Electro-Spec. Inc. is proud to announce Volume II of technical blogs which will cover several of its most valuable testing and inspection capabilities to meet a broad range of industry standards and customer requirements. This volume will highlight five different types of testing that allow Electro-Spec to distinguish itself as a world class electroplating facility. 
Each testing method will be fully explained which should allow customers (present and future) to better understand the results of the various tests. Electro-Spec will always place meeting or exceeding plating requirements via test methods as a main priority and thus resulting in the highest quality surface finish possible.
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Thread/Pin Check- non-destructive testing which utilizes gages or mating parts to look at overall assembly fit.
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X-Ray Fluorescence- non-destructive testing which is used to determine thickness of plated deposits or elemental composition of unknown substances.
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Count Critical- an inspection flag which is used to denote an order of parts that require tracking of the number of parts throughout the process.
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Incoming Inspection- this is an inspection flag which can be designated by the level of incoming inspection. Some parts are to be 100% inspected upon incoming shipment.
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Hardness Test*- a destructive test which measures the hardness of the plated deposit.
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Bake Test- a non-destructive test which is used to determine the bond strength (adhesion) of the plated deposit.
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Tape Test- another method for determining the bond strength of the plated deposit.
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Heat Resistance Test- used to determine the thermal properties of the plated deposit as far as withstanding extreme temperatures is concerned.
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Nitric Vapor Test*- destructive test for determining porosity of a plated deposit. Also utilized to determine adhesion and integrity of the plating.
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Roll Test- destructive testing which is also used to determine bond strength of the plated deposit.
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Thermal Shock/Quench Test- another test method which is used to determine a plated deposit’s resistance to thermal shock.
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Salt Spray Test*- destructive test which aggressively determines the plated deposit’s ability to resist corrosion.
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SEM Imaging*- typically non-destructive imaging which produces high resolution and high magnification images of surface defects or foreign materials.
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EDX Testing*- typically non-destructive testing which determines the elemental composition of unknown materials.
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Visual Testing- non-destructive usage of microscopes or special lighting to check for imperfections in the plated deposit.
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Crush Test- another destructive test method which helps to determine bond strength of the plated deposit.
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Cross-Section*- a destructive test which offers a precise way to determine thickness of deposited plating layers.
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Solderability Test*-a destructive test which determines the plated deposits ability to be soldered.
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Bend Test- a destructive test which is another method of rigorously determining the bond strength of the plated deposit.
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Copper Sulfate Test- destructive test method to determine the presence of unacceptable free iron on the surface of passivated steel parts.
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Ammonium Sulfide Test- destructive test method used to determine whether or not the anti-tarnish coating on silver plated parts will hold up to certain environmental conditions.
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Sweat Test*- destructive test similar to salt spray test which determines a plated deposit’s resistance to corrosion.
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As shown above, the testing offered at Electro-Spec is diverse and consists of both non-destructive and destructive methods. The type of testing or inspection required should be designated by the customer. Some forms of inspection/testing require further details to be submitted by the customer such as SEM/EDX testing.
We look forward to discussing our testing and inspection capabilities in the upcoming volume of technical blogs. For Volume I of our blogs which covered electroplating please visit our website here: http://plating.electro-spec.com/blog
