tin plating for corrosion resistance
 

Tin Plating Services

 

Tin Plating FAQ’s

Selective Plating provides coil-to-coil tin plating in both bright and matte finishes.  Our tin plating conforms to ASTM B545 and MIL-T-10727 requirements.

What is tin plating?

Tin plating provides a soft, ductile and corrosion resistant surface of pure tin metal.  It is often used in electronic applications for its solderability and conductivity.  Tin is generally considered non-toxic and non-carcinogenic and as such its use is generally approved for food contact applications. 

Matte finish tin plating is best for surfaces to be soldered due to the low organic content of the deposit.  Bright finish tin plating offers a smoother, more reflective surface.  This is accomplished with the use of organic brightening agents which may be less desirable when soldering.

What is “commercial coat” tin plating?

Commercial coat refers to a thickness specification of 20-80 micro-inches (0.000020-0.000080”).  See our Products/Services page Guidelines for more about recommended tin plating thickness specifications.

Is Selective’s tin plating RoHS compliant?

Yes.  Our tin plating deposits conform to RoHS and other similar hazardous material control specifications.  Certificates of analysis can be provided as proof of compliance.  See our Quality page for more information.

How does Selective certify tin plating thickness?

Tin plating thickness is certified with each customer order with a certification document.  Measurements are made according to ASTM B568 using X-ray fluorescence.  Each coil processed is tested for conformance to the customer-supplied thickness requirement.

How does Selective certify tin plating solderability?

Tin plating solderability is measured according to methods outlines in ASTM B678.  Testing can be done with our without steam aging.  Each coil processed is tested for conformance.

How does Selective certify tin plating adhesion?

Tin plating adhesion is measured using three tests as outlined in ASTM B571 Sections 3, 4 and 13.  Each coil processed is tested for conformance.

What is the shelf life of tin plating?

The “shelf life” of the solderability of tin plating is affected by two main factors: storage conditions and plating specification.  Storage conditions with elevated temperatures and high humidity will cause faster oxidation of the surface of the tin plating.  A thin tin deposit will obviously be sacrificed to the elements faster than a thick one.  So a heavier deposit will generally enjoy longer shelf life for solderability.

Tin plating will form an inter-metallic layer with the base metal.  This is desirable for adhesion purposes.  Over time, this process continues and reduces the thickness of the pure tin layer from the underside of the deposit.  This is especially true of zinc in brass alloys.  The use of ASTM-specified under-plating will control this effect.

Can Selective certify the origin of the tin used in its processes?

There is a legitimate concern that the metal ore may originally be mined in certain “areas of conflict” that are undesirable countries with which to do business.  Selective does not purchase any metal originally mined or subsequently processed in any of these parts of the world.

A letter is available certifying this fact from our tin metal supplier.  You can download a PDF copy of it directly from our website by clicking on the Material Origin link on the Quality page.

Can Selective supply MSDS sheets for plated metal?

Yes.  Selective offers MSDS sheets from our metal suppliers.  Also, an MSDS sheet for each metal as plated is available.  Go to the MSDS link on our Quality page.

 

 

Selective Plating, Inc.
240 South Lombard Rd.
Addison, IL  60101
Ph: 630.543.1380   Fax: 630.543.1392