Batteries, electronics and metal finishing

A drop in capacity usually traces to a change in the active material’s purity or activity, the paste formula, moisture content, or the cell assembly. If it started with a new material lot, compare that lot’s certificate of analysis with the previous one.

Your cell engineer should investigate the process. Taskon makes Manganese Oxide, Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate, Zinc Chloride and Cobalt Sulphate, which are supplied into batteries. Send your specification to have a grade confirmed.

Early discharge after assembly can come from impurities that promote self-discharge, moisture, a formulation change, or assembly defects. Impurity levels in raw materials are worth checking against your specification, lot by lot.

A cell engineer should diagnose the cause. Ask each supplier for a certificate of analysis that reports the impurities your specification limits.

Fast self-discharge can come from impurities in the electrolyte, moisture, a concentration that has drifted, or cell construction problems. A laboratory analysis of the electrolyte against its specification is the first check.

Your battery engineer should interpret the analysis. Taskon makes Zinc Chloride, which is supplied into batteries; send the electrolyte specification for grade confirmation.

The electrolyte formulation is set by the cell designer or battery engineer for the cell chemistry. Taskon’s technical team can then confirm whether its chlorides meet the specification they give you.

See the chlorides range.

Batch to batch variation usually traces to variation in a raw material lot, weighing or mixing. Check each lot of the cobalt source against its certificate of analysis, and keep a record of which lot went into each batch.

Taskon publishes Cobalt Sulphate at 20-21% Co. Send your specification and we will confirm what the certificate for your batch will report.

Taskon Industries manufactures manganese oxide, published in various grades. Battery use requires a grade confirmed against the battery maker’s specification, so send that specification and Taskon will tell you plainly whether it can supply against it.

See Manganese Oxide.

Taskon Industries manufactures manganese oxide and is a DGFT-registered exporter, IEC AALCT7695Q, quoting to Asian markets. A battery grade must be confirmed against your specification; send it with the destination port and Incoterm.

See Manganese Oxide and the export overview.

Patchy etching is commonly caused by etchant that is exhausted or at the wrong strength or temperature, uneven spraying or agitation, or contamination on the board surface. Check the etchant condition and the cleaning step before the chemistry itself.

Ferric chloride is a common PCB etchant, and Taskon publishes Ferric Chloride as a 40% solution, supplied into electronics. Your process engineer should set the etching conditions.

Coating that flakes usually points to surface contamination, incomplete cleaning or drying before coating, a coating applied too thick, or curing that is off. Adhesion problems are almost always a surface preparation question first.

Your process engineer or coating supplier should investigate. This page does not advise on coating selection.

Flux cleans the metal surface so solder can bond; it does not hold the joint itself. Weak joints are commonly caused by dirty or oxidised surfaces, too little heat, the wrong flux for the metals, or movement while cooling.

Zinc chloride and ammonium chloride are used in some soldering fluxes. Taskon makes Zinc Chloride and Ammonium Chloride. Flux choice for your metals is a question for your process engineer.

Peeling galvanized coatings are most often caused by surface preparation: incomplete degreasing, pickling or fluxing before dipping. Bath condition, temperature and steel composition also matter. A galvanizing specialist should review the pretreatment line.

Zinc ammonium chloride fluxes are common in galvanizing. Taskon makes Zinc Chloride and Ammonium Chloride. Send your flux specification for grade confirmation.

When pretreatment stops protecting, the bath has often drifted out of range, become contaminated, or the cleaning stage before it is no longer removing oil and oxide. Test the pretreatment baths against their operating ranges.

Your pretreatment chemical supplier or process engineer should check the bath analysis. This page does not advise on pretreatment chemistry.

Early peeling on metal is most often a surface preparation or pretreatment problem, or a primer that does not suit the metal and exposure, rather than a single raw material. Your coatings technologist should check adhesion and the full system from surface to topcoat.

This page does not advise on paint formulation. Taskon supplies raw materials into paints and coatings against a specification; see the paints, pigments and dyes industry page.

Electrode coatings that crack and flake in storage have usually absorbed moisture or been damaged in handling. Storing electrodes dry, in closed packaging, as their manufacturer specifies, usually prevents it.

Follow the electrode manufacturer’s storage instructions. This is not a raw material question Taskon can advise on.

When a classical precipitation test stops working, the reagent has often degraded, become contaminated, or is at the wrong concentration, or the sample conditions such as pH have changed. Check the reagent against a known standard before trusting the test.

Laboratories commonly verify reagents against reference standards regularly. Taskon supplies some laboratory reagents; send your required grade and the lab can confirm whether it meets the method’s requirement.

Falling flotation recovery is commonly caused by a change in the ore, grind size, reagent dosing or quality, pH, or water quality. A metallurgist should compare current ore and process data with the period when recovery was good.

This page does not advise on flotation reagents. Taskon supplies chemicals into mining and metallurgy against a specification; see the mining and metallurgy industry page.