Plating on IndustryNet

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The plating process is a concept that is popular to use in the industrial sector with the making and maintaining of machinery. It is also a common concept to apply to everyday household items. Jewellery is a prime example of how gold plating can be of good use to regular items in the home.

There are many different plating processes and in order to choose the one that fits certain goals or needs best it is important to understand the plating process and what advantages it can deliver. Plating can be an inexpensive process and by doing it right money can be saved in the future.

What types of plating are there?

There are several types of plating, each with their own unique characteristics and uses. Metal plating is the most popular and underneath that as an umbrella term one can identify chrome plating, gold plating, silver plating, nickel plating, copper plating, rhodium plating, and zinc plating.

What materials are used during the plating process?

The materials that will be used will depend on the type of plating that has been decided on. Any of these common chemicals may be chosen. For acids and bases Caustic or HCl may be used. For coatings cyanide, chromium, cadmium, silver, gold, brass or bronze, or zinc may be used. For solvents benzene, TZE, trichloroethylene, methylene chloride, or tetrachloroethylene may be used.

What are the advantages of plating?

There are several advantages of plating, most of them being found in metal plating as a type. It improves the corrosion resistance of the object, it acts as a decorative element, it increases the strength of the object, it reduces friction between other objects that come into contact with the plated object, and it increases magnetism and conductivity.

What equipment should be used during plating?

For metal plating a number of processes take place before the plating process can start. Firstly, the work area has to be cleaned and prepared. Here oxide removal, electro polishing and alkaline cleaning take place. Secondly during the plating process an electroless plating, an electroplating, and an immersion plating will take place. Thirdly, the post-plating treatments will take place: phosphating, chromate converting, and anodizing.

How is plating done?

Focussing on metal plating, the most popular way of plating is electroplating. This is done by involving an electric current or an autocatalytic chemical process. Two electrodes are dipped in a solution consisting out of the elements from the electrodes. These electrodes are connected to the power supply so that the anode is connected to the positive pole, and the cathode to the negative pole. When the power supply is switched on the solution will split into ions. The positively charged ions will be attracted to the negative electrode and will slowly deposit on it, creating a thin layer of whatever element it might be. Meanwhile, the negatively charged ions will be attracted to the positive electrode. This will release electrons that will move through the battery towards the negative electrode. The time it takes for the electroplating process to be completed will depend on the strength of the power supply.

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