Decorative chrome plating creates a shiny, bluish tint, mirror-like finish. The chromium layer protects the nickel from oxidation and
tarnish, as well as rust and wear when products get exposed to corrosive conditions. Chrome plating
serves an essential role in many industries. Although it does not offer the
same strength and durability as hard chrome, decorative chrome finishes provides
a thin protective coating when applied to materials such as automobile parts, tools, musical instrument hardware and utensils.
This plating is used to create the
ultimate wear and corrosion resistant coating as a barrier coating under hard chrome.
The application of bright nickel rely on the nickel for a decorative appearance with corrosion protection and wear resistance.
Many items around the house, including hand tools, are
plated in bright nickel to improve their appearance, wear and corrosion
protection. Such items may include plumbing supplies, light fixtures, wire racks, components on furniture, walkers and/or wheel chairs.
This finish is primarily used as an undercoat rather than a cosmetic finish as it covers minor imperfections in the base metal. It is easy to buff or polish copper, giving it a high gloss. As a highly conductive material, it is prone to be an excellent coating for printing on circuit boards or as a coating on steel wire used to conduct electricity. Copper is among the least expensive metals and is in relatively stable supply. More leveling can be obtained for the cost of the metal electroplated than for any other metal.
This is one of the more
versatile finishes due to its excellent corrosion protection properties
and the fact that it is relatively inexpensive.
Zinc plated parts can be chromated with different colors after plating
to achieve different results for a product. The colours include black, clear, olive, yellow and blue.
Mechanical polishing is a highly specialized process and involves the utilization of processes such as grinding and buffing in order to remove scratches, gouges, and other damage appearing on the surface of a material.
The polishing process includes grinding,
polishing, and buffing, done in that order. During mechanical polishing,
defects that
may affect a part’s appearance, as well as its functionality — are eliminated.
Choosing the right electroplating method is important for achieving optimal results and minimizing the risk of damage to the final product. The 2 applied processes for plating multiple workpieces are barrel and rack plating. They both have different advantages, as well as points the plater and customer must consider when determining the most appropriate method for their project.
