Hi Victor - zinc, cadmium, and tin plating have all been shown to have a 
propensity to produce a single crystal structure the industry calls a 
whisker. All three of these plating systems can also produce a variety of 
other crystalline structures.  The NASA Goddard website has some excellent 
pictures of whiskers from all three plating systems. Many folks have made 
the claim that they know the secret to plating tin or zinc that is a 
whisker-free surface but no one has been able to consistently, repeatedly 
demonstrate a whisker-free plating surface. The industry is working very 
hard to achieve such a result but I don't believe we are quite there yet.

Dave Hillman
Rockwell Collins
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Victor Hernandez <[log in to unmask]> 
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[TN] Zinc plating processes






Fellow TechNetters;

   I understand that there a several methods of plating zinc and that 
perhaps only one yield zinc whiskers.   Can someone share their input with 
zinc plating.   I have examined several zinc plating surfaces, sheet metal 
extrusions-chassis, without knowing their process and one has zinc 
whiskers.   Is this a correct observation.   I will request plating specs 
for each sample examined.

Victor,



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