dyes
I
n the past, engineers of quality assurance department
matched color by eyesight or colorimeter to identify
the change of hue. However, the method does not offer
the best accuracy, nor does it indicate color strength. In
this study, Everlight Chemical Industrial Corporation
attempted to find a better measurement of the color
strength and used the statistical analysis to get the esti-
mated equation. The following study addresses past
measurement problems.
0-1. Background. Anodizing articles are commonly seen
in daily life, such as carabiners, bicycle handles and note-
book shells, etc. In spite of wide applications of anodizing
dyeing of aluminum surface, it is difficult to accurately
predict the color performance after dyeing. Among
researches on dyeing aluminum, there is more emphasis
on the color theory: hue, value and chroma rather than
on the strength and its applications and, therefore, needs
further study. In this study, we chose four EVERANOD
dyestuffs (three primary colors, RGB and Black) to ana-
lyze the color strength of R-squared values and CIE L
value in D65 light source.
0-2. Standard illuminant. It is well known that the color
of an object depends basically on three factors: the light
source, the object and the observer.
Sunlight is generally the most common light source,
but it is unstable and easily lead to misjudgment.
Following are several types of artificial light sources used
instead: (1) A light source, also known as tungsten light
source (color temperature of about 2,854K); (2) C light
source about average daylight at 6,740 K; (3) D65 light
source is an approximation of the average natural day-
light (color temperature of about 6500K); (4) F light
source is generated by the fluorescent lighting. D65 is the
mostly used in the color measurement test.
0-3. Definition of the color strength. Traditionally,
strength is employed in the same dyestuff or pigment to
define the differences between the standard and batches.
The color strength is calculated as the ratio of the K/S in
TECHNICALLY
speaking
BY FU-CHENG CHIANGJOANNA YANGGRAHAM
CHANGHEH-JIUN YANG, EVERLIGHT CHEMICAL
INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION, TAIPEI, TAIWAN.
the maximum absorption wavelength. The formula is as
below:
[(K/S
BATCH
) / (K/S
STANDARD
)]*100=BATCH STRENGTH
0-4. The R - squared statistics and Interpretation. In sta-
tistics, the coefficient of determination R-squared value is
used in the context of statistical models whose main pur-
pose is the prediction of future outcomes on the basis of
other related information. In this study, the R-squared
coefficient of determination is a statistical measure of
how well the regression line approximates the real data
points. When the R-squared value approaches one that
means the regression line comes near perfectly and fits
the data.
1. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 The development of color measurement. Searching
references in journals and articles about chromatics, we
found many researches about chromatic science or com-
puter color measurement used in textiles. But it is
uncommon in colorful anodizing and dyeing treated arti-
cles from aluminum alloys. We are not aware of any
papers that discuss the strength especially.
How to use color measurement instrument to define
the color strength specification is the major part in this
study, and we hope this paper could also improve the
color measurement in quality assurance departments.
2. Materials and methods.
2.1 Materials
1. Aluminum: 1050 (40 * 50 * 0.5mm)
2. Agent: NaOH, Na
2
CO
3
, H
2
SO
4
, Z700 (sealing agent)
3. Dyestuff: EVERANOD BLACK L-01, EVERANOD RED
L-01, EVERANOD YELLOW L-03, EVERANOD NAVY 02
2.2 Apparatus
1. Regulated DC power supply (30V, 20A)
2. Cooling water circulation device (0C 30C)
3. Water bath (at 30C to 99C)
4. Electronic Balance (decimal less than 3)
5. Colorimeter: Macbeth Color-Eye 3100 (Aperture: LAV,
formula for the CMC (2.00:1))
2.3 Experimental Process
2.3.1 Pretreatment
(1) Degreasing
Bath composition: 40% NaOH 10g / L + Na
2
CO
3
20 g / L
Temperature: 55C
Time of dipping: 3 min
(2) Washed with water
(3) Neutralization
Bath composition: 20% HNO
3
Room temperature
Time of dipping: 30 sec
2.3.2 Anodizing:
(1) Bath composition: 20% H
2
SO
4
(2) Anodizing conditions: current density of 1.3 A/dm
2
at
20C for 40 min
2.3.3 Dyeing of anodizing film:
(1) First group: 55C, 5g/L, 4 kinds of dyes
Dyeing in different time: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 30 min
TECHNICALLYspeaking
(2) Second group: 55C, 15min, 4 kind of dyes
Dyeing in different concentration: 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0,
1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 g/L
2.3.4 Sealing
(1) Bath composition: 5g / L (Z700)
(2) Temperature: 70C
(3) Time: 10 min
2.3.5 Color measurement
2.3.6 Analysis
3. The Characteristic Examination. This research uses two
groups of experiments to verify results of the strength
with the computer measuring, and to determine the reli-
ability of the R-squared value in order to prove measuring
the strength from the computer is more reliable com-
Color lightness value (Different dyeing time of color lightness test)
Dyeing time(min) 1 2 4 8 16 30
EVERANOD BLACK L-01 30.823 27.401 26.212 25.598 25.149 25.499
EVERANOD YELLOW L-03 86.973 86.881 86.783 86.883 86.763 86.892
EVERANOD RED L-01 51.186 49.371 46.821 45.178 44.076 43.333
EVERANOD NAVY 02 30.714 28.29 27.005 26.443 26.438 25.945
Table 1. Various color values for L
Color strength value (Different dyeing time of color strength test)
Dyeing time(min) 1 2 4 8 16 30
EVERANOD BLACK L-01 53.167 75.972 86.933 93.759 100 100
EVERANOD YELLOW L-03 72.492 82.53 89.073 93.468 100 102.371
EVERANOD RED L-01 45.123 59.72 78.414 90.554 100 109.518
EVERANOD NAVY 02 57.835 74.12 88.775 98.767 100 106.663
Table 2. Different dyeing time of color strength test.
Color lightness value (Different concentrations of color lightness test)
Dyeing concentration (g/L) 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5
EVERANOD BLACK L-01 63.829 58.368 55.546 52.734 48.965 45.799 43.725 40.488 36.83 35.583
EVERANOD YELLOW L-03 91.352 90.965 90.847 90.77 90.786 90.72 90.642 90.662 90.492 90.498
EVERANOD RED L-01 66.963 63.011 61.358 61.65 60.011 59.378 58.482 58.252 57.46 56.526
EVERANOD NAVY 02 56.46 46.018 40.074 37.703 35.073 32.557 31.239 29.824 28.846 28.149
Table 3. Different concentrations of color lightness value (L).
Color strength value (Different concentrations of color strength test)
Dyeing concentration (g/L) 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 5
EVERANOD BLACK L-01 2.391 8.075 13.002 20.087 33.184 48.464 65.375 100 161.487 191.665
EVERANOD YELLOW L-03 3.963 37.439 52.097 61.552 75.174 77.794 86.696 100 110.281 109.607
EVERANOD RED L-01 9.782 31.701 45.076 48.617 69.32 79.824 96.901 100 114.622 132.628
EVERANOD NAVY 02 5.087 18.584 35.683 45.341 58.951 75.34 85.838 100 113.666 126.18
Table 4. The effect of different concentrations on color strength value (strength).
pared to the L value. Following are the procedure of two
experimental methods:
3.1 Dyeing in different times
Dyeing concentration: 5g/L
Dyeing temperature:55C
Different dyeing time: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 30 min
The study compared the differences between L value
and the color strength value. This study confirms the
credibility of individual R-squared value with statistical
analysis.
3.2 Dyeing in different concentration
Dyeing temperature: 55C
Dyeing time: 15 min
Different dyeing concentration: 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5,
2, 3, 4, 5 g/L
4. Result. The study compared differences between L
value and the color strength value. This study confirms
TECHNICALLYspeaking
the reliability of individual R-squared value with statisti-
cal analysis.
4.1 The effect of dyeing time. The effects of different dye-
ing time on L value are indicated in Table I. Since obvious
differences cant be observed from the raw data, statistical
methods are used for further analysis. The R-squared val-
ues are shown on Figure I, that EVERANOD BLACK L-01
is 0.68, EVERANOD YELLOW L-02 is 0.5, EVERANOD
RED L-01 is 0.91, and EVERANOD NAVY 02 is 0.69.
Among four dyes, L values of EVERANODRED L-01 show
high reliability with dyeing time while others are low.
The effects of different dyeing time on the strength are
indicated in Table II. Obvious differences are observed.
According to the statistical analysis shown on figure II,
that the R-squared values of EVERANOD BLACK L-01 is
0.92, EVERANOD YELLOW L-02 is 0.91, EVERANOD
RED L-01 is 0.92, and EVERANOD NAVY 02 is 0.82.
Among four dyes, only EVERANOD RED L-01 shows
high reliability on both the L value and the strength. R-
squared values of other dyes are higher in the strength
than the L value and indicate the strength is more reliable
Figure I. The effect of different dyeing time on color lightness value (L).
EVERANOD BLACK L-01

y = -0.1111x
2
+ 4.5694x + 61.486
R = 0.8002
EVERANOD YELLOW L-03
y = -0.0583x
2
+ 2.6333x + 75.276
R = 0.9069
EVERANOD RED L-01
y = -0.1198x
2
+ 5.5697x + 48.704
R = 0.9179
EVERANOD NAVY 02
y = -0.0994x
2
+ 4.3445x + 64.087
R = 0.8239
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
S
T
R
E
N
G
T
H
time(min)
Different dyeing time of color strength test
EVERANODBLACK L-01
EVERANODYELLOWL-03
EVERANOD RED L-01
EVERANODNAVY 02
Figure 2. The effect of different dyeing times on color strength value
(strength).
Figure 3. Different concentrations of color lightness value (L)>>
Figure 4. Different concentrations of color strength value (strength).
in chromatic examination.
4.2 The effect of different concentrations of colored test.
This section was designed to study the relation between
different concentration and L value. Results are indicated
in Table 3. According to statistical analysis shown on
Figure 3, that R-squared value of EVERANOD BLACK L-
01 is 0.97, EVERANOD YELLOW L-02 is 0.77, EVERAN-
OD RED L-01 is 0.84, and EVERANOD NAVY 02 is 0.83.
Color lightness values of four dyes in different concentra-
tions show good reliability on R-squared value and EVER-
ANOD BLACK L-01 is among the best.
The effects of different concentrations on the color
strength value (strength) are indicated in Table 4.
According to statistical analysis shown on Figure 4, that
R-squared values of EVERANOD BLACK L-01 is 0.99,
EVERANOD YELLOW L-02 is 0.91, EVERANOD RED L-
01 is 0.95, and EVERANOD NAVY 02 is 0.99. Strength
values of four dyes in different concentrations show per-
fect reliability. The R-squared values of the strength of
four dyes in different concentrations are higher than the
color lightness. We can conclude that the strength meas-
urement is better than color lightness method.
CONCLUSION
According to the statistical analysis, the strength method
is a better color measurement than color lightness
method. The strength method can effectively reduce the
time spent on training personnel to match color. The esti-
mated equation obtained in this study could also be
applied to calculate the required dyeing time and enough
amount of dyestuff.
TECHNICALLYspeaking
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Just sitting in our archives.
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detailed designs in a relatively short time frame.
Father & son: Fred Sclafani (left) owns AR Iron LLC with his wife, Sylvia. Their son Tony (right) serves
as general manager.
ing that was also
in keeping with
the Venetians
artistic flair. AR
Iron stepped up to
the challenge, cre-
ating railing that
featured more
than 8,000 hand-
forged solid bar
scrolls comple-
mented by 16,000
deco rosettes
attached to the
finials.
Greg Bachnick,
project manager,
The Venetian
Hotel & Casino,
recalled the com-
plex requirements
of the job. AR Iron was the only
company that went through the time
and expense to create a sample panel,
and that was very impressive to us,
he explained. The design was criti-
cal, and delivering the product in a
timely manner while maintaining
the consistency in design and quality
were a major concern, but AR Iron
made us feel very comfortable with
their ability to accomplish the job.
This installation took a great deal of
detail work and layout and, as you
can see from the final result, AR Iron
performed flawlessly.
Sclafani attests to the challenges of
this particular installationa project
spanning eight floors. The open-
ings were not square, so it was diffi-
cult to pre-fit every panel, he
explained. This required measuring
each individual opening on site to
ensure the panels lined up. The
entire job, from fabrication to instal-
lation, took 90 days.
BRANCHING OUT
AR Irons expertise is not limited to
the custom manufacture of decora-
tive iron railings. Having added
enamel painting and powder coating
capabilities to its repertoire about
five years ago, AR Iron expanded its
operation to offer customers a more
complete array of services. To that
always has his fingers on the pulse of
the local residential/commercial real
estate market. Were also seeing a
fair amount of repeat business.
And then there are those mega,
high-profile jobs that showcase the
full breadth of AR Irons capabilities.
One such project entailed the park-
ing garage structure attached to the
Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino, the
sprawling complex boasting 6,000
luxury suites, 200,000 sq. ft. of casi-
no space, and 500,000 sq. ft. of retail
space. The hotels parking garage
which can accommodate space for
7,500 carsrequired protective rail-
end, the Sclafani family added
10,000-square feet, purchased paint
and powder coating equipment and
supplies, and invested in training
and education for its employees.
Thus, AR Powder Coating was born.
With the addition of the powder
coating operation, the total facility
covers 20,000 square feet. The exten-
sion boasts an 8-gun automated
painting station paired with a down-
draft system; an energy-efficient
batch oven with an enlarged opening
to accommodate oversize parts; and
a new batch spray booth. Whats
FINISHERSprofile
PRIMARY VENDOR PARTNERS
AkzoNobelwww.akzonobel.com
Carpenter Chemicalwww.cc-lc.com
Coral Chemicalwww.coral.com
Parker Ionicswww.parkerionics.com
Prismatic Powders (div. of NIC Industries)
www.prismaticpowders.com
Sherwin-Williamswww.sherwin-williams.com
Tony Sclafani demonstrates whats possible
through design and fabrication. Here, he
inspects a set of security gates after coating
and curing.
AR Powder Coating features an 8-gun auto-
mated painting station paired with a down-
draft system.
The owners of AR Iron invested in an energy-
efficient batch oven with an enlarged opening
to accommodate oversize parts.
CAPABILITIES & CERTIFICATIONS
Custom Iron Forging

Parts Cleaning & Priming
Powder Coating
Enamel Painting
CAD Part Design
Computer-Aided Plasma Cutting
Iron LLC is also hoping that factors
outside its sphere will translate into
even more business for the company.
Namely, the tepid upturn in the
economy. The local economy is
coming back slowly, Sclafani con-
firmed, reflecting on the 200809
economic downturn that essentially
put a halt to the construction boom
that had become to define Las Vegas
and its surrounding counties.
Sclafani is also seeing positive signs
resulting from Las Vegas Major
Oscar Goodmans revitalization
plan, which has fostered the develop-
ment of single- and multi-family
housing units as well as new, large-
scale commercial development. With
home ownership rates hovering
more, all material is thoroughly
cleaned and primed using advanced,
environmentally friendly pretreat-
ment chemistry
1
prior to finish
application. All totaled, AR Iron/AR
Powder Coating has the capacity to
put out 4,0005,000 linear feet per
week.
Sclafani also attributes the compa-
nys high level of production to the
talents and commitment of his
workforce, which now stands at
about 22 employees. These skills are
hard to teach, he said, singling out a
worker performing a visual inspec-
tion of a finished product. One of
the main reasons we are successful is
because our employees take owner-
ship in the business.
AR Irons clients tend to agree. AR
Iron has an amazing facility/team
and, thus, the ability to create and
deliver a product that ultimately
would meet our high standards,
The Venetians Bachnick said. I
would reach out to AR Iron for any
opportunity to bid that comes our
way where we would need their
expertise on a project. I would also
recommend them to anyone who is
looking for custom/quality metal
fabrication.
OUTLOOK
Beyonds its technical prowess, AR
around 60% (only slightly below the
national average) and 2012 permits
above year-ago levels, theres reason
to be cautiously optimistic.
Building permits are starting to
come back, Sclafani notes, and
thats always a good sign.
REFERENCES
1. Carpenter Chemicals one-step
pretreatment process. The adhe-
sion is phenomenal with the
Carpenter chemistry, said Tony
Sclafani, general manager, AR
Iron LLC. If youre putting on
good powder, youve got to have
great pretreatment.
Racked and ready. AR Powder Coating has the
capacity to put out 4,000 5,000 linear feet per
week.
The installation AR Iron completed for the garage structure at the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino
entailed 8,000 hand-forged solid bar scrolls complemented by 16,000 deco rosettes attached to the
finials. The entire job, which spanned eight parking levels, took 90 days.
FINISHERSprofile
cleaningtimes
atively dominant.
There are two methods by which
transducer diaphragms are caused to
vibrate.
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS
A piezoelectric material has two
unusual and interrelated character-
istics. They are basically the reverse
of one another:
When a force is applied to a
piezoelectric material, a tiny
electric current is produced.
When an electric current is passed
through piezoelectric materials
they deform, i.e., change in size
(volume) by a few percent.
It is the latter characteristic that
produces a vibrating diaphragm. A
rigid connector (arm) causes the
diaphragm to move slightly when the
piezoelectric material changes shape
upon application of an electric cur-
rent (see Figure 1).
Repeated application of the electric
current, followed by its relaxation,
enables a diaphragm to move for-
ward and backward in one direction.
Most piezoelectric materials are
ceramics, many of which contain sili-
con, lead, aluminum, or titanium
oxides.
MAGNETOSTRICTIVE
TRANSDUCERS
There is a magnetic analog to the
piezoelectric effect. A ferromagnetic
material (magnetic Iron) will
respond mechanically to magnetic
fields. This effect is called magne-
tostriction.
Magnetostrictive materials trans-
duce or convert magnetic energy to
mechanical energy. As with the
piezoelectric effect, the reverse is also
true.
When a magnetostrictive material
is magnetized, it elongatesthat is, it
changes dimension in one direction.
As shown in Figure 1, that dimen-
sional change can be used to cause a
Ultrasonic Transducers:
Part IHow They Work
T
his column is about technolo-
gy common to many metal
cleaning shops: ultrasonic cleaning
systems.
These equipment components are
used in both aqueous and solvent
cleaning applications. Chiefly
employed for removing solid partic-
ulate matter, they are agents of agi-
tation that can dislodge soil compo-
nents that cant be removed solely by
chemical action.
In common use for decades, they
are becoming (or have become) com-
modity equipment products despite
the best efforts of suppliers to pro-
vide differentiation.
A recent spate of requests for
information about how ultrasonic
transducers work (Part I), how to
select the right frequency for use
(Part II, slated for the March/April
edition of Metal Finishing), and how
to select the right power level for
them (Part III) prompted this set of
three columns.
GOOD VIBRATIONS
Ultrasonic transducers produce
waves of fluid pressure that bom-
bard part surfaces (and all surfaces
under immersion). The waves are
produced by diaphragms that
vibrate under immersion in fluids.
The device producing the vibration
is called a transducer.
Frequency of vibration is high
from tens of thousands to hundreds
of thousands of oscillations (cycles)
per second (cps or Hertz).
Consequently, the effect of each
cycle of vibration is negligiblebut
their cumulative and continuous
effect can be either positively or neg-
Figure 1
cleaningtimes
Piezoelectric Magnetostrictive
Material Ceramic Metal
Normal attachment of diaphragm to
housing wall
Epoxy bonding, or brazing with copper
under vacuum
Brazing with silver
Location relative to liquid tank Within (as an immersible unit) or externally attached to sides or bottom
Relative mass of transducer element Low High
Normal thickness of housing wall Thin (typically 14 gauge [1.7mm] ) Thick (1/16 [5 mm] or greater)
Normally used frequency range 20, 30, 40, kHz and up 20, 25 and no higher than 30 kHz
This is the frequency of alternating current supplied to the transducer element by
a matched and provided power generating unit.
The power generating unit is supplied locally with 60 Hz electricity
Potential for part damage via excessive
sonic action
Much less, because frequencies are
higher
Much more, because frequencies are
lower
Applied energy level at the same
frequency
Lower Higher
Applications by mass of parts Used with smaller part masses, where
energy absorption is not significant.
If a larger part mass is added, it will
absorb sonic energy and that available
for surface cleaning will be reduced.
Hence, it is important to match the
transducer to the mass being cleaned.
Used with larger part masses, which
absorb significant quantities of supplied
sonic energy.
Application by type of parts Small assemblies, machined fasteners,
rolled sheet and strip, compact disks, etc.
Foundry castings, extruded pipe, injec-
tion molds, or parts which are highly
resistant to damage
Application by type of soil Single particles, spores or other
biological contamination
Mill scale, some coatings
Concern about useful life General maintenance life is quite
acceptable, but failures do occur due to:
Stress corrosion cracking,
Cavitation damage on radiating
surface,
Fatigue of the epoxy bond,
Cracking of the ceramic
Users should expect a useful life of at
least two years, but perhaps not three
years.
Some manufacturers warranty the
transducer and housing for whatever
period the purchaser desires to use it
Purchase price for the same frequency
and power level
~~ $3 / watt, and up ~~ $5 to 6 / watt, and up
Authors characterization of noise level An electric razor A machine gun (hearing protection
should always be used by workers)
Table 1 Comparison of Piezoelectric and Magnetostrictive Transducers
cleaningtimes
diaphragm to move though driven
by a different factor.
Most magnetostrictive materials
are metal alloys of nickel or contain
significant quantities of nickel com-
pounds.
Magnetostrictive transducers are
not used at frequencies above
around 30 kHz. The main reason is
that the difficulty and cost of con-
trolling the motion of the relatively
large mass of material (dense nickel)
associated with magnetostrictive
transducer elements becomes too
severe at frequencies above that level.
The two methods of generating
pressure waves for cavitation are
compared in Table 1.
MAKING A CHOICE
Some may inform managers that
the choice is between the higher
purchase price and longer mainte-
nance life of magnetostrictive trans-
ducers vs. the opposite for piezo-
electric transducers, or to achieve a
lower level of operating noise.
That's a false choice. The choice
should be totally based on the char-
acter of the parts.
No one, for example, would
consider using magnetostrictive
transducers for cleaning of disk
drive components where
piezoelectric transducers are
commonly used. The components
would dance" in the water bath
and be destroyed.
Nor would anyone consider using
piezoelectric transducers for
removal of scale prior to painting
of small engine blocks for lawn
mowers. Nothing would be
removed.
WHAT ABOUT FREQUENCY?
In next months column, well
review the science a manager should
use to choose one frequency of
ultrasonic waves vs. others. And in
the follow-up column thereafter
(May/June issue), well review how
to size the power input.
BIO
John Durkee is the author of the book,
Management of Industrial Cleaning
Technology and Processes, published by
Elsevier (ISBN 0-0804-48887). In 2013,
Elsevier will publish in print his two
landmark books, Science and
Technology of Cleaning with Solvents
[ISBN 9781455731312]. and
Handbook of Cleaning Solvents,
(ISBN-13:978145573144), as well as a
four-part e-Book Design of Solvent
Cleaning Equipment.
Durkee is an independent consultant
specializing in metal and critical clean-
ing. You can contact him at PO Box 847,
Hunt, TX 78024 or 122 Ridge Road
West, Hunt, TX 78024; 830-238-7610;
Fax 612-677-3170; or jdurkee@preci-
sioncleaning.com.
Use ScienceDirect to
target your customers
in the energy sector
The energy part of ScienceDirect is an invaluable tool
generating over 797,000 page views per month.
There are 5 sub topics in this area to place a
high impact, targeted advertising campaign.
Use ScienceDirect to target your
customers in the energy sector
ScienceDirect monthly views in energy catagories
Sub topic Monthly Page Views
Energy (General) 172,000
Energy Engineering and Power Technology 87,000
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Nuclear Energy and Engineering 68,000
Renewable Energy, Sustainable and the Environment 318,000
onthe
surface
T
he world of electronics assem-
blies is changing; surface quali-
ty and critical cleaning require-
ments are evolving. As a savvy metal
finisher, this provides you with a
great opportunity to supply a better
product and help solve urgent
problems of your electronics assem-
bler customers.
Both ionic and non-ionic residue
from metal finishing processes can
migrate to the circuit assembly.
However, electronics assemblers are
concerned almost exclusively with
ionic residues because ionics can
lead to undesirable conductive path-
ways. As a metal finisher who is pre-
sumably involved with many end-
use applications, you probably have
experience with aspects of critical
cleaning and surface quality that
your customers might not. This
understanding can translate to a
competitive advantage for your com-
ponents and connectors.
Perspective. Electronics assemblers
used to clean flux residues with
organic solvents (this also removed
non-ionic residues). However, back
in the 1990s, partly in response to
the need to replace ozone-depleting
chemicals, suppliers designed fluxes
with residue that did not impair the
functionality of electronics assem-
blies. Such fluxes were termed no
clean. And, indeed, cleaning could
be eliminated for many applications.
Some people quietly reminded man-
ufacturers that the flux did not mag-
ically disappear, that low residue
was a better term than no clean.
This pesky detail about residue was
widely ignored. Other manufactur-
ers adopted water-soluble fluxand
they removed it with (you guessed
it!) water with no added chemistry.
In addition, for some applications,
such as consumer electronics, clean-
ing/defluxing became inherently
less important, because such prod-
ucts are likely to be replaced every
few years, so long-term performance
is less of an issue.
No clean? Not so fast. For a dozen
years or so, the practice for most
electronics assemblers was to either
avoid cleaning altogether, or to use
water with no added chemistry.
Gradually, however, cleaning, per-
formance, and environmental/safety
requirements evolved. The demand
for more reliable long-term perform-
ance increased for high-value prod-
ucts such as medical devices. So, in
many cases, electronics assemblers
now have to cleanand, increasing-
ly, they need to clean no clean flux,
which may seem to be an oxymoron.
The need for cleaning of electronic
assemblies has been demonstrated
recently by high attendance at both
a Southern California program [1]
and at a national conference [2].
Solders have changed, and the
architecture of electronics assem-
blies have changed in ways that
make cleaning essential and more
challenging. Regulations now
require lead-free solders; higher
reflow temperatures makes the
residue more adherent. Many assem-
blers now use long, in-line cleaning
systems, and they remove the flux
using hot water and high-pressure
spray that is hopefully directed at
the areas on the assembly where flux
actually resides. Assemblies became
smaller, more densely populated.
Standoff (the space between the
board and the component)
decreased; instead of 8 to 10 mil, a
standoff of 1 to 3 mil became more
common.
As we know, the closer the spac-
ing, the more difficult it is to
The Right Surface Preparation
for Electronic Components
Figure 1 An acid bright dip can lead to blistering after heat exposure during soldering.
(Photo courtesy of David Hillman, Rockwell Collins).
remove soil. The inherent physics
and chemistry of water means that
at closer-spacing, it is more difficult
to get water in contact with soil;
cleaning is more difficult at 5 mil
spacing or less. The problem of ade-
quate cleaning under closely spaced
components occurs with both no
clean and water-soluble fluxes. We
demonstrated the issue of close
spacing about 20 years ago [3]; and,
we observed similar effects with
process conditions used for lead-
free solders [4].
All ionics. Electronics assemblers
have the goal of removing sufficient
flux residue to achieve acceptable
levels of ionic residue. In fact, some
refer to flux removal or defluxing
rather than cleaning. Most
(although not all) do not think
about removal of other residue, par-
ticularly non-ionic residue.
Electronics industry standards and
test methods speak primarily to lev-
els of ionics. We still hear comments
from electronics assemblers that
their approach to cleaning is limited
to putting the assemblies into the
cleaning system, closing the door,
removing the ostensibly clean parts,
running the required tests, and
determining if the parts pass the
level of ionics. The interest in under-
standing the mechanism of clean-
ing, the chemistry involved, and the
impact of other residue on the prod-
uct was nearly as high as the interest
most people have in the mechanism
of sausage production.
One additional reason for remov-
ing organic non-ionic contami-
nants from components and con-
nectors is that they can impair good
adhesion of conformal coating. The
purpose of these coatings is to pro-
tect electronics assemblies from the
outside environment, especially
moisture. Many electronics assem-
blers also assume that coatings will
miraculously obviate the need for
careful cleaning. In actuality, coat-
ings can trap residual soils, produc-
ing miniature reaction chambers.
Standard testing for adhesion
focuses on flat portions of the cir-
cuit board, not areas between com-
ponents or on the components
themselves, so boards may pass
the adhesion test and still have
adhesion problems. This increases
the potential for catastrophic prod-
uct failure down the road.
Does Bright and Shiny Mean Clean?
There is also the concept that, if the
surface is bright and shiny, it must
be clean and good. This is frequently
not a good assumption. At the
recent conference [2], Dave Hillman
of Rockwell Collins, discussed expe-
riences where an acid dip used to cre-
ate a bright, shiny surface resulted in
co-deposition of organic materials
from the plating bath [5]. When the
electronics assembly was heated dur-
ing the soldering process, these
organic materials released gases.
This was the root cause of two prob-
lems. The first was a visibly blistered
surface on the components (See
Figure 1). The second was plating
stress, which contributed to the
growth of unacceptable conductive
paths in the form of whiskers.
Be the Solution. As a knowledgeable
metal finisher who understands the
potential detrimental effects of
both ionic and non-ionic residue,
you can be the solution, not the
source of the problem. Metal finish-
ers who supply parts to electronic
assemblers can be good partners by
recognizing the importance of ade-
quate contaminant removal.
Perhaps you want to talk with cur-
rent customers about both current
and future projects. Will aerospace
or space exploration projects
become more important? Will more
assemblies need to be coated? Are
medical device applications project-
ed? These plans may signal the need
for more attention to cleaning, to
more concern with both ionic and
non-ionic residue. The proactive
component and connector suppli-
erthe supplier that expedites con-
sistent and reliable electronics
assemblyis likely to be selected for
new and repeat business.
REFERENCES
1. LA/OC SMTA 2nd Annual Expo
and Tech Forum, Irvine, CA, Nov.
1, 2012.
2. High Reliability Cleaning &
Coating Conference, Sponsored
by IPC and SMTA, Rosemont, IL,
Nov. 13-15, 2012.
3. B. Kanegsberg, B. Abbink, K.T.
Dishart, W.G. Kenyon, and C.W.
Knapp, Development and
Implementation of Non-Ozone
Depleting, Non-aqueous High
Precision Cleaning Protocols for
Inertial Navigation
Subassemblies,
Microcontamination '93
Proceedings, San Jose, CA,
October, 1993.
4. B. Kanegsberg, Defluxing for
New Assembly Requirements,
OnBoard Technology Magazine,
November, 2011.
5. D. Hillman, Hold My Circuit
Board and Watch This! The
Consequences of Poor Design
and Assembly Decisions for High
Performance Electronics,
Presentation at High Reliability
Cleaning and Coating
Conference (Ref 2).
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Barbara Kanegsberg and Ed Kanegsberg
Ph.D., the Cleaning Lady and the Rocket
Scientist of Los Angeles-based BFK
Solutions LLC (founded in 1994), are the
industry leaders in critical/precision and
industrial product cleaning. As independ-
ent consultants, they help manufacturers
achieve rugged, trouble-free processes in
areas such as metal forming and fabrica-
tion, aerospace, medical device manufac-
turing, electronics, optics, and consumer
products. They are members of JS3, an
interagency military/NASA working
group involved with cleaning processes
and Mil-spec development. They also
write regularly for trade journals in the
U.S. and overseas. Barbara and Ed are
editors/contributors for the acclaimed,
expanded two-volume Second Edition of
the Handbook for Critical Cleaning,
CRC Press, 2011. Contact: 310-349-3614
info@bfksolutions.com
onthe
surface
qualitycontrol
O
ver the past several months,
this column has discussed the
various tools of quality control,
including: the cause-and-effect dia-
gram, the check sheet, control
charts, histograms, Pareto charts,
scatter diagrams, stratification, flow
charts and run charts.
It is no secret, therefore, that
everything happens for a reasonor
reasons. Most of us have, from time
to time, watched televisions shows
such as CSI, Rizzoli and Isles, or
NCIS. These shows are based on
the idea that every system, equip-
ment, or component process ends in
some traceable result. These results
include either successes or failures,
and happen for a reason or cause.
Fault tree analysis (FTA) is a
methodical approach that links
chains of events back to the ultimate
cause. The fault tree represents a sys-
tem event of interest connected by
logical steps to causes called basic
events.
The process examines the facts
left behind from the initial cause,
i.e., evidence. By evaluating the
remaining evidence after the occur-
rence and information from people
associated with the incident, the
analyst can identify both the con-
tributing and non-contributing
causes that resulted in the event.
To find basic causes there are
really only two important ques-
tions: What can be learned from
the situation? and Why did it
happen? Studies prove that unde-
sirable situations are about 95%
process problems and only 5% per-
sonnel problems. Yet, most organi-
zations spend fa
party, and because of this a great
deal of effort results in little or no
gain in understanding the funda-
mental cause of the unwanted situ-
ation. Consider the following two
scenarios:
SCENARIO # 1
The plant manager walked into the
facility and checks on the status of
an important shipment. He calls the
foreman over and tells him to get the
order out as soon as possible. The
next day, while the plant manager
was in the same area of the plant, he
finds the order still hasnt shipped.
He rakes the foreman over the coals
for not following his orders from the
day before. His parting words were
to either ship the order or hell find
someone that will.
SCENARIO # 2
The plant manager walked into the
plant to find that an important
order hadnt shipped. He called the
foreman over and asked why the
order hadnt shipped. The foreman
replied that a crucial machine was
out of order, due to a leaky gasket in
the hydraulic system and was drip-
ping oil on the floor. The plant man-
ager then asked when the gasket had
been replaced and the foreman
responded that maintenance had
installed four gaskets over the past
few weeks and they each one seemed
to leak. The foreman also indicated
that maintenance had been talking
to the purchasing department about
the gaskets, because it seemed they
were all bad. The plant manager
then went to talk with the purchas-
ing department about the situation
with the gaskets. The purchasing
manager indicated that they had in
fact received a bad batch of gaskets
from the supplier. The purchasing
manager also indicated that they
had been trying for the past two
months to try to get the supplier to
make good on the last order of 100
gaskets that all seemed to be bad.
The plant manager then asked the
purchasing manager why they had
purchased from this supplier if they
were so disreputable, and the pur-
chasing manager replied: because
they were the lowest bidder when
quotes were received from various
suppliers. The plant manager then
asked the purchasing manager why
he went with the lowest bidder, and
the purchasing manager indicated
that had been ordered to do so by
the chief financial officer.
The plant manager then went to
talk to the CFO about the situation.
The plant manager next asked the
CFO why the purchasing depart-
ment had been told to accept the
lowest bidder. The CFO stated that
the plant manager had ordered
everyone to be as cost conscious as
possible, and purchasing from the
lowest bidder saved lots of money.
The plant manager was horrified
when he realized that he was the rea-
son there was oil on the plant floor
and why the shipment hadnt been
sent to the customer.
This second scenario may seem
humorous, but its not a laughable
matter. Scenario # 2 provides a
good example of when to use FTA
(see Figure 1). It is simple to contin-
ue to ask Why? until the pattern
Fault Tree Analysis Helps Explain
the Reasons Why?
qualitycontrol
completes and the cause of the dif-
ficulty in the situation becomes
rather obvious.
FTA usually involves events from
hardware wearing out, material fail-
ure or malfunctions or combina-
tions of deterministic contributions
to the event stemming from assign-
ing a hardware/system failure rate to
branches or cut sets.
Methodology. An undesired effect
is taken as the root (top event) of
a tree of logic. The logic to get to
the right top events can be diverse.
There should be only one Top
Event and all concerns must tree
down from it. Then, each situation
that could cause that effect is
added to the tree as a series of logic
expressions.
Analysis. Many different approaches
can be used to model a FTA, but the
most common and popular way can
be summarized in a few steps.
Remember: a fault tree is used to
analyze a single fault event, and that
one and only one event can be ana-
lyzed during a single fault tree. Even
though the fault may vary dramat-
ically, a FTA follows the same proce-
dure for an event, be it a delay of 0.25
msec for the generation of electrical
power, or the random, unintended
Figure 1. Sample illustration of a Fault Tree Analysis.
Feel compelled to chime in on a hot topic or timely issue
facing the surface finishing industry, but lack the proper forum?
Or perhaps youd like to share a success story or relevant
anecdote that others might find beneficial?
Metal Finishing invites industry members to step up to the
mic via its new Guest Blogger feature on metalfinishing.com.
E-mail your ideas or drafts to Reginald Tucker, editor, at
re.tucker@elsevier.com for consideration.
Say what!?!
Speak up. Your opinion matters.
contrasts with failure mode and
effects analysis (FMEA), which is an
inductive, bottom-up analysis
method aimed at analyzing the
effects of single component or func-
tion failures on equipment or sub-
systems. FTA is very good at show-
ing how resistant a system is to sin-
gle or multiple initiating faults. It is
not good at finding all possible initi-
ating faults.
FMEA is good at exhaustively cat-
aloging initiating faults and identi-
fying their local effects. It is not good
at examining multiple failures or
their effects at a system level. FTA
considers external events, while
FMEA does not. In some industries,
common practice is to perform both
FTA and FMEA, with a failure mode
effects summary (FMES) as the
interface between FMEA and FTA.
Alternatives to FTA include
dependence diagram (DD), also
known as reliability block diagram
(STA) and Markov analysis. A
dependence diagram is equivalent to
a success tree analysis, the logical
inverse of an FTA, and depicts the
system using paths instead of gates.
DD and STA produce probability of
success (i.e., avoiding a top event)
rather than probability of a top
event.
Preventing Reoccurrence of the
Failure. It is not always necessary to
prevent the first, or root cause, from
happening. It is merely necessary to
break the chain of events at any
point and, as a result, the final fail-
ure will not occur. Frequently the
root cause analysis identifies an ini-
tial design problem; then a redesign
is commonly enacted. Where the
root cause analysis leads back to a
failure of procedures, it is necessary
to either address the procedural
weakness or develop an approach to
prevent the damage caused by the
procedural failure.
After creating the diagram, failure
and repair data is assigned to the
system components. The analysis is
then performed for the purpose of
calculating reliability and availabili-
ty parameters for the system and
identifying critical components.
launch of an ICBM.
FTA analysis involves five steps:
1.Define the undesired event to
study: Definition of the unde-
sired event can be very hard to
catch, although some of the
events are very easy and obvious
to observe. Undesired events are
used then to make the FTA, one
event for one FTA; no two events
will be used to make one FTA.
2.Obtain an understanding of
the system: Once the undesired
event is selected, all causes with
probabilities of affecting the
undesired event are studied and
analyzed. Getting exact numbers
for the probabilities leading to
the event is usually impossible,
mainly due to the reason that it
might be very costly and time
consuming to do so.
3.Construct the fault tree: After
selecting the undesired event and
having analyzed the system so
that we know all the causing
effects (and, if possible, their
probabilities) we can now con-
struct the fault tree. Fault tree is
based on AND/OR gates which
define the major characteristics
of the fault tree.
4.Evaluate the fault tree: After
the fault tree has been construct-
ed for a given Top Event, it is
evaluated and analyzed for any
possible system improvements.
This step is as an introduction
for the final step, which will be to
control the hazards identified.
5.Control the hazards identi-
fied: This step is very specific
and differs from system to sys-
tem, but the main point will
always be that after identifying
the hazards all possible methods
are pursued to decrease the prob-
ability of their occurrence.
Comparison with other analytical
methods. FTA is a deductive, top-
down method aimed at analyzing
the effects of initiating faults and
events on a complex system. This
qualitycontrol
BIO
Leslie W. Flott, Ph.B., CQE, ASQ Fellow,
is certified as an IDEM Wastewater
Treatment Operator and Indiana
Wastewater Treatment Operator. He
received his Bachelor of Science Degree in
Chemistry from Northwestern
University and his Masters Degree in
materials engineering from Notre Dame
University. Most recently, Flott served as
the environmental program director and
instructor at Ivy Tech Community
College. Prior to that, he was the health,
environment, and safety manager at
Wayne Metal Protection Company.
guestcolumn
I
ts the beginning of the year, and if
youre like me youre absolutely
giddy over the excitement of starting
another round of meaningful and
impactful performance reviews of all
your employees. Theres nothing like
starting the process of thinking back
over the last 12 months and recall-
ing the good, the bad, and the ugly
of what a employee did, and coming
up with the motivational and educa-
tional tools that will help him or her
improve and evolve into just the
kind of home-run hitter you need!
Orare you the other kind of
manager? Remember, 99% of man-
agers who do reviews give the other
1% a bad name(get it?). Fact is, the
majority of us hate reviews. We hate
to do them, and we hate to get them.
Here are the truest words Ive
learned about reviews: Two people
lose sleep the night before a review,
and both of them go home unhappy.
Great news! Unless, of course, you
can really dig deeper into this and
find a way to make reviews what they
could (and should) be. Several key
questions to ponder: What does an
employee or manager do well? Is
there room for improvement? What
would you like to see them doing a
year from now? And if you can do
this in a way that is constructive, pos-
itive and motivational, maybe anoth-
er year will go by and you really will
have a key player that has evolved
into something more valuable and
worthy of an increase. The best
reviews I ever conducted for plating
shop manufacturing employees were
short, sweet and forward looking.
What do they do well, not so well and
where do we want to be in a year.
Every employee does some things
very well (otherwise, they wouldnt be
there, right?). If you want them to
keep doing those things, then you
better dig deep and figure out what
they are so you can write all about it
and praise them mightily for it. It
might be something simple like:
they show up on time and never miss
a day. It might be that they get
along great with all the other employ-
ees. Or it might even be something
more critical, such as: they never
have rejects and can be trusted with
the most difficult jobs in the shop.
Whatever it is, make sure you recog-
nize it and perpetuate it.
By that same token, ask what they
can do better? If you can talk about
the things that they dont do quite as
well as you wish they would, theres
great power in this. Maybe they can
run the most challenging jobs in the
shop, but if they could just maybe do
them a little quicker? If they get that
job done, but it becomes a science
project that takes all day Well, the
last thing a manager needs to be
coached up on is asking them what
their team doesnt do so well.
Presenting this in a positive light as a
way to improve and grow is the
trickand thats on you.
Finally, where do you want them to
be in a year? Giving them goals and
targets is a great tool for them and
you. First of all Think S.M.A.R.T!
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Makes sense, right? Good goals
that are important to the company
and its future will be motivational
and effectiveand measurable. And
here is where the double-edged
swords that are reviews come into
play.
If you give your employees goals
that are S.M.A.R.T., in a year you
will be very happy to do the next
review. Happy, because it will be
there in black and white as to why
you can (or cannot) give them a
raise. Did they achieve the goals you
so carefully laid out? If they did,
good for you and your employee!
You were motivational and forward
thinking and helped an employee
make the company better! If they
didnt, well...
The conversation might go some-
thing like this: A year ago we decided
together to try and make these goals, but
we didnt. Sorry, youre not getting the
increase you wanted, but lets set some
goals for next year and work harder
together to make sure you make them.
Painful? Sure But it was docu-
mented and referenced so that at
least one of you will go home in a
slightly better mood.
So, whats the bottom line to all
this? I really recommend reviews as a
tool. Plus, you are probably obligated
by a Quality Policy you wrote
(remember that?), a NADCAP or ISO
standard, or some other customer-
driven requirement to do reviews. Its
your choice: lose sleep and go home
unhappy, or make this necessary
evil the powerful tool it can be
For more information about Marathon
Sales products or manufacturing servic-
es, please call 508-904-8899, e-mail
markod@marathon-sales.com, or visit
www.marathon-sales.com.
Making Reviews Worthwhile for
Employees and Managers Alike
BY MARKO DUFFY, CEF, PRESIDENT, MARATHON MANUFACTURING
SERVICES, LLC, LAWRENCE, MASS.
Anodizing Electrocoating Powder Coating
Precious Metals Plating Phosphating
Physical Vapor Deposition Pretreatment
Automotive Aerospace Electronics
Military
Finding the right finisher
just got easier...
...with Metal Finishing's
online Finishers
Directory!
This interactive Web-based tool is available at
www.mffinishersdirectory.com
Helps manufacturers, suppliers, and OEMs seek out surface
finishers according to specialty (anodizing, blackening,
conversion coating, and electrocoating, etc.); region of the
country; or simply by company name. Search results provide
pertinent background information on each finisher, with direct
links to websites and contacts, pdf brochures, and even videos
and demos, in some cases.
Visit www.mffinishersdirectory.com today to begin your
search for the right finisher!
finishersdirectory
ALABAMA
United Plating
CALIFORNIA
A T Industrial Products
California Technical Plating
Gardena Specialized Processing
Precision Stampings, Inc.
Tiodize Co.
CANADA
Aegis Industrial Finishing Ltd.
WestChem Technologies
CONNECTICUT
Sifco ASC
FLORIDA
Plating Resources, Inc.
GEORGIA
Delong Equipment Co.
Peening Technologies of Georgia
ILLINOIS
Alexandria Plating Industries, Inc.
Arlington Plating Co.
Chem Processing, Inc.
Iosso Metal Process
Mark-it Company
Rockford Metal Polishing Co.
The Finishing Company
Triton Industries, Inc.
Unitech Industries, Inc.
INDIANA
C & R Plating Co.
DeKalb Metal Finishing
Protech Metal Finishing
KANSAS
Chrome Plus International, Inc.
MEXICO
CENSA/Compaia Estaadora
Nacional S.A. de C.V.
GDO/Galvanizadora de Occidente
S.A. de C. V. Mexico
Recubrimientos Metallicos de
S.A. de C.V. Mexico
MICHIGAN
Almond Products
Cadillac Plating Corp.
Delta-Chem Technologies, Inc.
Depor Industries, Inc.
Great Lakes Finishing, Inc.
KC Jones Plating
Master Finish Co.
Parts Finishing Group
MINNESOTA
Engineered Finishing Corp.
MISSOURI
Superior Coating
NEBRASKA
Lincoln Industries
NEW JERSEY
Paramount Metal Finishing
Quality Metal Finishing Corp.
Shining Surface Systems, Inc.
NEW YORK
Control Electropolishing
OHIO
Electro Metallics Co.
Hohman Plating & Manufacturing
MPC Plating
Olymco, Inc.
Sifco ASC
Techmetals, Inc.
SOUTH CAROLINA
CAPSCO, Inc.
Roy Metal Finishing Co., Inc.
TEXAS
3D Powder Coating
Cybershield
Sifco ASC
Vanguard Metal Technologies
VIRGINIA
Alexandria Metal Finishers
Global Metal Finishing, Inc.
Sifco ASC
WASHINGTON
Esterline Hytek Finishes
WISCONSIN
Engineered Finishing Corp.
Powder Finishers, LLC.
Professional Plating, Inc.
Quality Coatings, Inc.
Wisconsin Plating Works of
Racine, Inc.
Following is a sampling of North American job shops and captive
operations listed in Metal Finishings online Finishers Directory.
For contact details on each company, or to view a complete list-
ing, please visit www.mffinishersdirectory.com.
SCREEN-PRINTED CONDUCTOR
MATERIALS
DuPont Microcircuit Materials
(MCM) is rolling out three new
screen printed conductor materials
for the printed electronics market,
designed to offset the rising cost of
silver. Utilizing proprietary technolo-
gy and under typical processing con-
ditions used for many printed elec-
tronic applications, DuPont PE815,
PE825 and PE850 conductor inks
provide low resistivity with more
than 20% potential cost savings for
manufacturers.
Since 2005, the increased price of
silver has created a challenge for
printed electronics manufacturers
its a cost-competitive market and,
yet, no one can afford to compromise
performance and quality, said Scott
Gordon, business development man-
ager, DuPont Microcircuit Materials.
DuPont PE815, PE825 and PE850
conductor inks represent break-
through technologies with a balance
of properties that can significantly
reduce the impact of silver market
fluctuations, while maintaining the
performance characteristics required
to help our customers successfully
compete in todays market.
DuPont PE825 and PE850 are
designed for use with standard ther-
mal curing techniques, while the
DuPont PE815 is designed for use
with photonic curing equipment
such as the NovaCentrix
PulseForge and Xenon Sinteron
tools that provide manufacturers
low temperature processing and fast
drying for high-speed, roll-to-roll
production capability. All three
DuPont products are suitable for use
in printed electronics applications
such as membrane switches, RFID,
electroluminescent lighting and
other emerging applications includ-
ing flexible displays.
DuPont MCM is an established
high-volume supplier of electronic
inks and pastes and offers a broad
range of printed electronic materials
commercially available today. This
growing range of DuPont MCM
functional inks is used for forming
conductive traces, capacitor and
resistor elements and dielectric and
encapsulating layers that are com-
patible with many substrate surfaces,
including polyester, glass and ceram-
ic. MCM has more than 40 years of
experience in the development, man-
ufacture, sale and support of special-
ized thick film compositions for a
variety of electronic applications in
the automotive, display, photovolta-
ic, biomedical, industrial, military
and telecommunications markets.
For more information on DuPont
Microcircuit Materials, visit
http://mcm.dupont.com.
ADHESION TESTERS
Elcometer announces the launch
of its latest range of pull-off adhe-
sion testersthe Elcometer 506.
These lightweight, portable and
easy-to-use adhesion gauges are
available in analogue or digital ver-
sions and are suitable for measur-
ing the pull-off adhesion of coat-
ings up to 50MPa (7250psi) either
on-site, or in the laboratory.
The design of the Elcometer 506
ensures that a uniform force can be
easily applied throughout the range
by smoothly rotating the gauges
crank handle, ensuring repeatable
results to an accuracy of 1%.
Furthermore, the Elcometer 506
quick-connect coupling allows the
simple attachment of 14.2mm,
20mm or 50mm diameter dollies,
which, together with a wide range of
accessories, allows coating adhesion
testing on flat, curved, thick and thin
substrates. These include metal,
wood, concrete and other fibrous
materials.
The Elcometer 506 test head (actu-
ator) has been designed to be small,
ergonomic and lightweightideal
for single-handed testing of coating
adhesion even in awkward or con-
fined spaces. Safe testing on vertical
surfaces has also been considered.
Using the magnetic clamp accessory
the actuator is held securely, thereby
preventing accidental damage to the
surrounding areas. For users who
require confirmation or verification
of the accuracy of their pull-off
adhesion gauges, the Elcometer
Adhesion Verification Unit (AVU) is
also available.
For more information on the
Elcometer 506 or Elcometers adhe-
sion range, please contact
sales@elcometer.com or visit
www.elcometer.com.
SPECTROMETERS FOR PRINTED
CIRCUIT BOARDS
Measurements and analyses of coat-
ing thicknesses and compositions on
printed circuit boards just got easier
with the new FISCHERSCOPE XDLM-
PCB spectrometers. Fischer
Technology, recognized as a world
leading producer of high-quality,
high-precision instruments for coat-
ing thickness measurement and
material testing, has developed this
user-friendly, energy-dispersive x-ray
NEW
products
NEW
products
fluorescence (EDXRF) instrument to
measure functional coatings in the
electronics and semiconductor
industries.
Among the features of the FISCH-
ERSCOPE XDLM-PCB spectrome-
ter: It can measure thin coatings,
contacts
and com-
ponents
on PCBs,
and also
deter-
mi ne
t h e
composition of
electroplating baths. A high count
rate is achieved by using a micro
focus x-ray source and proportional
counter tube, which allows for pre-
cise measurements. A laser pointer
and high-resolution video camera
simplifies the selection of the meas-
urement spot and the unit housing
features a slot in the side for easy
handling of large pc-boards with
manual sample support or program-
mable XY-stage.
Outstanding accuracy and long-
term stability are characteristics of
FISCHERSCOPE X-RAY systems.
The fundamental parameter method
allows of analysis of solid and liquid
specimens as well as coating systems
without calibration.
www.fischer-technology.com, call
(860) 683-0781, send an e-mail to
info@fischer-technology.com, or, if
you plan to attend APEX, please stop
by booth #1201.
COLORED METALLIC COATINGS
Lighting up the lacquer world with
UV curing. Thats the driving theme
behind MacDermids development
of Fashion Finishes, which expands
with new colored metallic coatings.
The companys latest process offers
designers a new color spectrum in
decorative finishingexciting metal-
lic colors on plastic and heat-sensi-
tive substrates.
Electrolac UV is a unique coating
system that applies colored UV-cur-
able electrophoretic lacquer over
nickel and chrome-plated coatings. It
can be utilized on temperature- sen-
sitive substrates such as plastics, zinc
diecast and aluminum.
A summary of the features and
benefits:
Low-temperature operation and
curing
Ideal for plated plastics
Wide selection of available colors
High gloss or satin finishes
Excellent corrosion and wear
properties
www.macdermid.com or call (203)
575-5700.
BREAK-AWAY CYCLONE
Nordson Corporation, a recognized
leader in liquid and powder coating
technologies, introduces its patent-
pending Break-Away Cyclone for
powder coating applications. The
Break-Away Cyclone incorporates a
revolutionary design that enables the
upper and lower sections of the
cyclone to be disconnected and
moved apart. (Splitting the upper
and lower cyclone sections helps
make it easier for operators to clean
the interior surface with a com-
pressed air wand. )
The break-away cyclone is particu-
larly effective in working with certain
powder formulations that tend to
stick to the interior walls of the
cyclone, or in some of the more chal-
lenging color-to-color combinations
(such as white to black). In these sit-
uations, the break-away cyclone
allows the entire interior surface to
be wiped clean to positively ensure
contamination-free color change.
For more information on
Nordsons Break Away Cyclone, con-
tact Bob Allsop at (440) 985- 4459 or
e-mail: bob.allsop@nordson.com.
PRECISION CLEANING SOLVENTS
Petroferm Inc., Cleaning Products
is pleased to announce that AXAREL
1000 Precision Solvent is now avail-
able in pre-saturated wipes. AXAREL
1000 Wipes combine the solvency,
low odor and fast dry times of
AXAREL 1000 Precision Solvent in a
package that is convenient, economi-
cal and easy-to-use. They are avail-
able in canisters of seventy (70), 10
inch by 12 inch, low-lint towels.
In addition to their exceptional
performance, AXAREL 1000 Wipes
exhibits very low volatility, which
assists in lowering VOC emissions,
fire risk and total cost of ownership,
according to Petroferm. The wipes
are an ideal replacement for acetone,
isopropyl alcohol (IPA), mineral spir-
its, PD-680 solvents and other toxic,
low-flash point solvents, and are safe
for use on all alloys and most poly-
mers. AXAREL 1000 Wipes effective-
ly removes greases, hydraulic fluids,
mineral oils, lubricants, coolants,
synthetics, and particulate matter,
and they are suitable for general pur-
pose clean-up, surface preparation
and cleaning during manufacturing
and repair. More importantly,
AXAREL 1000 Precision Solvent is
approved by Airbus, Boeing,
Honeywell Aerospace, Lockheed
Martin, United Airlines and qualified
to US Department of Defense MIL-
PRF-680
(Type I) solvent degreasing speci-
fication.
To learn more, email techser-
vice@petroferm.com, call (847) 244-
3410, or visit www.petroferm.com.
Ready Reference
Services CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISING RATES: 1 Time - $117.00, 3 Times - $114.00, 6 Times - $109.00, Yearly - $102.00 per column inch per insertion
Filter Presses 1-100 cu. ft.
Clarifiers 2-300 gpm
Sludge Dryers 2-75 cu. ft.
Waste Treatment Systems
Used Equipment
Polyproducts, Evaporators
Bags, Cloth & Media
Anode Bags
We
BUY, SELL and
RECONDITION
Used Equipment
Call: 216-881-7900
info@metchem.com
Fax: 216-881-8950
Filter Presses 1-100 cu. ft.
Clarifiers 2-300 gpm
Sludge Dryers 2-75 cu. ft.
Waste Treatment Systems
Used Equipment
Polyproducts, Evaporators
Bags, Cloth & Media
Anode Bags
We BUY, SELL and
RECONDITION
Used Equipment
Call: 216-881-7900
info@metchem.com
Fax: 216-881-8950
www.metchem.com
ADVERTISING RATES: 1 Time- $123.00, 3 Times - $120.00, 6 Times - $114.00, Yearly - $107 per column inch per insertion
Its all here:
www.metalfinishing.com
all you need!
NEW USED REBUILT SELL LEASE
www.wescoequip.com
WASTE TREATMENT EQUIPMENT SPECIALTIES
P.O. Box 40382, Cleveland, OH 44140
(440) 808-8844
Clarifiers Filter Presses Plates Cloths
Parts Washers Ovens Dryers Tanks Mixers
Air Scrubbers Plating/Finishing/Equipment
Nationwide Installation Corp.
Finishing Installations,
Renovations & Relocations
60 hp steam boiler 3 years old. Boiler is
prepackaged with an IRI burner with:
1) Automatic boiler feed system
2) Water softener
Boiler new would $38,000 now $7,900
Oberlin Filter Press - $4,600
Tanks stainless/FRP 30 x 72 x 67
deep also dryer tank $9,900
E-mail: Keizer.terry@gmail.com or
ph 616 883 6144
Metal Finishing
Chemistries & Equipment
An ISO 9001:2008 Registered Company
(262) 241-3200
www.jsamc2.com
Let the
Metal Finishing
Classifed Section
Work for YOU!!!
Call for the details:
847-559-0909
Arnie Hoffman
FEBRUARY
Feb. 1921 2013 IPC APEX EXPO Conference
& Exhibition, San Diego, Calif. Please visit
www.ipcapexexpo.org for more information.
Feb. 2428 NASF Management Conference, Key
West, Fla. For more information, please visit
www.nasfmanagementconference.com.
MARCH
March 68 Spray Finishing Training Sponsored
by Owens Community College and Finishing
Brands (Binks, DeVilbiss, Ransburg, BGK),
Toledo, Ohio. For more information, call 800-
466-9367, ext.7320, or e-mail
sprayworkshop@netscape.net.
APRIL
April 911 NASF Washington Forum,
Washington, D.C. For more information, please
visit www.nasfwashingtonforum.com.
April 2025 SVC TechCon 2013, Rhode Island.
Please visit www.svc.org for more information.
MAY
May 68 Intertech Conference, Baltimore, Md.
Visit www.intertechconference.com for more
information.
May 1416 EASTEC 2013, West Springfield,
Mass. Visit
www.easteconline.com/eastec2013/public/enter.
aspx for details.
JUNE
June 1012 SUR/FIN Manufacturing &
Technology Conference, Rosemont, Ill. Pease
visit www.nasfsurfin.com for more details or to
register.
OCTOBER
Oct. 810 Powder Coating 2013, St. Louis, Mo.
Visit www.coating-show.com for more information.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 1821 FABTECH, Chicago, Ill. Please visit
www.fabtechexpo.com for more details.
UPCOMING
events
ADVERTISERS
index January/February 2013
a
AmeriChem Engineering Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
c
Carpenter Chemical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Cornerstone Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
f
Fischer Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
i
IPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
j
Jessup Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
l
Lanco Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
m
Matchless Metal Polish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Metalline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Met Chem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
M.W. Watermark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
n
Nationwide Installation Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
s
SERFILCO Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
SUR/FIN 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC
t
Techton American, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
u
Uyemura International Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
w
Waste Treatment Equipment Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
MARCH/APRIL
(Automotive)
Techniques for plating on plastics and
fasteners; zinc/zinc alloys; and auto
body coatings; E-coating.
MAY/JUNE
(SUR/FIN 2013 Preview, plus
Aerospace & Defense)
Alternatives to cadmium;
aluminum/titanium anodizing; CARC
coatings
JULY/AUGUST
(Cleaning & Pretreatment)
Ultrasonics, vapor degreasing, aqueous
and solvents, phos-free chemistries,
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
(POWDER COATING 2013, plus
FABTECH PREVIEW )
Best Paint/Powder coating practices;
spray booth design; ir curing ovens.
Special Supplement: Finishing
Equipment: Racks, Barrels, Tanks,
Hoists, Spray Guns, Robots, Turnkey
Systems.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
(Testing & Troubleshooting)
Accelerated corrosion tests; thickness
coating measurement; plating bath
chemistry/process maintenance; and
tried-and-true tips for better paint and
powder coating.
WANTS YOUR
TECHNICAL PAPERS
Metal Finishing is currently seeking
technical papers and articles for
upcoming editions. Issue themes
and special editions are as follows:
Please submit abstracts or deadline inquiries to
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The Plating and Coating Industries Technology Magazine

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