Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology Applied in Pre-treatment of Plating
Abstract
Ultrasonic cleaning technology has been widely used in the pretreatment of plating. The exploration and application of this technology not only improves the pretreatment effect, but also ensures scientific and reasonable investment in production process and costs, ensuring the quality of plated products. This paper introduces and elaborates the ultrasonic cleaning technology applied in the pretreatment of plating, analyzes its influence on the plating effect and cost, and prospects the development of ultrasonic cleaning technology in the pretreatment of plating.
Keywords： Ultrasonic Cleaning; Plating Pretreatment; Process Optimization
1、 Introduction
Plating is a process of covering a thin layer of metal or alloy on the surface of the workpiece by electrolysis, to protect the surface of the workpiece, to increase the corrosion resistance, wear resistance, insulation, heat resistance and other properties. The plating process includes surface pretreatment and electroplating. The pretreatment process plays an important role in the electroplating process, and its quality directly affects the quality of the electroplating product. The most commonly used method in pretreatment is degreasing and cleaning, and the basic requirement is that the pretreatment process should remove residues, oil and other pollutants on the surface of the workpiece.
The use of ultrasonic cleaning has the advantages of high degreasing and cleaning speed, wide application range, good oil removal and cleaning effect. At present, it has been widely used in the cleaning of mechanical and electrical steel parts, hardware printing carving, electroplated parts and other products. Ultrasonic cleaning technology has gradually been applied to the pretreatment process of plating products and plating process. There are many reports on the application of ultrasonic cleaning of plating products, but there is a lack of comprehensive exploration of the application of ultrasonic cleaning of plating pretreatment process and its influence on the effect of plating process.
2、Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology in Plating Pretreatment
1) Steps of Ultrasonic Cleaning Process
The steps of ultrasonic cleaning process mainly include washing equipment selection and cleaning liquid selection, workpiece pre-processing, selection of cleaning time, ultrasonic cleaning and maintenance of ultrasonic cleaning equipment, etc.
(1) Selection of Washing Equipment and Cleaning Liquid
According to the material and structure of the parts to be cleaned, the size, shape and cleaning requirements of the parts, the corresponding cleaning equipment and cleaning liquid can be selected.
(2) Pre-processing of Workpiece
To ensure the safety of workpiece, cleaning liquid and environment, sharp edges, holes and blind holes should be covered in advance. If the workpiece is large, it should be fixed in the cleaning tanks to avoid collision.
(3) Selection of Cleaning Time
The cleaning time of ultrasonic cleaning depends on the cleaning effect requirements and the amount of cleaning liquid. The cleaning time is generally related to the cleaning temperature and the concentration of the cleaning liquid. To ensure the best cleaning effect, the cleaning time should be selected correctly by experiments and testing.
(4) Ultrasonic Cleaning and Maintenance of Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment
Ultrasonic cleaning is to put the workpiece into the cleaning liquid, connect the power connector, and operate according to the conditions of time, temperature, concentration and current through the corresponding cleaning switch, so as to complete the cleaning and efficient cleaning of the workpiece. After ultrasonic cleaning, regular maintenance of the ultrasonic cleaning apparatus should be carried out, such as cleaning or replacing waterproof rubber, replacing system filter, cleaning shut-off switch and determining the condition of the generator and transducer.
2) Potential Problems of Ultrasonic Cleaning Process
(1) Low Efficiency of Cleaning
In the ultrasonic cleaning process, improper concentration, temperature and time selection can lead to unsatisfying cleaning effect.
(2) Cavitation Damage to Workpiece
In the ultrasonic cleaning process, if the cleaning liquid is not filtered, foreign matters such as feces, metal and fiber dust will accelerate cavitation damage to the workpiece, which will affect its appearance and use performance.
(3) Environmental Pollution
In the ultrasonic cleaning process, due to improper operation of equipment, the cleaning liquid will volatilize and generate steam, resulting in waste gas and other environmental pollution.
3、Influence of Ultrasonic Cleaning on Plating Effect
1) High Efficiency
Ultrasonic cleaning technology has the advantages of high degreasing and cleaning speed, which can effectively reduce the time for degreasing and cleaning, reduce the time for pretreatment, and improve the production efficiency.
2) Excellent Cleaning Effect
Ultrasonic cleaning can quickly and effectively remove the contaminants such as oil, dust and surface oxides on the surface of the workpiece, and prepare a relatively clean surface for the workpiece, so that the plating film can show better effect.
3) Ensuring Coating Quality
The surface of the workpiece which had been degreased and cleaned by ultrasonic cleaning technology can ensure a good adhesion of the electroplated film. At the same time, the cleaning liquid of ultrasonic cleaning technology contains environmental protection ingredients, so it will not cause environmental pollution.
4) Low Operating Cost
In addition to the purchase cost of equipment, the ultrasonic cleaning liquid is generally low in price, so the cost of raw materials is saved. On the other hand, the small investment in laboratory and personnel can be saved because of the high efficiency of the ultrasonic cleaning process.
4、Prospects of Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology in Plating Pretreatment
In the pretreatment of plating products, ultrasonic cleaning technology has not only achieved good results, but also has a wide application prospect. In the future, ultrasonic cleaning technology is expected to be improved and updated in aspects such as cleaning time, cleaning temperature and cleaning concentration, so as to continuously improve the effect of plates on plated products.
With the use of new technology and new materials, it is necessary to require not only the technical clearance of plating process but also the convenience of much clearer cleaning effect. This requires us to further study and develop the application of ultrasonic cleaning technology in industry, so as to continuously improve the cleaning effect and energy saving, reduce the environmental pollution and waste, and improve the efficiency and competitiveness of enterprises.
5、Conclusion
The development and application of ultrasonic cleaning technology in the pretreatment of plating products has brought a new opportunity for the development and upgrade of plating industry. The influence of ultrasonic cleaning on the process of plating has both cost performance and technology performance. The application of ultrasonic cleaning technology will not only bring about the improvement of plating effect and cost, but also promote the development of plating technology, and it is worth promoting and carrying out.
