Copper Electroplating: Electroplating of copper on top of a chemically nickel plated layer to increase flatness and lustre. Electroless Nickel Plating: Electroless nickel plating on copper layer to enhance corrosion resistance. Chrome Plating: Final decorative chrome plating to provide a bright finish.
ABS Decorative Chrome Plating Process
Author: Robby
ABS plastic decorative chrome plating process mainly includes the following steps:
1. Surface pretreatment
Cleaning: Remove surface oil and impurities, commonly used alkaline cleaning agent.
Neutralisation: Neutralise residual alkaline substances after cleaning.
Roughening: Increase the surface roughness by chemical or mechanical methods to enhance the adhesion.
2. Activation
Sensitisation: Use stannous chloride solution to make the surface adsorb tin ions.
Activation: Use palladium chloride solution to make the surface form catalytic centre.
3. Chemical Plating
Electroless nickel plating: Electroless nickel plating is applied to the activated surface to form a conductive layer.
4. Electroplating
Copper Electroplating: Electroplating of copper on top of a chemically nickel plated layer to increase flatness and lustre.
Electroless Nickel Plating: Electroless nickel plating on copper layer to enhance corrosion resistance.
Chrome Plating: Final decorative chrome plating to provide a bright finish.
5. Post-treatment
Cleaning: Thoroughly clean after plating to remove residual electrolyte.
Drying: To prevent water damage and corrosion.
6. Quality Inspection
Appearance Inspection: Ensure that the surface is bright and free from defects.
Adhesion test: Check the adhesion by scratching or bending test.
Corrosion resistance test: Detect corrosion resistance by salt spray test.
7. Attention
Uniformity: Ensure the plating layer is uniform and avoid localised over-thickness or over-thinness.
Maintenance of electrolyte: Filter and adjust the composition regularly to maintain stability.
Safety Protection: Wear protective equipment during operation and avoid contact with hazardous substances.
Through these steps, decorative chrome can be successfully plated on the surface of ABS plastic to enhance its appearance and corrosion resistance.