What is Plating on Plastics?
“Plating on plastics” is a term used to describe the decorative or functional application of metal onto plastic substrates using the process of electroplating. Before plastics can be electroplated they first need to be metalized. This is achieved by etching the surface (to provide a tough bond) and coating the roughened surface with traces of a precious metal. This precious metal provides the 'seeds' for deposited of a thin layer of nickel or copper by electroless deposition.
Chromium-free etching
Until now mass production of plated plastics could only be carried out using hexavalent chromium and bioaccumalative perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). The evolve system contains ZERO hexavalent chromium and ZERO PFOS, but retains a process sequence familiar to most platers of plastic treating substrates such as ABS and ABS-PC.
Read MoreConventional Cycle
Here you will find Macuplex and UDIQUE Classic, the Conventional Chromic Acid Etching Cycle.
Read MoreDirect Metallization
UDIQUE DP Plus is an advanced, direct-plate process specially formulated for ABS or ABS/PC decorative plating on plastics applications. The process eliminates the electroless nickel, immersion copper and copper strike process steps required in conventional plating on plastics pretreatment processes. The result is reduced energy, water and waste treatment costs. UDIQUE DP Plus is also suitable to plate some PP materials.
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