Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Bright Chrome Plating in Plastic

Bright chrome can be applied in metal or in plastic. If bright chrome is applied in metal it usually use chrome plating process that is usually use electric current and chrome solution to make the chrome ion can plating into the surface of metal. On the case of this electroplating process, some condition should be controlled like the concentration of chrome III should be in maximum level, and if possible there is no chrome VI content on the bath. Even the chrome VI always there but by control of certain condition, chrome VI level can be minimize.

Otherwise if we doing by electroless chrome plating, we don’t need any control of chrome VI concentration because this method don’t use electroplating anymore but use like spray chrome paint or other way to coat chrome directly into the surface of metal. The same if we plated chrome into the plastic surface, we also don’t need to control of chromium VI, because we don’t use chemical solution first to do chrome plating. Plating on plastic may just conditioning the plastic surface in order chrome agent can be plated dirrectly into the plastic surface. Experience people already made this with their knowledge and don’t need any control of chromium VI. But if you use by two step of coating of plastic surface, other possibility may can happen, such as first use electroless coating to plastic, for example nickel plating use electroless method, and the next step use chromium plating using electroplating with electric current. For this you must control the chromium VI in the bath.





To make bright surface can be done in the same way, that is to polished the surface after chrome plated. The different may can be how the way to polished of the surface. Rubbed material may can different for plastic surface and metal surface. For plastic need more soft than for metal surface. The current technology we supposed that coating on plastic will no need of electroplating process anymore but only electroless plating. You can survey to the market, many kind of plastic with chrome plated but very cheap price, usually Chinese product. If they do this with electric energy, the product will impossible sell in very cheap price.