Select A36 carbon steel as base raw material. Carry out strict incoming material inspection, including chemical composition analysis, mechanical property test and internal defect detection. Reject raw materials with inclusions, cracks and shrinkage defects. Fabricate precision casting moulds according to product engineering drawings, clean mould cavity and apply protective coating. Verify mould dimensional accuracy to ensure complete forming of central socket and dual hinge lug structure for double swivel socket.
2.Investment Casting Forming
Melt qualified A36 carbon steel and pour molten steel into the pre-treated mould cavity. Precisely control pouring temperature, flow rate and cooling curve to avoid air holes, shrinkage cavities and structural distortion. Form integrated casting blank consisting of one central pipe socket and two hinged swivel assemblies. After natural cooling, strip the casting and remove the gating system to obtain rough blank with complete double hinge profile.
3.Deburring, Precision Machining & Hinge Assembly
Remove casting flash, gate residues and sharp burrs on the whole blank. Conduct precision machining for inner pipe holes, set screw threaded holes and hinge pin mounting holes. Press-fit hinge pins for both swivel joints, assemble the rotating components. Conduct manual rotation test repeatedly to ensure two swivel ends can rotate independently and smoothly without jamming, wobble or excessive clearance. Install grub screws and check screw fit.
4.Pre-galvanizing Multi-step Surface Pretreatment
Implement multi-stage pretreatment: alkaline degreasing to eliminate surface grease and contaminants; acid pickling to remove rust and oxide scale; water rinsing to avoid residual acid contamination; surface activation treatment to expose pure metal substrate. Fully dry the workpiece to guarantee clean and active metal surface, which strengthens adhesion between base metal and composite zinc coating.
5.Composite Electroplating & Hot-dip Galvanizing
Adopt combined electroplating and hot-dip galvanizing process to reach total zinc coating thickness of 80μm. Electroplating deposits a thin and uniform base zinc layer, covering complex hinge gaps and threaded areas. Then perform hot-dip galvanizing to build thick outer zinc layer for heavy anti-corrosion protection. After galvanizing, remove excess zinc nodules and zinc slag, inspect for coating peeling, bare spots and uneven coverage.
6. Full Final Inspection & Protective Packaging
Carry out comprehensive finished product inspection, including dimensional tolerance check, 80μm zinc layer thickness test, appearance inspection, dual swivel flexibility test and set screw locking performance test. Sort and mark qualified products with specification and batch information. Pack fittings with anti-rust separators, load into cartons or wooden cases to prevent scratches and collision damage during warehouse storage and ocean transportation.