Electro Plating

o Defnition
Electroplating, the process of coating a metal object with a thin layer of another metal
by means of electrolysis. The electroplated coating is usually no more than .002 inch
(.05 mm) thic. Electro!forming is a similar process e"cept that the thin layer is applied
to a nonmetal that is later destroyed.
Electroplating is used to gi#e metal objects a better appearance or to protect them
from corrosion, wear, or rust. Tableware, trays, decorati#e pieces, and jewelry are
plated with gold or sil#er to mae them more attracti#e. $opper is coated with
chromium to protect it from corrosion. %or the same reason iron and steel are plated
with nicel, chromium, tin, &inc, or cadmium. Tin cans, for e"ample, are tin!plated
steel, and the chrome trim on automobiles is chromium!plated steel. 'latinum,
palladium, and rhodium are used to coat other metals with a hard, corrosion!resistant
surface.
o Basic working mechanism
%irst, a container is filled with a solution of a salt of the metal that is to form the
coating. %or e"ample, if copper is to form the coating, the solution will consist of
copper sulfate (a salt of copper) mi"ed with water. This solution is called the
electrolytic bath. The object to be plated is immersed in the bath. ( metal bar,
composed either of the metal that is to form the coating or of a metal that is not
affected by the electrolytic bath, is also immersed in the bath. The entire apparatus is
called an electrolytic cell.
The object to be coated is connected to the negati#e terminal of an electric battery or
other source of direct current, and becomes the cathode (the electrode through which
negati#e charge enters an electrical de#ice). The metal bar is connected to the
positi#e terminal of the electric power source and becomes the anode (the electrode
through which negati#e charge lea#es).
)hen electric power is applied, electrolysis of the electrolytic bath occurs. The bath
gi#es up its metal content to the surface of the cathode. This coating forms an alloy
with the metal of the cathode, and adheres to the cathode after the cathode has been
remo#ed from the bath. (s the electroplating process continues, the metal salts in the
bath are used up. *f the anode is a bar of the coating metal, the bar dissol#es in the
bath at the same rate that the bath gi#es up its metal to the cathode. *f the anode is
made of another metal, salts of the coating metal must be added to the bath as metal
becomes deposited on the cathode.
The longer the process continues, the greater the thicness of the coating on the
cathode. *f the cathode and the metal with which it is to be coated will not combine
into an alloy, the cathode is first plated with a metal that will form an alloy with it. The
plated cathode is then plated with the desired metal. %or e"ample, steel to be sil#er!
plated is first plated with copper, because steel and sil#er will not form an alloy.
o Methods
DIP BATH
PEN Plating

o Masking
Types of Laquer
How to remove lacquer
Trouble sooting
Lacquer stuc! un"er "iamon"
o Put in a poly bag wit acetone an" !eep in in
ultra sonic for #$%& minutes
o Type of plating
'ol" plating
(t ttp)**www+itecplatingtinning+com*gol"$plating*
Pin! * ,ose 'ol" Plating
(t
,o"ium Plating
-ite ,o"ium
Blac!
Blue
.ilver Plating ttp)**www+itecplatingtinning+com*silver$
plating*
Barrier layer$ Palla"ium

o Plating Tic!ness
/icrons$
0las 1 a very tin layer to give color
o Process 2ows
o Tools
o .afety equipment
o Bat Analysis
o PH
o 3on"uctivity
o Temperature
o Maintenance of Bath ttp)**www+nmfrc+org*blueboo!*sec455+tm
o Trouble shooting )
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5#+% P,63E.. /6NIT6,IN'
Plating processes7 weter electrolytic or electroless7 are utili8e" for many varie"
purposes+ Tese may be for te manufacture of simple an" ceap parts or for te precise
manufacturing of e9tremely ig$tec or one$of$a$!in" components+ In any case7
"ecisions regar"ing ow muc e:ort to put in to controlling te process parameters an"
teir impact on te process must be ma"e base" on economics7 pro"uct volume7 an"
e9pecte" results+ An electroplating line consists of a comple9 set of mequipment7
inclu"ing motors7 tan!s7 water rinses7 pro"uct transport equipment7 ;lters7 eaters7
electrical power supplies7 process monitoring "evices7 process control "evices7 an" te
li!e+ Electroplating process con"itions to be monitore" an" controlle" in a typical line
may inclu"e)
.olution level
.olution temperature
.olution 2ow an" agitation
.olution cemistry
+ /etal concentration<s=
+ pH
+ .peci;c gravity
+ A""itive concentration<s=
+ Impurity levels
3urrent at eac electrocemical step
3arge passe"
3ell voltages
Line spee"
Blow$o: air pressure
E9aust vacuum
/eto"s of monitoring tese parameters will be "iscusse" in te following sections+ Te
"esigner of mo"ern electroplating equipment as an ever$growing array of "evices for
monitoring an" controlling almost every aspect of te process available to im or er+
Plating macines can run automatically at ig spee"s7 ma!e a">ustments7 an" signal an
operator if elp is nee"e"+ Te capital investment an" maintenance cost must be
>usti;e" by an increase" rate of pro"uction wile maintaining or improving pro"uct
quality+ -it te level of control an" automation available to"ay7 completely automate"
equipment can be "esigne" to an"le almost any E3D tas!+