Components made for the commercial and military aerospace industries require protective coating solutions that can stand up to the unique operating environments they will encounter on a regular basis. These environments make many traditional coating options inadequate, while environmental regulations no longer allow for the use of cadmium or hexavalent chromate — plating materials historically used for aerospace applications.
Electroplated aluminum is not only a non-toxic alternative to cadmium coating, it also has equal or better corrosion resistance properties. AlumiPlate’s high-purity electroplated aluminum is qualified for the most challenging worldwide operating environments of commercial and military aerospace programs, and has been tested and implemented as the preferred corrosion protection for numerous U.S. DOD aerospace programs.
AlumiPlate’s aerospace electroplating has received US Naval Air Systems Command technical approval for use in challenging worldwide NAVAIR environments. As a critical technology used in many military programs, AlumiPlate has registered with DDTC as mandated by ITAR. AlumiPlate’s electroplated aluminum also meets the criteria for MIL-DTL-83488 and NAS-4006 standards.
Contact our technical team for more information about high-purity aluminum coatings for the aerospace industry or to discuss your specific application.
Pure Aluminum Electroplating Offers Unmatched Performance in Aerospace Applications
Benefits of Electroplated High-Purity Aluminum
Drop-In Cadmium Alternative
Electroplated aluminum functions as a long sought after drop-in solution for replacing hazardous cadmium plating. AlumiPlate’s high-purity electroplated aluminum is dense and pore free with virtually zero impurities — it is also protected by an oxide layer that is immediately reformed when breached. These factors allow electroplated aluminum to perform as well or better than cadmium coating of the same thickness.
Combats Galvanic Corrosion
Electroplated aluminum combats galvanic corrosion, making it invaluable in aerospace applications where aluminum alloys come into contact with titanium, zinc nickel, steel or copper. No matter the conductive substrate, a thin coating of pure aluminum will reduce galvanic reactions that cause corrosion.
Minimizes Environmentally Induced Cracking
Unlike cadmium or other aqueous-based plating methods, AlumiPlate’s electroplating process does not expose high-strength steel parts to hydrogen. This means no heat treatment is required and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) and hydrogen assisted stress cracking (HAC) are mitigated. Electroplated aluminum eliminates the danger of plating safety-critical components, like landing gear, that might otherwise be the subject of unexpected, catastrophic HE or HAC failure.
Allows for Anodization
Most substrates can be anodized when electroplated with high-purity aluminum — the anodized layers can even be dyed for a hard, uniform finish that will not be damaged by ultraviolet light. Anodized electroplated components are electrically insulating while also providing thermal conductivity, making them perfect for applications like heat sinks.
High-Temperature Capabilities
Electroplated aluminum has a melting temperature roughly twice that of cadmium, allowing it to protect components in environments that reach 300 °C consistently, or 400 °C intermittently. Aluminum plating is an ideal match for aerospace applications that require the use of high-temperature materials, such as titanium, stainless steels and iron nickel alloys.
The Best Corrosion Protection Performance for Aerospace Components
AlumiPlate’s pure aluminum electroplated coatings are currently in-use for a variety of aerospace
Programs including military aircrafts, satellites to spacecrafts in some of the harshest corrosion environments. If you require the highest corrosion protection performance possible for your high strength material substrate products and want to ensure compliance with RoHS/REACH/EPA regulations, get in touch with us today.
We can engineer a solution for your most demanding product applications.