Plating Process

The plating process services offered by Mini-Flex will add material affecting the following functions of a formed bellows: increase spring rate, forming pressure, burst pressure and squirm pressure, and decrease maximum compression. Mini-Flex offers plating processing for formed metal bellows, bellows tubing and machined parts.

Please note that non-uniform plating may decrease cycle life, degrade spring rate linearity and cause nonlinear movement of the convolutions when compressed or extended, or used in bending applications. Surface preparation materials used may be highly corrosive and attack material defects more rapidly, creating pinholes.

Plating formed metal bellows:
The following plating processes may be performed to a metal bellows with the possibility of metal flaking and acid entrapment if not tested, developed and controlled:

• Gold Plating
• TIN Plating

Plating bellows tubing:
The following processes are approved by Mini-Flex for the manufacture of metal bellows:

• Gold Plating
• TIN Plating

Plating machined parts:
Mini-Flex offers plating process services for machined parts, as required by customer.