In the electronics and medical fields, in communications and aerospace industries, metal plating services are in demand. They are a necessary part of doing business. In plating metals, it is important to understand the two major approaches involved. These are electroplating and electroless plating.
Metal Plating Services: Electroplating
Electroplating or plating is described as the application of another material, usually metal – although it can be plastic, on the top surface of another metal. The metal to be coated is referred to as the basis, base or substrate. The process is called plating or finishing.
Metal plating services such as electroplating are performed with a very specific intent: to infuse the substrate with many of the plating metal’s desirable qualities. Depending upon the plating metal, they can be:
* To improve resistance to corrosion
* Reduce or retard the negative effect of wear and tear
* Enhance the aesthetic appearance of the base metal making it more appealing
* Augment the size of a specific product. This can be in terms of its length, width and/or height
While almost any commercial metal can be employed in electroplating, there are certain metals that are more commonly used than others. Among them are:
* Aluminum
* Copper
* Brass
* Steel
* Tin-Lead
In certain instances, the electroplating will also turn to more decorative or specialized metals. Among these are:
* Palladium
* Chromium
* Gold
* Platinum
* Silver
The electroplating process addresses each piece or component individually. It gives them each a “bath” that is chosen specifically to address the two (or more) metals involved in the process. Care is given to the composition of the chemical baths, the immersion times and the charges required to achieve the most desirable results. Such actions are essential if the appropriate outcome is to be reached.
Metal Plating Services: Electroless Plating
While electroplating involves the use of electric charges to achieve its goal, this is not the case with electroless plating. This type of metal plating services, referred to as electroless deposition or chemical disposition, coats the base metal (or plastic) to achieve a uniformity of surface appearance as well as imbuing the basis metal with the natural qualities of the plating metal. As is the case with electroplating, the metals chosen to act as the plating metal are selected for such qualities as the ability to:
* Increase life expectancy
* Improve durability
* Enhance anti-corrosive qualities
* Increasing overall size
Metal Plating Services
Metal plating services are an integral part of today’s modern industrial firms. In order to improve the quality of their product, especially the component parts, it is important to consider all options. Electroless and electro plating are two means to achieve the desired and required results. These are the two major types of metal plating services companies and consumers rely on to help ensure the final products that emerge from a factory are of a higher quality than they would be before the process evolved.
Professional Plating has been specializing in industrial Metal Plating Services since 1983. Whether you are considering such as gold, nickel, and/or silver plating, be sure to talk to the professionals. To find out more about our company and its services, visit us online at Proplate.com.
