Platinum Q Salt

Our Platinum Q SALT® is a market leading electroplating bath suitable for use in the electroplating of turbine blades used in aerospace engines and industrial gas turbines. The deposited platinum coating can be aluminised to form a platinum aluminide coating which offers excellent protection against hot corrosion and oxidation.

This system is used to produce bright and highly adherent deposits of low stress and low porosity platinum. It has the added advantage of being non-toxic and non-explosive.

Availability 
Platinum Q Salt® plating solution Pt 5Q
(Product code - 155050)
Platinum Q Salt® replenisher (pH 10 adjusted) Pt 20Q
(Product code - 155067)

Bath preparation 
The bath is supplied as a solution containing 5 g/l of platinum. This solution will have a pH of 10.2 - 10.8 at 20°C. The bath should be heated to the operating temperature of 91°C - 93°C, and the pH adjusted to the working range of 10.0 - 10.6 (optimum 10.5). This adjustment can be made by the addition of ammonia to increase the pH. Regular addition of demineralised or distilled water is necessary in order to maintain the volume of the bath.

Replenishment
The platinum concentration of the bath should be maintained between 4 g/l and 6 g/l by adding Platinum Q Salt® Pt 20Q replenishing solution as required.

Metal preparation
Components should be degreased and cleaned by means of a procedure appropriate to the substrate in question. The bath has been used to plate copper, gold, nickel, titanium, stainless steel and super alloys.

Plating conditions
Cathode current density: 0.2 - 0.7 A/dm² (optimum 0.5 A/dm²)
It is important to maintain the stated temperature range. This is because the cathode current efficiency is substantially reduced at temperatures below 89ºC. Regular checks are essential to ensure that the recommended pH range is maintained.