research
Historical Highlights of Electroless Plating
In a 1984 article in Plating and Surface Finishing, for the AESF 75th anniversary year, Charles R. Shipley Jr. recounts the history of the commercialization of electroless plating beyond the discovery of electroless nickel by Dr. Abner Brenner and Grace Riddell at the National Bureau of Standards.
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Reminiscences of Early Electroless Plating
The development of autocatalytic deposition was one of the most important developments in the history of surface finishing. Here, in an article from Plating and Surface Finishing in 1984, the AESF 75th anniversary year, Dr. Abner Brenner, considered to be the “Father of Electroless Plating,” recalls why and how it came about.
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Crack Formation during Electrodeposition and Post-deposition Aging of Thin Film Coatings - 7th & 8th Quarterly Report
This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers the seventh and eighth quarters of project work (July-December 2017) on this AESF Foundation Research project at the University of Houston. The objective of the work is to study fundamental and practical aspects of crack formation in electrodeposited thin films.
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New Selective Brush / Cell Anodizing Technology Using Sulfuric / Organic Mixed Electrolytes for Dimensional Restoration of Difficult Alloys
This paper presents new innovative problem-solving technology for Type I, II and III selective brush and repair cell anodizing. Discussions include: (1) anodizing difficult alloys (2000/7000 series) without burning; (2) unique amino complex organic acid protection of the aluminum/anodize surface during processing and (3) high speed anodizing in selective cell operations, including heavy thickness anodize repair procedures.
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Special Aspects of Electrodeposition on Zinc Die Castings
Electroplating is a frequent choice to give zinc die cast components a high-quality protective and decorative surface finish, however, applying this kind of treatment for die cast zinc components presents hidden challenges. In order to overcome these issues, a thorough morphology and composition analysis of die cast items was conducted. Special aspects of zinc die cast as a plating substrate are described and linked to the die casting process.
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Electroless Nickel Coatings: Appearance, Gloss and Surface Morphology
For decorative coatings, appearance is the essential purpose for application, but also for functional surface finishes it becomes increasingly relevant as an added value on top of specified technical requirements. Appearance is affected by spectrum and intensity of incident light, roughness and morphology of the coating surface, optical properties of the coating material, eventual superficial oxide films, and individual perception. The predominant factor is surface roughness, which in turn depends on base material roughness, quality of substrate pretreatment, and nucleation and growth kinetics of the electroless nickel (EN) deposit. Interdependency of gloss measurements with roughness measurements and with chemical composition of coatings was investigated for new generation mid-P EN processes and compared to traditional ones.
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Nanostructures by Anodization of Alumina in Phosphoric Acid at Low Potential
Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) has been investigated, in terms of influence of the process time, anodizing potential and methanol addition on the structural features of porous anodic alumina formed in 0.1M H3PO4 solution by two-step self-organized anodizing for potentials ranging from 100-150 V. The structural features of the porous structures, including pore diameter and interpore distance, were evaluated from FE-SEM top-view images for samples anodized in the presence and absence of methanol.
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Additive Manufacturing and Surface Finishing - The 53rd William Blum Lecture
This presentation is the 53rd William Blum Lecture, presented at SUR/FIN 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 6, 2016. In this lecture, Dr. Melissa Klingenberg discusses additive manufacturing; that is, any manufacturing process capable of making 3D objects from a digital model, or building-up 3D features onto an existing object, layer-by-layer. Cold spray, thermal spray, electroforming, structural plating and gaseous carbonyl deposition are covered.
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Nickel: Science, Health and the Future - The 52nd William Blum Lecture
This presentation is the 52nd William Blum Lecture, presented at SUR/FIN 2015 in Rosemont, Illinois on June 8, 2015. In this lecture, Dr. Hudson Bates discusses the nickel research in his group at the Nickel Producers Environmental Research Association (NiPERA), which impact occupational health and environmental issues for nickel. This includes nano-particulates, toxicity of mixtures, ambient air effects, and providing good science in regulatory matters.
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Surface Finishing Sustainability: Technology Pathways - The 51st William Blum Lecture
This presentation is the 51st William Blum Lecture, presented at SUR/FIN 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio on June 9, 2014. In this lecture, Dr. Yinlun Huang discusses the critical issue of sustainability in manufacturing with the primary focus on the surface finishing industry, and the technology directed toward addressing the issue.
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