Zinc Plating
Zinc Electroplating is a tried and tested process commonly used to enhance the corrosion resistance of steel and iron components. Among the various electroplating methods, silver zinc electroplating stands out as the most common and cost effective form of protection for raw steel parts. This technique involves depositing a layer of zinc onto the surface of the parts by immersing them into an electrolyte solution and applying electrical current.
Zinc electroplating is preferable for corrosion resistance due to the added benefit of sacrificial corrosion whereby even if the coated part is scratched to reveal raw metal the zinc will corrode first, protecting your parts from rust. You may be familiar with this concept from your hot water system or marine applications that use a zinc sacrificial anode.
In addition to providing corrosion resistance, electroplating also serves to improve the visual appearance of parts and increases reflectivity, while acting as a primer for subsequent painting processes.
Standard silver but also gold and black zinc plating is available.