In its most pure form, copper is a reddish-orange malleable metal. Its softness makes it ideal for diverse applications. Many industries look to copper plating services to help enhance and improve the qualities of their products. Finishing companies utilize copper to provide an excellent coating for products as well as a superb undercoating.
Copper Plating Processes
Copper plating involves the electro disposition of this metal on another metal – frequently aluminum or steel. Various methods may be employed including barrel or rack plating. Finishing companies choose from three basic types of processes:
* Alkaline- utilizing one of the several available modifications of cyanide or non-cyanide
* Acid – commonly sulfate and fluoborate
* Mildly alkaline – conventionally pyrophosphate
The method will depend on the shop, the application, and the base metal.
Advantages of Electroplating Copper
Companies may request copper plating services to perform one of the several possible roles. These include the enhancement of desired component qualities. Advantages of employing copper include:
* Excellent conductivity
* Good protective barrier when acting as a secondary layer between the substrate and the coating
* Good heat-treat stop-off when used as a masking agent
* High-quality coverage for more complex components featuring intricate geometric shapes
* Ability to conceal substrate faults and defects
* Superior adherence to other metals
* Improved adherence and corrosion resistance when used as a base coating for nickel steel plating
* Decorative and aesthetically pleasing appearance
In competitive markets, the use of copper has another attraction. It is still relatively inexpensive.
Copper Plating Services
Copper is an excellent metal for acting as an undercoating for substrate metals. It offers an easy and relatively inexpensive means of hiding defects while improving certain desirable qualities. Soft, malleable and very easy to plate, copper remains an attractive metal for electroplating substrates. Copper plating services realize the advantages of using this metal and work with the aerospace and IT industries to improve the coverage and produce highly functional and decorative components.
