Finishes

Standard Southco® Finishes
The following information is intended to provide general guidelines regarding finish performance characteristics.Please contact a Southco Applications Engineer with questions or concerns of specific Southco product plating or finish characteristics.

Zinc Plate, Chromate Plus Sealer
This is currently Southco"s standard finish of choice.A metallic (inorganic) sacrificial finish, which primarily provides excellent corrosion protection."Sacrificial" means this plating will corrode instead of the base material.This finish will protect even if the finish is scratched through to base material.Most applications provide typical performance of 144 hours, per ASTM B117 or ISO 9227, 5 cycles of moist sulphur-dioxide testing (ASTM G-87) without evidence of red rust, for parts plated approximately 0.013mm (0.0005) thick.This finish has a lubricious surface which is uniform and consistent, both visually and in terms of it"s mechanical properties.This finish also exceeds zinc plating specifications as outlined by ASTM B633, BS 1706, DIN 50961 and AS1789.

Zinc-Alloy Plating
A metallic (inorganic) sacrificial finish, which primarily provides excellent corrosion protection.Similar in nature to the standard zinc plating process, this process co-deposits a small percentage of another alloy along with the zinc during plating.Zinc-alloy plating exhibits excellent coverage, in some cases plating recesses in parts better than the standard zinc plating.Parts plated with approximately 0.013mm (0.0005) thick zinc-alloy with bright chromate and sealer have, on average, exceeded 300 hours of salt spray testing (ASTM B-117) and 4 cycles of moist sulfur-dioxide testing (ASTM G-87) without evidence of red rust.

Zinc-Alloy Plating to meet automotive or other industry specific corrosion resistance is available on special order.Call for more information.

Zinc-Plating
A metallic (inorganic) sacrificial finish, which provides good corrosion protection.It secondarily provides an attractive, bright, metallic finish to metal components.Zinc Plating is available with various chromate colors and phosphates.Zinc Plating meets ASTM B-633 and will withstand up to 96 hours of Salt Spray test ASTM B-117 without evidence of red rust depending on the chromate.

Powder Coating
An organic finish, which provides an attractive finish in a wide variety of colors and glosses.It also provides an excellent corrosion barrier between the base metal and the environment.Powder Coating is not sacrificial, and the base material can corrode if the finish is scratched.

Chrome and Nickel Plating
Both offer excellent chemical resistance in a hard, durable finish.These finishes are more decorative than zinc plating and do not provide the sacrificial protection.

Black Organic Finishing
A lubricious, uniform black fluoropolymer finish for metallic parts.It provides up to 400 hours of salt spray resistance per ASTM B-117, without evidence of red rust.It is usually applied over zinc plating.

Precautions must be exercised when welding plated parts to assure adequate ventilation and appropriate personal safety.

Other finishes are available for most products on special order.Contact your nearest Southco Representative for information on specific applications.

* Registered tradename of Metal Coatings International, Inc.