Galvanized or nickel plated paper clips which are better. All about a paper clip: photos, types, sizes and interesting facts. What is zinc plating

The key difference between zinc plating and nickel plating is that zinc plating involves applying a thin layer of zinc to a conductive substance, whereas nickel plating involves applying a thin layer of nickel to a metal surface. In addition, in zinc plating, the life of the substrate is increased, while in nickel plating, the life of the plating is limited.

Zinc and nickel plating are very important processes that are used as protective methods for electrically conductive materials. However, zinc-nickel plating is another method and should not be confused with these two methods.

1. Overview and main differences
2. What is zinc plating
3. What is nickel plating
4. What is the Difference Between Zinc Plating and Nickel Plating
5. Conclusion

What is zinc plating?

Zinc plating is the process of applying a thin layer of zinc to the surface of a conductive material. It is a method of protecting iron and steel to keep them from rusting.

In addition, this method mainly involves zinc electrodeposition on parts. The most common method of this coating is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the part is immersed in a hot bath of molten zinc. However, we can also use electroplating. The galvanization process includes the following steps:

1. Surface preparation
2. Preparation of the electroplating solution
3. Introduction of electric current
4. Post-processing

Although these steps seem straightforward, zinc plating is a very complex process requiring sophisticated equipment. In addition, the zinc layer acts as a protective coating on the surface of the part. This means that zinc is oxidized, but not the substrate.

Pros and cons of zinc plating

Advantages

• Zinc coating production requires little electricity
• Requires low fuel level during crafting
• Zinc is recyclable
• The service life of the part is increased
• Low toxicity levels

disadvantages

• Moisture condensation on the coating can intensify corrosion
• High production cost
• Not suitable for too large or too small structures

What is nickel plating?

Nickel plating is a type of electroplating in which a thin layer of nickel is applied to the surface of a part. This method is used to apply a nickel layer as a decorative coating. In addition, nickel plating provides corrosion and wear resistance.

Ensure that the surface of the part is free from dirt, corrosion and defects before starting to apply the coating. To clean the surface of the part, use different methodssuch as heat treatment, masking and etching. Then the part can be immersed in the electrolyte solution. Here the nickel acts as the anode and the part as the cathode. The nickel anode is dissolved in an electrolytic solution, followed by deposition on the part.

Pros and cons of nickel plating

Advantages

• An even coating can be achieved on the surface
• No complicated equipment required
• Flexibility in volume and thickness of the coating
• Can cover pits on parts with consistent thickness
• Can get a bright or semi-bright finish

disadvantages

• Coating life is limited
• High cost of waste treatment
• Expensive

What is the difference between zinc and nickel plating?

Zinc and nickel plating are metallization methods that are used for decorative purposes and to protect other metal surfaces from corrosion. The main difference between zinc plating and nickel plating is that zinc plating involves applying a thin layer of zinc to a conductive substance, whereas nickel plating involves applying a thin layer of nickel to a metal surface. Also, another difference between zinc plating and nickel plating is that zinc plating can be done either by hot dip galvanizing or electroplating method, while nickel plating is mainly done by electroplating method.

In addition, the difference between zinc plating and nickel plating in terms of their pros and cons is that, compared to the nickel plating process, zinc plating requires less energy since the production of zinc plating does not require a large number energy. In addition, when considering the cost of production, nickel plating is relatively inexpensive because it does not require complex equipment, whereas zinc plating is expensive to produce. However, the product obtained after nickel plating is often expensive due to its bright finish and its ability to uniformly cover the surface of the part.

Conclusion - Zinc vs Nickel Plating

In conclusion, zinc and nickel plating are very important processes in the industry. The main difference between zinc and nickel plating is that the purpose of zinc plating is to apply a thin coating of zinc to a conductive substance, whereas nickel plating involves applying a thin layer of nickel to a metal surface.

A paper clip is a stationery for binding sheets of paper. It is a specially bent piece of wire about 10-12 cm long. In addition to its direct purpose, it can be used as a screwdriver, a poker chip, a toothpick, a master key, a material for making fish hooks, a traumatic weapon, as well as an agricultural or horticultural tool.

Staples are mainly made from various metal alloys: galvanized, steel, nickel-plated and copper-plated. But today paper clips are also made of plastic, in various colors and sizes.

History

In the 13th century, a kind of "binder" appeared for binding sheets: cuts were made in the upper left corner, and a cloth tape was passed through them. The first step towards mass production was sewing pins, invented in 1835 by the American physician John Howie. New York secretaries quickly discovered that pins could hold up to a dozen sheets. The pins resisted: they pricked and left ugly holes and bloody spots on the paper.

In the 1890s, wire springs (proposed in 1867 by Samuel Fay for a completely different purpose - attaching tags to clothes) began to be used in offices. In 1899, the Norwegian engineer Johan Voler, experimenting with pieces of spring wire, came up with several successful designs of paper clips and received a patent for his invention. But Wohler did not pay attention to this project, and in 1900 the American inventor Cornelius Brosnan patented the paper clip, named Konaclip. However modern look this office accessory was acquired through the efforts of the British firm Gem Manufacturing, which released the Gem paperclip in the form of a classic double oval in the same year.

Production and quality requirements

In Russia, paper clips are produced or are attempted by many firms. Because of the apparent simplicity of production, they are trying to make them even in artisanal conditions. However, making a good product is not easy.

Colored paper clips can be made of steel wire coated with colored polymer or special synthetic coating. In addition to being protective, the coating mainly has a decorative function.

Traditional automatic machines for the production of the most familiar to us and the most widespread double-oval "classic" paper clips of the Gem type consist of kinematically interconnected mechanisms: a wire feed mechanism, a cutting and bending mechanism. Depending on the level of automatic staple machines, their productivity can vary from 80 to 1000 pieces per minute.

Usually, low-carbon, thermally untreated steel wire with a diameter of 0.8 - 1 mm is fed from the unwinding drum through correct device in working area, where in one stroke of the slider the workpiece is cut off, the paper clip is bent in a special channel and dropped into the receiving container.

The paper clip must be made of metal of the required quality and processing. An important indicator is the elasticity of the paper clip. It depends on the amount of carbon in the metal: high-carbon steel produces too brittle a paper clip. If a paper clip breaks after using it twice, then it's a bad clip, if after ten times it is too soft, unreliable. The optimal indicator of the elasticity of the paperclip is bending at an angle of 90 degrees at least five times.

Another important indicator the quality of a paper clip is the diameter of the wire from which it is made. Fine wire staples are less practical to use, although they are more economical to manufacture in terms of metal consumption.

Much attention should be paid to the surface quality of the wire from which the clip is made. The surface of the wire must be clean, free of marks and scoring, without residues of technological grease. The paper clip should not stain the paper. Various technologies are used to clean the surface. Russian manufacturers often produce a dirty paper clip that leaves stains on paper and hands.

A paper clip without wire surface treatment will ruin the paper and can rust in six months. Good paper clips are made from steel wire with various protective and decorative coatings (nickel, zinc, chrome, brass, polymers, etc.).

Paper clips are usually packed in blisters, plastic bags, plastic containers. The number of staples in a package varies from fifty to two hundred.

Without exaggeration, paper clips can be called essential items not only in the office, educational institution, at the enterprise, but also at home. With this small piece of thin wire, you can sort different papers quickly and easily into separate stacks. Moreover, in the future, they can also be quickly and easily disconnected without compromising the integrity of the surface.

With the help of large paper clips, you can fasten not only ordinary sheets of paper, but also whatman paper. They can also attach paper sheets (maps, graphs, etc.) to different surfaces small thickness (plywood, boards, etc.).

The most common paper clips are 28 mm. They can easily cope with stapling small stacks of papers, documents, photographs, etc.

In addition to size, modern paper clips also differ in shape. Today these small office supplies are presented in a wide range. In addition to the usual rounded shape, they can be triangular, in the form of an arrow, a butterfly, a flower, an asterisk, an airplane, etc. That is, the form is limited only by the flight of the designers' imagination, which is almost limitless.

The issue of the functionality of paper clips is also interesting and relevant. So, on the market there are products with the upper outer edge bent for a comfortable fastening. Corrugated staples ensure that all papers in the stack are securely held in place. Paper clips-tabulators combined the properties of both the first and the second, being ahead of one and the other in their functionality.

Colored paper clips are very popular, which help not only to solve the problem of binding documents, papers, but also to sort them.

As you know, paper clips belong to small office supplies, and it is rather difficult to put them in order so that they do not interfere, but at the same time, they are always at hand. We suggest you buy one of the dispensers that will help solve the problem and make your work much easier.

What staplers are there?

A stapler is a tool that staples paper sheets with metal staples, comes from English stapler .

The principle of operation of the stapler is as follows:

The staple passes through the paper and abuts against the bump wall, which in turn has recesses for the correct bending of the staple, then bends the staple to fasten the sheets. The staple is folded in such a way that it could be easily removed with an anti-stapler or a staple expander.

Staplers are manual (mechanical) and electrical. The stationery stapler that we most often find in any office or home is a mechanical stapler with a staple size of 10mm or 24 / 26mm in width.

The most popular staples in the office are the 24/6 mm staples. In this case, 24mm is the width of the staple and 6mm is the depth of the staple.

Staples can be classified as follows:

• staples for construction stapler
• staples for stationery stapler
• staples for electric stationery stapler
• staples for heavy duty stationery stapler

Depending on how many sheets you need to staple, both a stapler and staples are selected.

The staple is designed to fasten the sheets according to the following principle - 2/3 of the depth of the staple should be in the body of the fastened object, and 1/3 of the length of the staple is bent to securely fasten the sheets. For example, only the depth is taken into account in the size of the staple - the size of the standard staple is 24/6 - this means that the punching depth of the staple is 6mm. Further, according to the formula \u003d 2/3, the staples in this case are equal to 4mm, which means that we can staple 20-30 sheets of paper with a density of 80 g / m2 quite reliably.

I will give in the table the correspondence of the existing sizes of staples for stationery (mechanical) staplers according to the punching capacity of office paper 80 g / m2, excluding the sharpness of the staple and the power of the stapler:

Staples for an electric stapler are characterized by increased strength of steel and are marked a little differently:

The depth of staples for electric office staplers is available in 2 sizes 6mm and 8mm.

A paper clip today seems to be an everyday object, it is already impossible to imagine life without it. She seemed to be always present and helped the office workers to deal with the piles of papers lying in disarray.

Nevertheless, a little more than a hundred years ago, no one suspected the possibility of fastening sheets so easily and gracefully.

Today, a paper clip is used not only for its intended purpose, but also as a screwdriver, master key, toothpick, etc.

Let's take a closer look at the unusual history of the evolution of paper clips and find out the name of the creator of this useful invention.

What was before paper clips?

For many decades, in connection with the successful development of the paper bureaucracy, there was an urgent need to create a device that could hold stacks of papers in one bundle without damaging them.

For centuries, papers have been tied ribbons, mercilessly punching holes where not needed.

Later when appeared safety pins, tried to expand their functionality by moving them from sewing workshops to the office.

Photo of safety pin:

The pins actively resisted - they did not want to pierce the paper (except perhaps together with their fingers) or quickly broke.

There were samples of use spring wires, which in fact were created for completely different purposes, but they did not take root either.

Years passed, but the necessary and convenient way did not appear.

Inventor of the paper clip

Finally a Norwegian Johan Wahler decided to glorify his people forever.

Norwegians claim that he invented simple design paper clips back in 1899 year, but since no patent law was introduced in the country, he had to wait for a convenient opportunity and obtain a patent in Germany, which happened only in 1901 year.

It was instantly handed over to the industrialists for an amount sufficient to pay off the accumulated debts that prevented the master from living and working in peace.

The clip became in the blink of an eye demanded and popular goods.

There were also those who argued that Valera was not at all the first inventor of the stationery.

Allegedly in 1899 year a patent was received by an American Middelbrook, and a year later another American Brosnan also patented the clip.

Norwegians do not even take into account such statements.

If there were any attempts to obtain a patent, then they did not affect the production of paper clips, since this item appeared on sale after Valer worked on it.

Disadvantages of the first paper clips

Soon other "genius" inventors appeared who intended to improve Valera's creation, which seemed to cause considerable delight.

The question is, why? On the one hand, it is always easier to improve than to invent, on the other hand, the paper clip did have some shortcomings.

Clip crumple sheets due to the strong pressure that she exerted on the small areas of paper that she occupied.

In addition, it could not function for a long time and quickly broke.

However, many manufacturers have not saved this achievement from this shortcoming even now.

Among those trying to improve performance characteristics was German E. Liebing.

The lady offered a fairly wide assortment of different original paper clips, but they took into production one, rather playful, with numerous curls.

Then they did not understand that funny paper clips arouse consumer interest no less than strict ones.

End of evolution?

The stationery got its modern look thanks to the British firm Jam Manufacturing, which mass-produced Jam (as paper clips are called in England), twisted into a classic double oval.

They tried to get rid of the second drawback (brittleness) by means of special bows welded to the ends of a paper clip or soldering the ends with wire.

The result was zero, and production could double in price, so such ideas were quickly abandoned. Although inventions have continued and continue to this day.

Types of modern paper clips:

Over several decades of continuous development, the following appeared types of paper clips:

• In the form of a ring, which is usually used as a key ring;
• With a tongue - you can put notes on it;
• With a crochet hook for hanging papers on a nail.

Paper clips can be non-slip (for a large number of papers) and curly, as well as triangular and pentagonal.

The French created a paperclip with flap top - to facilitate the penetration of the paper inside.

Students prefer funny paper clipsdepicting various animals.

Clip picture:

For large volumes of securities, "butterfly" and "owl" are issued. Some of them are colored in an unusual way.

Material of manufacture and sizes of paper clips:

For making paper clips classic type use metal wire with a diameter of 0,8 before 1,2 mm.

For this purpose, carbon steel is good, which has elasticity and does not hurry to break, making it possible to use a paper clip several times.

This, incidentally, is an indicator of their quality. Low-quality paper clips fly in two halves the first time.

In addition to steel, there are also plastic, galvanized, nickel-plated and copper-plated paper clips.

Staple sizes by GOST 'y are completely diverse, providing an opportunity to select the option that is most convenient in this case.

They may be 25, 26, 28, 30, 45, 50, 77 mm. There are also very large paper clips that reach 100 mm.

The wide scope that the production of paper clips has reached, respect for its inventor, as well as the memory of heroic deed inhabitants of Norway during the Second World War (then everyone wore them on clothes as a sign of resistance instead of buttons, which the Nazis forbade to sew on clothes), pushed the Norwegians to erect paper clip monument.

Today in one of the squares of Oslo flaunts five meter giant, a monument to the ingenious inventor in the form of one of his inventions, which turned the life of office workers.

However, the five-meter monument is not the largest in the world.

Photo of the paper clip monument in Oslo:

In the Ural Miass, a paperclip monument is 9 meters 28 cm and is listed in Guinness book of records.

Belgian J. Van der Meiren decided to go the other way and assembled a chain of paper clips 820 meters long - for this purpose she needed 22 025 pieces.

This record is also registered in the Guinness Book.

40 young people tried to repeat her act, who in 20 hours jointly assembled a chain of paper clips 15.02 km.

And in 1999, a paper clip marked its 100th anniversary... The Norwegians on such a significant anniversary decided to congratulate the birthday girl by placing her photo on the postage stamp of their country.