Electrodeposit Zinc Barrel Plating of Steel Grab Handle for the Residential Trash Disposal Industry

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This steel grab handle for a residential trash container demonstrates how keeping up with advances in barrel plating technology has given us the edge in innovation for superior quality, cost-effective plating services. Elm Plating Company was bidding on a job that involved applying a zinc-iron finish to a large volume of these 8" long x 1.0" diameter steel handles. Formerly a rack-plated part, our engineering team considered using a barrel plating process, which is significantly less costly than rack plating and can handle higher production volumes on shorter turnarounds. Working from the customer-supplied specifications, Elm proposed using our barrel plating line to electrodeposit a .00032" zinc clear chromate and then apply a top coat sealer, which would provide a tougher, more corrosion resistant finish than zinc-iron and be more resistant to chipping during installation and use.

Elm Plating Company ran several 50-100 piece engineering prototypes and performed 500 hour salt-spray testing and adhesion testing on these prototypes to fine-tune the process for delivering a superior quality finish. The customer, quite satisfied with the quality, was additionally pleased with the price and lead time assurances we could offer. We currently process 1.5 million of these handles annually-with a very significant cost savings for the customer, a 3-day turnaround that accommodates their high volume production needs, as well as drop-shipping to their customers’ assembly plants throughout the USA.

Electrodeposit Zinc Barrel Plating Project Highlights

Product Name	Steel Grab Handle
Product Description	This zinc plated steel grab handle is used within a trash container application.
Capabilities Applied/Processes	Electrodeposit Zinc Barrel Plating Zinc Clear Chromate Top Coat Sealer
Overall Part Dimensions	Coating Thickness: .00032" Zinc + Seal Overall Length: 8.000" Diameter: Ø1.000"
Material Used	Steel
Material Finish	Silver
Resistance	Corrosion Chipping
In process testing performed	Salt-Spray Testing 500 Hours Adhesion Testing
Industry for Use	Residential Trash Disposal
Volume	1,500,000
Turn Around Time	3 Days
Standards Met	Customer supplied specifications
Delivery Location	Michigan

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