Peeling or poor adhesion
- Likely causes
- Incomplete degreasing, over/under-pickling or residual oxide
- First checks
- Check water-break, process sequence, activation and rinsing first
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Products & Solutions · 01
Pretreatment
Substrate-specific degreasing, pickling, etching, desmut and activation establish a clean, active surface for subsequent plating and coating.
PROCESS OVERVIEW
Product review starts with process conditions
Pretreatment often determines where a surface-finishing defect begins. Oxide and contamination are assessed while cleaning efficiency, surface activation and rinsing quality are controlled as one process flow.
Suitability is reviewed with the substrate, upstream and downstream stages, control items, and required finish—not by product name alone.
- Applicable substrates & targets
- Steel and iron · Copper and copper alloys · Aluminum and its alloys · Zinc and zinc-plated surfaces · Nickel underlayers
- Application scope
- Solvent and alkaline degreasing · Electrocleaning · Pickling and acid cleaning · Etching and desmut · Activation and catalyzation · Rinsing and carry-over control
CONTROL POINTS
Key control items to review before application
Current settings and recent changes help establish a more useful inspection sequence.
- 01Surface cleanliness and water-break
- 02Chemical concentration and pH
- 03Bath temperature and treatment time
- 04Substrate-specific etching and activation
- 05Rinse-water quality and carry-over
- 06Smut and surface residue
- 07Surface condition before plating
TROUBLESHOOTING
Common issues and first checks
One symptom can involve several process factors, so likely causes and the inspection sequence are reviewed together.
Pitting or particles
- Likely causes
- Surface particles, contaminated rinse or solids carried from pretreatment
- First checks
- Separate bath contamination, rinse renewal and filtration factors
Stain or discoloration
- Likely causes
- Chemical residue, uneven cleaning or delayed drying after rinsing
- First checks
- Review final-rinse quality and waiting time between stages
Smut or rough surface
- Likely causes
- Etch/desmut conditions unsuitable for the alloy
- First checks
- Recheck the alloy against concentration, temperature and time
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
PLACHEM support scope
Field conditions and defect symptoms are used to organize the items that should be checked first.
- 01Substrate-specific pretreatment sequence and chemistry review
- 02Classification of pretreatment causes behind adhesion, pitting and stains
- 03Control sheet for concentration, temperature, time and rinsing
- 04On-site review linked to the next plating or coating stage
Discuss application conditions for Pretreatment
Share the substrate, process sequence, chemicals in use, control values, defect symptoms, or required documents.