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8110 Hawthorne Dr.
Erie, Pa 16509 
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Baking In Inert Atmosphere

BAKING IN INERT ATMOSPHERE

AMS-2404, AMS-2454, AMS-C-26074, ASTM B733, MIL-C-26074, MILDTL-32119
All coatings are RoHS and REACH compliant.

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When required by purchase order or specification, Micro Plating will bake your parts in our certified ovens for:

  • Stress relief of high strength steels prior to plating.
  • Hydrogen Embrittlement relief of high strength or high carbon steels after plating.
  • Low temperature bake for Improved Adhesion on aluminum, copper and steel alloys.
  • High temperature bake of nickel plated parts to increase the nickel hardness.

The following recommendation addresses #4, high temperature bake for increased nickel hardness.

When electroless nickel deposits are heat treated above 550F in an air atmosphere, oxidation of the nickel takes place and forms a tenacious oxide film that is indicated by a variation of color from dark gold to deep blue.
This oxide film is not easily removed. It will take some hard polishing or other mechanical means to remove this oxidation. To prevent this oxidation from forming, parts are baked in an inert gas atmosphere such as Nitrogen or Argon.
A bake in a vacuum will also suffice in preventing severe oxidation. When cosmetic appearance is of importance or the oxide layer may interfere with electrical conductivity, it is recommended you specify the inert atmosphere bake when requesting maximum nickel hardness.
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