Sulfamate Nickel Plating, 280.0" Lengths, 14.0"IDs

Q. Hello Randy, We are trying to find a plater that can provide Sulfamate Nickel, under Chrome, for hydraulic cylinders. The restriction is that these barrels are ~274.0"lg, with an 14.0"ID, and the brackets mounted on the outside make the assembly ~26.0"OD. The spec for plating is: 0.004"-0.005" thick sulfamate nickel, 0.008" chrome, per side. Plate/Polish to a final ID of: 14.005/14.000.

Your immediate assistance would be appreciated.

A. Daniel, this sounds challenging. I'm not aware of a "Sulfamate nickel plating tank" of that size. You might start by calling Ohio Cam Shaft, located in Twinsburg, Ohio. They have deep chrome tanks, and may have knowledge of a Sulfamate Ni plater with that capability. Ask for Bob or John Hiler Jr. http://www.ohiocam.com/

On another note, what are the exact dimensions of the nickel plating area. I'm hoping that the actual plating area is not the full 274.0" long x 14.0 ID diameter, but never the less, it sounds like a very large surface area. To immerse a part that large would require a large tank as well as special anodes and tooling, a properly sized rectifier, adequate racking as well as a good amount of masking.

I'm a guy that often thinks outside the box, this may be a job for out of tank plating. With the right equipment it is possible to nickel plate outside the plating tank, minimizing the need for extraneous masking and finding a tank large enough to handle the entire part. When we're talking about sulfamate Ni under hard chrome, out of tank plating might cost less than tank plating and there are obvious time and labor savings by eliminating masking, clean up, de-burring and rework.

Out of tank plating projects require good design, meticulous planning and execution as well as an investment for up front tooling and labor. Good luck with the project.

Randy Taylor