Material recommendation

[AmeristarQA]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a material that I can use for a project that I am working on. We are currently stamping a grip insert out of 1075 spring steel, then heat treating it to 60Rc, finally we zinc plate the part. The problem is that 60 Rc is as soft as we can be for this to hold up, and we are losing about 5 points of hardness when we plate it. I am looking for a material that can get me to that hardness, has good corrosion resistance, but starts soft enough that I can stamp it. Heat treating is a viable option for this part. I was looking at 416 SS?

 

[TVP]

The 1075 steel should not lose 5 HRC points due to plating. How did you determine this number? Perhaps the insert is being heated at too high a temperature for embrittlement relief and that is causing the hardness reduction.

What is the thickness of the sheet/strip prior to stamping? Type 416 is not a grade that immediately springs to my mind for this type of application. I would probably look at a precipitation hardening grade of stainless steel if a conventional carbon steel like 1075 cannot be adequately produced. Have you considered using a different type of coating, such as one of the lamellar microlayer coatings from Magni or Doerken?

 

[AmeristarQA]

No, we really haven't looked into any other coatings, unfortuanly our customer is only willing to pay about $.05 a piece for these. So we are trying to stay away from expensive coatings. The part size is also .250" x .250"

 

[AmeristarQA]

I also forgot, the hardness was determined by comparing the hardness readings prior to zinc plating, and retesting them after plate. The function of the part has also shown that something is making the insert softer.

 

[CoryPad]

High hardness parts that are subsequently electroplated receive a de-embrittling heat treatment. This heat treatment is lowering your hardness. The procedure for this heat treatment must be wrong - you shouldn't reduce hardness by 5 HRC. You may find that non-electrolytic zinc coatings are not too expensive for your consideration.

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[MintJulep]

How about cheap and simply hot-dip galvanize?

Perhaps you could do away with the hardening step and get your wear resistance from a harder coating. Nickel or chrome perhaps?