7930 Jones Road
Cleveland, OH  44105
 (888) 877-1276   Fax (216) 641-5408
E-mail: sales@republicmetals.com

COSTS LESS TO USE, REDUCE MAINTENANCE COSTS, HAVE A  LONGER SERVICE LIFE, PRODUCE BETTER QUALITY SERVICE.

    All lead anodes are not the same.  There  are actually big differences you can't always see.  Differences that are vitally  important to you - that can be measured in dollars and in plating  satisfaction.
      The most important difference is in the alloys used in  fabrication.  Republic anodes are extruded from many different alloys such as  tin, antimony, silver, calcium, tellurium, and chemical lead. These alloys are  required to meet the needs of the many variation of chrome baths on the market  today.  While the content of many anodes remain a trade secret, we continually  strive to upgrade quality and purity control to assure satisfactory plating  results.
      A second important difference is the positive electrical contact  between the hook and the anode.  For example, some manufacturer's assemble their  anodes by dipping the hook portion in a molten lead alloy, then they place this  "tinned" hook into a mold and cast a lead base around the hook.
      The final  step involves burning this hook assembly to the rest of the anode.  Though this  process is fast and inexpensive, it results in certain problems for the user.   Problems which platers unfamiliar with Republic anodes usually accept as  unsolvable.
      In the interval between dipping the hook and casting around  it, the "tinned" hook surface cools and oxidizes, weakening the subsequent bond  with the cast lead.  When the anode is put into use the heat generated by the  current flow causes both the hook and the lead around it to expand to the same  extent.  However, when the current is shut off and the anode cools, the hook  contracts but the lead, having a weak bond, does not.  Further use produces more  expansion and contraction resulting in small gaps between hook and anode.   Oxidation occurs and the positive electrical contact between hook and anode  deteriorates (see figure 1-A).

Figure 1-A
These two unretouched photographs strikingly show the difference between lead anodes produced by Republics exclusive homogenous bonding technique and those manufactured by conventional methods.  The top photograph above shows the cross section of a cast-lead over copper hook anode after use.  Poor adhesion of hook to anode and general void areas are easily seen.  The bottom photo shows a cross section of a Republic lead anode which had been in use over two years.  Note the perfect bond - the complete absence of gaps or voids.

A BETTER ALTERNATIVE

  Republic Metals utilizes an exclusive non metallic flux in  its manufacturing process.  This flux combined with a homogeneous burning  process, causes such a tight bond that the lead is forced to contract with the  copper hook.  This produces a positive electrical contact for the full life of  the anode.  This virtually perfect bonding technique eliminates the danger of  oxidation between anode and hook and outperforms conventionally "cast"  anodes.
  Another important advantage attributed to this homogeneous  bonding process is the uniform distribution of current throughout the anode.   Burning the hook directly into the anode eliminates the use of cast lead with  it's low density and relatively poor conductivity.  In a tong meter test  conducted by a large Cleveland, Ohio electroplater using a four volt circuit, a  Republic anode showed 550 amperes at solution level and 400 amps at the bottom  of the anode.  A conventionally made anode of the same shape and size showed 520  amps at the solution level and 220 amps at the bottom.
Positive  electrical contact between hook and anode plus uniform density throughout the  anode produce the ultimate in operating efficiency for the life of the Republic  Metals anode.

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