Cadmium Electroplating
What is Cadmium Electroplating?
Cadmium electroplating is a process where a thin layer of cadmium metal is deposited onto the surface of a substrate through electrolysis.
Cadmium electroplating offers excellent corrosion resistance, particularly in marine and aerospace environments, and provides good lubricity and solderability.
However, cadmium electroplating has raised environmental and health concerns due to the toxicity of cadmium, leading to regulations restricting its use in many applications.
Cadmium is NOT ROHS compliant and is being phased out as a plating solution.
Cadmium Electroplating
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Why Cadmium electroplating?
Cadmium electroplating finds application in various industries primarily due to its exceptional corrosion resistance, lubricity, and solderability. In environments prone to corrosion, such as marine and aerospace settings, cadmium plating provides long-term protection against rust and degradation, ensuring the durability of metal components.
Furthermore, cadmium-electroplated surfaces facilitate strong adhesion of solder, making them ideal for electrical and electronic applications where reliable solder joints are critical for functionality.
Despite its benefits, the use of cadmium plating has declined over time due to environmental and health concerns associated with cadmium’s toxicity. As a result, alternative plating methods such as Zinc-Nickel Alloy plating have been implemented. This new era of plating has meet the performance requirements of all industries.
Benefits of Cadmium electroplating…
Even though Cadmium electroplating is not ROHS compliant it still has many benefits in todays industry.
Team Plating Works also offer a recognised replacement of Cadmium plating in the form of their Perma Alloy plating process. See here for more.
Cadmium electroplating offers…
- Provides excellent corrosion resistance, particularly in harsh environments like marine and aerospace settings.
- Offers good lubricity and solderability, making it valuable for certain industrial applications.
- Versatility in coating various substrates
A lesser-known fact about cadmium electroplating is that it was historically used extensively in aerospace and military applications due to its exceptional corrosion resistance and ability to withstand high temperatures.
Additionally, cadmium electroplating has been utilized in certain specialized industries for its unique combination of properties, such as in electrical contacts and connectors, where its low electrical resistance and good solderability are advantageous.
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More Information on Cadmium electroplating…
Cadmium is a silver white metal that has excellent corrosion resistance in marine conditions. Cadmium is harder than tin but may be cut with a knife.
Cadmium is very ductile & can easily be rolled into a foil or be drawn into a wire.
Cadmium is electropositive to iron & has a very low contact potential with aluminum.
Cadmiums’ melting point is at about 320deg Celsius (610deg F). At this temperature it releases highly toxic fumes of cadmium metal vapour & cadmium oxide.
Cadmium salts are also poisonous when ingested.
Cadmium is usually deposited in the matt condition, when intended purely for protection, but can be electroplated fully bright if attractiveness is required. The deposit can be polished or scratchbrushed if necessary precautions are taken not to overheat the metal.
Electroplated Cadmium gives excellent protection to iron and steel, because under corrosive conditions, the coating is electrolytically sacrificed to protect the underlying ferrous metal, however Zinc has a much lower basic cost than cadmium.
Where marine & tropical are encountered cadmium forms a basic chloride on the surface which prevents further attack whereas zinc will continue to sacraficially corrode away.
Cadmium is unaffected by alkalis and can be used in situations where zinc would be attacked, ex: machinery which comes into contact with soaps, lyes, washing powders and domestic and Industrial cleaners.
Electroplated Cadmium is used in the electrical & aircraft industries because of its low contact potential difference in relation to aluminum.
Cadmium can not be electroplated onto articles which come into contact with foodstuffs or drinking water because of its toxic nature.
Cadmium should therefore not be applied to articles which may be subjected to temperatures in excess of 250deg Celsius (482deg F).
Cadmium is part of “The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC ” Rohs, which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances. Note the wording ‘Restrict’ does not mean a substance is banned.
Some restricted substances still need to be used in certain applications and therefore can not be banned, but rather restricted.