Electroplating or plating is a broad term that has industrial and manufacturing relevance. It basically consists of covering a surface of an object with a thin layer of a metal coating to protect the surface from corroding, adding friction surface, and looking better. However, what materials are suitable for plating?
1. The Most Common Elements That Can Be Easily Plated
Plating metals is the most common application for plating and also the oldest application as well. Most of them are very common metals plated through the process as listed hereunder:
Steel: This is a metallic material used in making structural and component parts of automobiles and industrial use. This is the reason why steel, which is sure to undergo a lot of wear and tear, is often coated with metals such as chrome, zinc or nickel so as to make it more corrosion resistant.
Copper: It is a common practice to plate copper in electronic and electrical ICs due to its conductivity. It is a customary practice to gold or silver plate copper in order to improve the overall working.
Aluminum: Owing to its low weight and higher strength resistance to corrosion, aluminum is widely employed in the aviation and automotive field. There is a possibility of coating it with nickel or zinc to enhance its surface properties.
Brass: It is a copper-zinc alloy and is employed for functional and aesthetic appliances. Brass when plated with gold/chrome/nickel deposition increases its beauty and resistance.
Zinc: Zinc is usually coated in iron for aesthetic appeal. It is usually found in galvanized steel and in exposed fixtures in hostile conditions.
2. Plastics and Polymers
Even though plastic itself wouldn’t conduct electricity, even if it could, it wouldn’t conduct electricity on its own anyway. Due to recent technological advances it has also been able to plate certain types of plastics via electroless plating. Which means having first treated the plastic part with a conductive layer before the electroplating process. These are the most common classes of plastics used in plating.
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene): ABS is a common application of the plating process in the automotive and household industries. Its easy processing and good adhesion make it a material of choice.
Polycarbonate: This high-performance material can be found in lenses, medical devices, and electronics. Its clarity is improved by plating and its damage resistant property is enhanced.
Nylon: Apart from thermal and chemical resistance, plating nylon improves tensile strength and wear resistance. It is applied to numerous fixed and rotary mechanical components and cogs.
3. Glass and Ceramics
However, glass, as well as ceramics, can be mistaken for conventional materials and thus plated too though it is not common. This layer will usually be made with silver or gold provide conductivity for further metal plating. Plated glass and ceramics are commonly found in capacitors and other electronic equipment and in decorative articles such as mirrors.
4. Wood and Fabrics
It may baffle some people to learn that organic materials too like wood or fabrics could be plated. As in the case of plastics, very weak megaohm conductive layers are applied first and then electroplating is carried out. This is typically used for artistic or ornamental gift items to give metallic appeal to the nonmetal items.
5. Composite Materials
Composite and two or more constituent materials can also be plated. Most likely these materials are selected due to their mechanical properties and also enhancement of these properties is achieved with the help of plating. Composite materials are used safely in the fields such as aerospace, automotive, and medical.