In a Dilemma - Cadmium Plating Alternatives?

GA.

I believe that's actually why a well used set of chromed exhaust headers always turned bluish by the port flanges, because of the copper layer.

The reason I was using cadmium was the Taiwan Gov't stopped the copper plating that I used to use. I will look up the information about the other coatings.

In the antique vehicle world it is copper, nickel, then chrome.

I know because I used to build hot rods. However the Government of Taiwan will not allow copper plating. That is why I need a substitute. I substituted cadmium and now they won't allow that either.

Thereby the dilemma.

Have you considered Stainless steel the additional cost of the steel may be offset by not having to plate

Stainless steel chains are made by Herm Springer out of Germany and they don't sell.

Trivalent Chromium? I don't know much about it but that's what we had to switch to because of environmental concerns.

I turned this up with about 15 minutes of research, so take it with a grain of salt. There's a section in here where they mention using a semi-bright layer of nickel plating, followed by a bright layer, and then the chrome. The bright layer will take from the semi-bright nickel before it attacks the steel.

http://www.finishing.com/faqs/chrome.html

There is only one problem with that. All of my competitors are doing their chains in China and I am already having a problem competing. One of the competitors that manufacture in China has the Petco account and the other has Pet-s-Mart. That totals about 60 percent of the nations business for that product. Campbell Chain used to market choke chains and they have simply stopped because they can't compete. Up to now I have been able to compete because I have the only chains the will stand up to salt water. There is nothing I would like better than to be able to have all of my components made in the USA but it just will not happen and allow me to compete. Thanks for the suggestion and believe me if I could I would.

Since Taiwan has stopped allowing copper and cadmium, have they also stopped zinc coatings? I have no data about attempting to plate nickel and/or chrome over zinc, not sure it would work all that well. What about treating the steel with molybdenum or something, and then attempting to nickel plate?

I talked with a scientist at a very large plating company and she told me that they are using a chemical mix of Zinc and Nickel and then plating with a heavy coat of Nickel then Chrome. I am going to contact my contractor in Taiwan and see if they can do that trick.

Suppose they can to this zinc-nickel blend...how will that affect product hardness durability, etc.? I have not a clue as to how this result will perform, but perhaps the nickel early on lends some hardness to what would be a softer zinc plate.

Hi Jay,

You are buying from Taiwan, but they have changed their regulations. You do not think you can buy a US made item, due to cost. Your competitors are buying out of China. Maybe the best thing to do is to go to China and buy from them. The Chinese government allows huge amounts of pollution and they do not have regulations regarding copper and nickel electroplating.

I'm in the auto business and the majority of aftermarket parts are made in China. Some are actually pretty good quality. Fit and finish is great and the materials feel as good as the OEM's.

Next time you buy an auto part from a US company (Delco, Visteon, Mopar, etc), take a look at the country of origin (stamped on the part). If it's a fairly recent manufactured part, there is a good chance it's from China.

In this day and age, corporations are chasing after profits. Prices can't increase much, due to the weak economy, so they are looking for ways to cut costs. Cheap labor and lenient regulations make production in China very tempting. You gave the answer when you said that your competitors are buying goods manufactured in China. Since your customer is price sensitive, you'll need to find a cheaper way to acquire your product.

I know this is not what you want to hear, but it's reality. As big corporations keep taking over, it will get worse and it may never get better.