The galvanic shop is currently needed in order to apply a special coating to a metal product. By itself, this material is susceptible to corrosion, and its service life is not too long. That is why a method is applied in which a thin layer of another metal is deposited on the surface of the raw material in an electrolyte solution and using an electric current. This is the main purpose of the galvanic shop.
Equipment for work. Bath
These workshops have a variety of equipment, but the main one is a galvanic bath. This unit is divided into two types. The first is called active, the second - auxiliary. They differ in that in the first types of bathtubs the desired coating is directly applied to the product. In the auxiliary equipment of the galvanic shop, the stage of preparing the part for the further procedure takes place. It is important to understand here that auxiliary equipment is as important as the main one. Among them, one can distinguish baths washing, drying, preparing the mixture.
Bath design
By their design, the baths of the galvanic shop are quite simple and represent a cube that has additional stiffening ribs, as well as some additional elements. Among these additional devices, for example, there is a heater, cover, filtration, cooling system, water supply and drainage system, cleaning systems, suspensions, anodes and so on.
For the production of such things can be used stainless steel, PVC, polypropylene, as well as other raw materials that have similar characteristics. However, at present, PVC and polypropylene are most widely used, while steel and metal products have faded into the background. This is due to the fact that polymeric materials more resistant to the effects of aggressive chemicals and high temperature.
Special Purpose Devices
Galvanic production requires special-purpose bathtubs that are designed to work with small parts.
The first equipment of this type is a bell bath. The main difference between this type of device and the main one is that it has a special bell, and the main purpose is to apply galvanic coating to small parts in bulk. The bell itself is truncated and has a multifaceted design. Such an apparatus is used both as an independent machine and in a line.
Galvanic production periodically needs equipment such as a galvanic type drum. It is a prism that is made of either PVC or polypropylene, which has many faces, and they are all perforated. To rotate such a prism, a motor with a gearbox is used, and torque is transmitted through a system of gear type wheels. You can use the drum in a manual, automated and mechanized type of line.
What is a line?
A galvanic line is a set of several devices that operate on one site. The main parameters for the design of such systems are considered their performance, as well as the dimensions of the product for which this line should be designed. The type of line will directly depend on how large the product will be and how serial it will be. Galvanic lines can be screw type, can be manual or manual with a hoist. Today, the auto-operator type of line with software control is becoming very popular.
The line may include auxiliary equipment. It is necessary in order to withstand the technological process, as well as to ensure the complete safety of the work of people on the site.
Varieties of auxiliary installations
The galvanic equipment used at the sites should prepare raw materials and components for further work. For this, for example, there are two filter units. One of them is stationary type, the other is mobile type.
If we talk about the first type of installation, then the model UFE-1C is usually used. It is intended to filter either water or electrolyte from any impurities of a mechanical type. An additional possibility of the stationary type is that it can be connected to an airless mixing system, where there is a solution filtration function.
A filter of a mobile type is usually represented by a UV 2400 model. It can be used, like a stationary one, to filter electrolyte or water from mechanical impurities. Their difference lies in the fact that this pump can also pump this water or other aggressive chemicals.
Liquid demineralization devices are also used. The unit is presented in the form of a UVD-500 unit, which is capable of removing salt from a liquid so that it fully complies with such a state standard as 6709-97. Such water is used for the preparation of a new electrolyte, as well as for any washing operations carried out in the workshop.
There are also smaller equipment, for example, conventional pumps, but with increased resistance to chemicals in order to successfully pump the electrolyte. Applied equipment for drying products.
Ventilation
Ventilation of the galvanic shop is one of the most important requirements for labor safety. This is very important, since during the galvanic process, that is, coating the product, harmful fumes are released into the air, which are dangerous not only for humans, but also for the room where they are released. Because of this, in the design of the workshop, special attention is paid to ventilation equipment and ventilation in general.
For this type of workshop ventilation pipes made of polypropylene are allowed. This is due to the fact that this material belongs to the non-combustible group, it is waterproof, resistant to chemical influences, and it is also very easy to mount them both on the ceiling and on the floor or walls.
Workshop Security
The harmfulness of the galvanic shop for human health is quite high. The thing is that there are several very dangerous factors. Firstly, it is possible to get a strong electric shock, secondly, there is a risk of getting chemical, alkaline or acid types of burns, thirdly, there is a risk of explosion and ignition.
However, the harm to human health does not end there. For example, when preparing a product, it is subjected to mechanical types of processing. This can be grinding, blast cleaning using mechanical dust and many others. All of them are united by the fact that during their holding a huge amount of dust is released into the air. In addition, the noise and vibration levels exceed permissible. Since an electric current is applied during coating, the likelihood of being struck by this current is greatly increased. For this reason, direct current with a voltage of 12 V is most often used. However, there are some operations that require an increase in voltage to 120 V. For example, this happens when aluminum is oxidized.
Fire safety requirements for galvanic shops are also quite high. To prevent fire in such rooms, it is necessary to apply fire prevention and fire protection systems that will comply with GOST 12.1.004-76. Explosion protection in such areas should be ensured by means of explosion prevention and explosion protection in accordance with GOST 12.1.010-76.
Fluid cleaning
It is worth saying that in the galvanic shops there must be facilities for cleaning the liquid that was used in the work. This is very important, since during the process the water is mixed with acids, alkalis and heavy metals. Conventional water treatment plants are unable to cope with cleaning from such contaminants, and therefore, when designing a building, you must initially allocate space for special installations.
Chromic anhydride
From a technical point of view, it is a combination of two substances such as chromium and oxygen. It is often used in the chemical industry, and therefore is often called a chemical acid. This substance is quite soluble in water, which is excellent for use in workshops where most operations are carried out with a fluid content to one degree or another. Chromic anhydride is currently the most widely distributed in three areas: mechanical engineering, metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical industries. Depending on its purpose, this substance is available in three categories: A, B and C.
- Grade A is used in cases where it is necessary to obtain metallic chrome or other materials in production conditions, but with sufficiently high hardness indices.
- Grade B is used for the production of electrolytic chromium and in the manufacture of catalysts. It is this anhydride that is used in galvanic shops.
- As for brand B, it is most suitable for foundry operations of raw materials.
Generally speaking, this type of workshop is extremely necessary, but at the same time quite harmful and dangerous. Because of this, all safety requirements must be observed in it, as well as the best ventilation.