Electrolytic tinplate (ETP) is an important material in modern industry and is widely used in food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical and other fields. It is favored for its excellent anti-corrosion performance and good processability. This article will explore in depth what electrolytic tinplate is, why we need electrolytic tinplate, and its advantages and value in practical applications.
What is electrolytic tinplate?
Basic definition
Electrolytic tinplate refers to a steel product that is plated with a uniform layer of tin on the surface of the steel plate through the electrolytic tin plating process. Its main components are low-carbon steel substrate and tin plating layer. The electrolytic tin plating process makes the tin layer thickness controllable, uniform and firmly attached, thereby improving the anti-corrosion performance and appearance quality of the steel plate.
Manufacturing process
The manufacturing process of electrolytic tinplate mainly includes the following steps:
(1) Steel plate preparation:
● Substrate selection: Select high-quality low-carbon steel plate as the substrate.
● Surface treatment: Pickling, cleaning and passivation of the steel plate to remove the oxide layer and impurities on the surface and ensure the adhesion of the tin-plated layer.
(2) Electrolytic tin plating:
● Electrolyte preparation: Prepare an electrolyte containing tin ions.
● Electrolysis process: The treated steel plate is used as the cathode and pure tin is used as the anode. The tin ions are reduced and deposited on the surface of the steel plate through the current to form a uniform tin-plated layer.
● Tin-plated layer thickness control: The tin layer thickness can be precisely controlled by adjusting the current density and electrolysis time.
(3) Post-treatment:
● Passivation treatment: Passivate the tin-plated layer to improve its corrosion resistance.
● Oiling treatment: Apply a layer of protective oil on the surface to prevent oxidation during transportation and storage.
Why electrolytic tinplate?
Improved anti-corrosion performance
Steel materials are prone to oxidative corrosion in the air, especially in a humid environment, where the corrosion rate is faster. By plating a layer of tin on the surface of the steel plate, air and moisture can be effectively isolated, oxidation reactions can be prevented, and the corrosion resistance of the steel plate can be significantly improved.
Case analysis:
During the production process, a food canning factory found that steel plate cans that have not been tinned are prone to rust in a humid environment, affecting the shelf life and safety of the food. By using electrolytic tinplate to make cans, the shelf life of the product is effectively extended and the safety of the food is ensured.
Improve appearance and processing performance
The electrolytic tinning process makes the surface of the steel plate smooth and flat, with good gloss and aesthetics. At the same time, the tin layer has good ductility and weldability, which is convenient for subsequent stamping, bending, welding and other processing processes.
Case analysis:
A beverage company uses electrolytic tinplate to make beverage cans. Through stamping and welding processes, the steel plate is processed into cans of various complex shapes, ensuring the appearance quality and sealing performance of the product.
Improve the safety of food and chemicals
The tin-plated layer on the surface of electrolytic tinplate has good chemical stability and does not react with food and chemicals, thus ensuring the safety and purity of food and chemicals. Especially in the field of food packaging, the use of electrolytic tinplate can effectively prevent food from being contaminated by metal ions and maintain the original taste and quality of food.
Case analysis:
A food company uses electrolytic tinplate to make food cans, effectively preventing direct contact between food and metal, avoiding food contamination, and ensuring the safety and taste of food.
The practical application value of electrolytic tinplate
Food packaging field
Electrolytic tinplate is widely used in the field of food packaging, mainly for making various food cans and beverage cans. Its good anti-corrosion performance and chemical stability ensure the long-term storage and safety of food.
Application example:
A well-known canned food company uses electrolytic tinplate to make canned fruit. Through advanced sterilization and sealing processes, it ensures the quality and safety of cans during long-term storage and wins the trust of consumers.
Chemical container field
In the chemical field, many chemicals have extremely high requirements for the corrosion resistance of storage containers. Electrolytic tinplate is widely used to make various chemical containers due to its excellent corrosion resistance to ensure the safe storage and transportation of chemicals.
Application example:
A chemical company uses electrolytic tinplate to make chemical storage tanks, which effectively prevents chemicals from corroding containers, ensures the purity and storage safety of chemicals, and reduces production risks.
Electronic product field
Electrolytic tinplate is also widely used in the field of electronic products, mainly used to make battery shells and shells of electronic components. Its good conductivity and corrosion resistance ensure the stability and service life of electronic products.
Application example:
An electronic company uses electrolytic tinplate to make battery shells. Through precise processing and tinning processes, it ensures the conductivity and corrosion resistance of the battery, greatly improving the quality and reliability of the product.
Building decoration field
The application of electrolytic tinplate in the field of building decoration is gradually increasing, mainly used to make various building decorative panels and metal furniture. Its good anti-corrosion performance and aesthetics improve the quality and service life of buildings and furniture.
Application example:
A construction company uses electrolytic tinplate to make building decorative panels. Through advanced processing and surface treatment processes, it ensures the anti-corrosion performance and aesthetics of the decorative panels, and improves the overall quality and grade of the building.
Detailed explanation of the production process of electrolytic tinplate
Pickling treatment
Before electrolytic tin plating, the steel plate needs to be pickled to remove the oxide scale and impurities on the surface. This step is very important and directly affects the adhesion and uniformity of the tin plating layer.
Detailed explanation of steps:
● Pickling solution preparation: usually hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid is used to prepare the pickling solution.
● Pickling process: Soak the steel plate in the pickling solution to remove the oxide scale and impurities on the surface through chemical reaction.
Electrolytic tin plating
Electrolytic tin plating is the core step in the manufacture of electrolytic tinplate. The tin ions are reduced and deposited on the surface of the steel plate through electric current to form a uniform tin plating layer.
Detailed steps:
● Electrolyte preparation: Prepare an electrolyte containing tin ions, usually tin chloride or tin sulfate.
● Electrolysis process: Use the steel plate as the cathode and pure tin as the anode, and use direct current to reduce and deposit tin ions on the surface of the steel plate to form a uniform tin-plated layer.
Passivation treatment
The passivation treatment is to improve the corrosion resistance of the tin-plated layer, and form a dense oxide film on the surface of the tin-plated layer by chemical methods.
Detailed steps:
● Passivation solution preparation: Chromic acid or phosphoric acid is usually used to prepare the passivation solution.
● Passivation process: Soak the tin-plated steel plate in the passivation solution, and form a dense oxide film on the surface through chemical reactions.
Oiling treatment
The oiling treatment is to prevent the tin-plated layer from oxidizing during transportation and storage, and a protective effect is achieved by applying a layer of protective oil on the surface.
Detailed steps:
● Selection of protective oil: Mineral oil or synthetic oil is usually used as protective oil.
● Oiling process: Apply protective oil evenly on the surface of the steel plate to form a protective film to prevent oxidation.
Conclusion
Through a detailed analysis of the definition, manufacturing process, application value and specific cases of electrolytic tinplate, the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. Electrolytic tinplate is a high-performance anti-corrosion material: a uniform tin layer is formed on the surface of the steel plate through the electrolytic tinning process, which effectively improves the anti-corrosion performance and appearance quality of the steel plate.
2. Electrolytic tinplate is widely used in many fields: in food packaging, chemical containers, electronic products and architectural decoration, electrolytic tinplate is widely used due to its excellent performance and aesthetics.
3. The manufacturing process of electrolytic tinplate is complex: it includes multiple links such as pickling, electrolytic tinning, passivation and oiling. Each link requires strict control of process parameters to ensure product quality.
I hope this article can help readers better understand the definition, manufacturing process and application value of electrolytic tinplate, and provide reference and guidance for the production and application of related fields.