General Plating Information
We have built our business on the foundation of meeting and satisfying the metal plating and finishing needs of a wide range of manufacturers, large and small. We meet the challenge of your specific plating and finishing problems with the combined strength of our staff’s knowledge and state-of-the-art process and testing capabilities.
There are problems that one must contemplate when electroplating. One must take into consideration some of the following:
- Temperature Control
- Agitation
- Filtration and Ventilation
- Power Supplies
- Anodes
Temperature Control is important in most solutions. A few solutions require cooling, others require heating, and some need both. A method of cooling and heating would be to pipe hot or cold water through pipes that go through the solution.
Agitation in plating increases the density and effectiveness of the plating in some cases. An example of this would be to leave a copper plated substance out in the air. This would improve its luster and durability. A good method that agitates would be Barrel Plating.
Filtration and ventilation come into consideration because there may be a need to remove substances that are contained within the electrolyte. These deposits may ruin the plating, and should be removed at a certain interval of time. This turnover rate should be around twice every hour, depending on what solution one is using.
Power supplies are important because certain levels of voltage affect the plating process. A regulated and even current is most ideal. A current that is sporadic or uneven affects the plating process.
Anodes are probably one of the most important things to consider in electro-plating. The anodes work better if they are made up of an alloy that also contains the plating metal. This helps ensure that proper positive ions of the plating metal are conducted through the electrolyte.