The Electroplating Day of the Technical Vocational College (TBK) in Solingen will take place on May 5, 2023. From 12.30 p.m., trainees, apprentices, students and anyone interested can find out about the opportunities for training, further education and advanced training in the field of electroplating. The focus will be on the newly built electroplating center and the other renovated premises.
Planning for the new electroplating center and the renovation of Building 8 began back in 2017, after the district government had approved funding of over 10 million euros for various renovations at TBK. A large part of this was for the new technical center. The city of Solingen raised a further 1.2 million euros and supported the project with commitment and dedication. The "old" electroplating shop from the 1980s (Fig. 2) already offered the usual technical processes from mechanical and chemical pre-treatment (Fe, Zn-DG, Al) as well as zincate pickling and annealing nickel to copper (acidic and cyanide), nickel, chrome, hard chrome and zinc (acidic and alkaline), silver and gold as well as chromating and passivating to anodizing (GSX), dip dyeing of aluminium and electrolytic dyeing.But it was bursting at the seams and could no longer cope with the large number of trainees and students. In addition, the use and maintenance of the electroplating facility could only be carried out thanks to the enormous efforts of the trainer advisory board with donations in kind and financial donations.
Electroplating center offers all techniques
In addition to the techniques mentioned, the electroplating center (Fig. 1) also contains a complete line for coating plastics. The deposition of chromium(III), tin and various nickel and alloy coatings (white bronze, brass, Zn-Ni, Sn-Zn) is also possible. With state-of-the-art plant and automation technology, all electroplating techniques are currently available for the training of apprentices, the further training of students to become state-certified technicians and the further training of master craftsmen.
Fig. 2: The old electroplating shop at TBK Solingen 2022
Building 8 will be extensively renovated: A workshop with 12 fully equipped workstations and a new mechanical pre-treatment facility, each with three grinding and polishing machines, is now being built on the site of the old electroplating shop. In addition, the furniture in the new chemistry laboratory (Fig. 3) has already been installed. Connection and installation are imminent. Four classrooms with extensive media equipment will be completely renovated and refurnished. The modern waste water system with evaporation technology has already been completed. The renovated dormitory is also already available to trainees during their block courses.
As the new technical center is structurally connected to the renovated building, a new electroplating center is being created under one roof at a historic location in the middle of Solingen.
The training
Fig. 3: The new chemistry laboratory is almost completeTheTechnische Berufskolleg has stood for practical teaching and learning for decades. It places particular emphasis on the close link between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation.
In concrete terms, this means for the surface coater trainees: each class is taught in its own fully equipped media room with beamer, loudspeaker, document camera, projection screen, WLAN and charging facilities for their own digital end devices. The three-year block course focuses on the chemical and electrochemical deposition of metals and anodization technology. Thin-film technology and hot-dip galvanizing are taught as special processes. Weekly lessons in the chemistry laboratory (from basic experiments to modern analytics) are integrated into the timetable. The specialist teachers Buchner, Pietsch, Dr. Richert and Tischlinger are supported by other teachers in the fields of mathematics or electrical engineering.
Optional practical exercises are offered in the workshop (mechanical pre-treatment with grinding and polishing as well as frame construction) and practical exercises in the technical center with the coating techniques set up as well as pre-, intermediate and post-treatment. The content of these practical exercises is taught in other technical professions through inter-company training (ÜBA), as individual companies are often unable to provide all parts of the training themselves. For this purpose, the trainees are taught at a third location in addition to the company and school. At TBK, these exercises are carried out during the block time. All the techniques that may be required in the intermediate or final examinations are taught. The practical exercises at the TBK are carried out by external lecturers. The lecturer Ms. Hugenschmidt and the lecturers Thür (GNS), Fischer (Gedore), Säuberlich (MacDermid-Enthone), Reinecke (BRW) and Lohr (Lohr Galvanotechnik) have many years of experience and are all members of various examination boards. Around 150 trainees from over 100 companies in 9 federal states are currently being taught.
Further training for technicians
Further training to become a state-certified technician with a focus on electroplating technology also takes place at the Electroplating Center. The course lasts two years full-time. The prerequisite is a completed apprenticeship (preferably as a surface coater) and one year of professional experience. The school also supports applications for student grants. Teaching is project-integrated using the Scrum method, in which projects are the rule and not the exception. Particular emphasis is placed on teaching skills to prepare the prospective technicians for future requirements. In addition to using the technical facilities in the technical center and chemical laboratory, this also includes their care and maintenance. The next course starts in August 2023.
