Original Date: 01/27/1997
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Fabrication Processes Group specializes in chemical and electrochemical processes such as the development, testing, and application of coating processes, metal finishing, and material processing. In addition, the Group has expertise in transferring laboratory-developed technologies into a production environment.

Housed in a 6,000 square-foot area, the Group’s chemical and electrochemical processing facility employs six people (with 125 years of combined experience) and is part of the Manufacturing Materials Engineering Department fabrication complex. The facility maintains processing capabilities for more than 85 different plating processes representing almost the entire spectrum of materials. Electroplating and metal finishing can be done on parts with dimensions up to 3 x 2 x 4 feet. Platings available include anodizing (hard, clear, or color); black nickel; black oxide; chemical black; iridite; copper; nickel and electroless nickel; gold; silver; glass; indium; lead; platinum; rhodium; tin; and zinc. Electrojoining and electroforming over mandrels can also be performed.

The chemical and electrochemical processing facility supports various fabrication processes, developed and used by LLNL, including electroplating; physical vapor deposition; laser and electron-beam cutting, welding, and surface treatment; composites and plastics fabrication; machine tool coolant recycling; and mixed radioactive/toxic waste reduction through lubricant/coolant free machining.

The Fabrication Processes Group also has experience in waste management and pollution prevention and has successfully modified its facility for recycling and containing metal wastes. Through waste minimization efforts, the Group has reduced sewer water usage from three million gallons per year to zero. Waste water has been reduced from 60,000 gallons to 1,500 gallons per year. The Group provides processing expertise and assistance to small businesses and handles more than 200 telephone calls and 25 site visits per year.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.