Advanced Plating Technologies provides bearing plating services across a diverse range of industrial sectors. The technical sales and engineering group at APT welcomes the opportunity to review specific bearing plating applications and is expert at the specific surface finish (Ra) requirements, dimensional inspections, and selective plating needs that are central to bearing plating applications.
Advanced Plating Technologies currently services the defense, aerospace, railway, petrochemical and heavy mechanical sectors with bearing plating services in lead plating, tin/lead plating, electroless nickel plating, copper plating and silver plating services. APT services various OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers including Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), Northrop Grumman, Twin Disc, Ingersoll Rand and US TACOM in specific bearing plating services on components including thrust washers, bearings,and bushings.
Bearing Plating Services – Bearing Materials
Various substrate materials are used in the fabrication of low, medium and high load bearings, bushings and thrust washers. Advanced Plating Technologies offers bearing plating services on nearly any substrate used in the fabrication of bearings including leaded brass and bearing bronze, aluminum alloys, stainless steel, tool steel, as well as brazed, babbitted or multi-layer combinations of bearing materials.
In addition to working with various bearing substrate materials, Advanced Plating Technologies offers a full line of plating layers and can provide multiple finish combinations in concurrence with design requirements. If a special alloy deposit is required, Advanced Plating Technologies can source it. Various alloy deposits of tin, lead, copper, and silver have been provided based upon the specific bearing plating application.
Many bearing plating applications require selective plating methods due to the heavy deposit thickness and tight tolerance specific to the part, including wall thickness and bore concentricity. These tolerances can be difficult to meet if both the ID and OD of the bearing or bushing are plated. By selective plating of only the functional surfaces, tighter overall part tolerance can be achieved. Advanced Plating Technologies offers a wide range of masking techniques including liquid apply masks, custom die-cut tapes, standard silicon masks, custom-molded masks, and various application-specific tapes.
Plating to a final dimension – commonly called plate to gauge or dimension – is the single most critical aspect of bearing plating services. Advanced Plating Technologies’ quality and engineering group provides a full range of dimensional inspections on all bearing, bushings, or thrust washers plated. Critical pre- and post-plate dimensions as well as specific inspection methods are documented within the detailed finishing protocol. All bearings go through a customized receiving inspection protocol for dimensional verification prior to release to the plating line. Multiple in situ measurements of a statistically relevant sample set are made during the plating process to ensure each lot of parts meets the final plate-to dimensions.
Advanced Plating Technologies has a wide range of internal/external and bore micrometers to verify plate-to dimensions for bearing plating applications. Application-specific gauges such as Sunnen and digital bore micrometers are used as needed to ensure bearings meet print specifications. Our quality and engineering teams are trained in repeatability and reliability methods (gauge R&R) which can be included as part of the product qualification and PPAP submission.
Bearing Plating Services – Contact APT
Advanced Plating Technologies welcomes the opportunity to discuss any application in bearing plating. Our dedicated technical sales and engineering group can work in association with design engineers to determine the best methods and techniques in bearing plating.
You can contact a member of our technical sales group to discuss your specific application. If submitting a request for quote from our website, a text field is provided to detail any specific bearing plating requirements.
