ASTM_B_604_-_91_2015.pdf

Designation:B60491(Reapproved 2015)Standard Specification forDecorative Electroplated Coatings of Copper Plus NickelPlus Chromium on Plastics1This standard is issued under the fixed designation B604;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This specification covers the requirements for severalgrades and types of electrodeposited copper plus nickel pluschromium coatings on plateable plastic substrates whereappearance,durability and resistance to thermal cycling areimportant to service performance.Five grades of coatings areprovided to correlate with the service conditions under whicheach is expected to provide satisfactory performance.1.2 This specification covers the requirements for coatingsapplied subsequent to the application of metal film by auto-catalytic deposition or subsequent to the application of anystrike coatings after autocatalytic deposition.1.3 The following caveat pertains only to the test methodportions of Section 6,Annex A1,and Appendix X2,AppendixX3,and Appendix X4 of this specification.This standard doesnot purport to address all of the safety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is the responsibility of the user of thisstandard to establish appropriate safety and health practicesand determine the applicability of regulatory limitations priorto use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2B368 Test Method for Copper-Accelerated Acetic Acid-SaltSpray(Fog)Testing(CASS Test)B487 Test Method for Measurement of Metal and OxideCoating Thickness by Microscopical Examination ofCross SectionB489 Practice for Bend Test for Ductility of Electrodepos-ited and Autocatalytically Deposited Metal Coatings onMetalsB504 Test Method for Measurement of Thickness of Metal-lic Coatings by the Coulometric MethodB530 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thicknessesby the Magnetic Method:Electrodeposited Nickel Coat-ings on Magnetic and Nonmagnetic SubstratesB532 Specification for Appearance of Electroplated PlasticSurfacesB533 Test Method for Peel Strength of Metal ElectroplatedPlasticsB556 Guide for Measurement of Thin Chromium Coatingsby Spot TestB567 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thicknessby the Beta Backscatter MethodB568 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thicknessby X-Ray SpectrometryB602 Test Method for Attribute Sampling of Metallic andInorganic CoatingsB659 Guide for Measuring Thickness of Metallic and Inor-ganic CoatingsB727 Practice for Preparation of Plastics Materials for Elec-troplatingB764 Test Method for Simultaneous Thickness and Elec-trode Potential Determination of Individual Layers inMultilayer Nickel Deposit(STEP Test)D1193 Specification for Reagent WaterE50 Practices for Apparatus,Reagents,and Safety Consid-erations for Chemical Analysis of Metals,Ores,andRelated Materials3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 significant surfacesthose surfaces normally visible(directly or by reflection)that are essential to the appearance orserviceability of the article when assembled in normal positionor that can be the source of corrosion products that defacevisible surfaces on the assembled article.4.Classification4.1 Five grades of coatings designated by service conditionnumbers and several types of coatings defined by classificationnumbers are covered by this specification.4.2 Service Condition Number:4.2.1 The service condition number indicates the severity ofexposure for which the grade of coating is intended,in1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B08 onMetallic and Inorganic Coatings and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeB08.05 on Decorative Coatings.Current edition approved March 1,2015.Published April 2015.Originallyapproved in 1975.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as B604 91(2008).DOI:10.1520/B0604-91R15.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 accordance with the following scale:SC5extended very severeSC4very severeSC3severeSC2moderateSC1mild4.2.2 Service condition numbers are further defined inAppendix X1 where they are related to the severity of exposureencountered by electroplated articles.4.3 Coating Classification Number The coating classifi-cation number is a means of specifying the types and thick-nesses of coatings appropriate for each grade and is comprisedof the following:4.3.1 The symbol for the substrate(PL)indicating it isplateable plastic,followed by a slash mark,4.3.2 The chemical symbol for copper(Cu),4.3.3 Anumber giving the minimum thickness of the coppercoatin