DustinGebhardt

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

I've got a question for the group:

I currently barrel plate hand tool sockets, but only up to a certain size.  Above that size, I have to rack plate the sockets.  If I try to barrel plate them, they damage each other.  Does anybody have any suggestions as to how I might be able to barrel plate my larger sockets?

Thanks

-Dustin

-Dustin Gebhardt,
CEF
Plating Engineer
Danaher Tool Group
Gastonia, NC

iankmf

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

Hi Dustin

What are you plating them with?

The easy way to barrel plate the larger sockets would be to put a much smaller component in with them and make them about 60% of the load. This way the smaller components will seperate and cushion the sockets, preventing damage.

We keep a large volume of steel balls and pins, for doing jobs just like yours. Of course you will loose the cost of the metal deposit on the smaller component but this out weighs the cost in time taken to jig up. Or some times we may have another job in which requires the same plating spec that will suite the same purpose....that way we can kill two dogs with one brick.

It's a bit like when you see Vibro finishing, the bowl can have many large parts in it but the ceramic  medium holds these apart and prevents damage as well as doing the deburring/polishing

Ian

iankmf's Website

DustinGebhardt

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

Thanks for the advice.  We've tried using steel balls with some success.  We are continuing down this path to see if there are any limitations.

We have also tried using smaller parts to cushion the larger parts.  We've had mixed success here.  Because the ratio of small:large is so disproportionate, we don't have enough small parts to keep up with the big part production.  Also, some of the smaller parts tend to bind inside the larger parts, which ruins both.  I am assembling a chart of which small parts work with which large parts, but until I run just abot every combination, I will be guessing.

I also have some delrin balls on order.  I want to see if I can use them in place of the steel balls, or as some sort of steel/delrin mixture to minimize the amount of metal I waste.

-Dustin

-Dustin Gebhardt,
CEF
Plating Engineer
Danaher Tool Group
Gastonia, NC

Paul Fisher

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

Dustin - where did you find the delrin & steel balls??  I put out a couple of feelers on that last week but never had any success on finding a source.

Paul Fisher's Website

DustinGebhardt

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

I sourced them through A Brite.  I also found a source in Anaheim.

-Dustin Gebhardt,
CEF
Plating Engineer
Danaher Tool Group
Gastonia, NC

Southern Metal Finishing

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

So who makes them???

Southern Metal Finishing's Website

Shane Moore

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

Dustin,
Is it possible to slow the rotation speed of the barrels, causing the parts to slide over each other instead of pick up and drop?

Shane Moore
MacDermid, Inc
Technical Service Rep

DustinGebhardt

Re: Barrel plating larger parts

No.  The parts are too large and heavy. Once they move, they bounce around like boulders coming down a mountain.  It is not very "fluid" at all.  We've treid slowing the barrels down to no effect.  Also, our chrome-substitute topcoat needs a certain rotation rate or the parts show burns that match up with the perfs of the barrel and/or on the HCD areas of the parts.

-Dustin Gebhardt,
CEF
Plating Engineer
Danaher Tool Group
Gastonia, NC