Getting To Know Plating

The process of coating the surface of products with metal or special alloys (mostly shiny) in thin layers to enhance their beauty and strengthen them against corrosion, oxidation, or impact is referred to as plating.

Plating History

The electroplating industry was first used in the 60s and the American automobile industry to give quality to the color of products, but unfortunately, very soon people showed their dissatisfaction with it. One of their major problems was the insufficient quality of plating, which caused cracking, crumbling, and even lifting of the plating layer due to the slightest impact. Also, due to the lack of sufficient facilities at that time, this work was very difficult and faced many challenges that left this industry in oblivion for a while. Although, the beginning of this industry was not successful and did not have the satisfaction of the majority, it continued.

Contrary to popular belief, this industry was first used in the automotive industry on metals for more polishing, and plating on plastic as we know it today was invented much later in Europe.

Gradually, with the increase in the weight of cars at that time, the use of many fossil fuels More and more increases, the governments did not find any solution but to increase the price of fuel; The use of these types of cars, which in addition to fuel costs, also contributed to environmental pollution, decreased. Therefore, the European car manufacturers thought of making cars with less weight and as a result less energy consumption, which led to making parts of the car in the form of plastic. These parts, although they did not have the strength and beauty of the past, but they helped to make the weight of the cars lighter.

It is interesting to know that the average weight of the cars made at that time (1.1t) was less than even half of the average weight of the former all-metal cars (3.1t).

Plastics had a reasonable price and helped to reduce the weight of the car, but the next major challenge was the reduction of customers due to the inappropriate appearance of these cars. The general public boycotted these cars in such a way that the taxis that were made with these parts had to charge a much lower fare for people to use them. This problem caused the first electroplating to be done on the plastics and the color of the plastic parts was the same color as the metal body. The electroplating industry flourished again and finally found its way.

Today, electroplating exists in many industries and as well as different electroplating methods have been invented for different products.

Different Types of Plating

Plating has many methods, each of which has different efficiency according to the product, some to increase strength, some to increase beauty, and some to increase the final value; The most popular metals for plating are nickel, chromium, palladium, gold, silver, copper and tin. These metals are used for electroplating due to their special characteristics. Plating is widely used in various industries, especially in order to enhance beauty and decorative features. This process is used in industries such as automobile manufacturing, jewelry manufacturing, home appliance manufacturing, electronics, etc. Plating can be classified into several general methods, some of which we will get to know…

Electroplating
In this method, the desired metal is immersed in an electrolyte solution, and a thin layer of it is formed on the product’s surface using an electric current.
– Electroless plating
In this method, a thin layer of the desired metal is formed on the product’s surface using chemical processes.
-Physical plating
In this method, a thin layer of the desired metal is formed on the product’s surface through physical processes such as metal evaporation and deposition.

– Vacuum plating, also known as vacuum metallizing, is a plating method where the thickness of the plated layer is extremely thin. However, the layer completely covers the surface of the product, and its color remains resistant to severe and constant impacts.

In vacuum plating, the process is carried out in a vacuum chamber where the desired metal or alloy is evaporated and then deposited onto the product’s surface. This method ensures a uniform and durable coating, providing excellent protection against impact and maintaining the color integrity over time.
Vacuum plating is commonly used in various industries, including automotive, electronics, aerospace, and decorative applications, where a thin yet robust layer is desired for both functional and aesthetic purposes.

-And the last method is laser plating

This method is predominantly used for plastic and polymer products and is considered a modern technique. It is employed to enhance the shine and beauty of the products.
Among other plating methods, laser plating is relatively more expensive.