In the world of metal bending, there is a process called metal plating, which is used to improve the corrosion resistance of a piece of metal. It is an integral part of the metal fabricating process when looking for high plating efficiency and low material cost.

Continue reading to find out more about metal plating and the different types of plating that can occur. We will also discuss how these differ and how they will affect the different types of metal finishing.

 

What Is Metal Plating?

Metal plating, as we briefly stated above, is a technique used to increase the strength of a sheet of metal during the fabrication process. It is the process of laying a thin layer of metal to coat over a substrate.

Metal plating is achieved through the electroplating process, which uses a current of electricity in order to apply the coating.

Metal plating provides a variety of benefits to the metal it is being used upon, such as making the metal stronger, increasing solderability, reducing friction, and providing decorative appeal.

 

Types of Metal Plating

There are also many different types of metal plating that can be used in just about any fabrication process; these all depend on the type of metal being plated.

Metals have all sorts of different properties depending on which metal you are using, meaning that these processes have to be different for each respective metal.

 

Zinc Plating

Zinc is a relatively inexpensive material that can be used to apply a galvanised coat of metal to any type of metal substrate.

During the plating process, the zinc is applied via molten bath dripping and spraying, otherwise known as the Sherardizing process. This allows the metal to be applied to the substrate effectively.

 

Chrome Plating

Chrome plating is usually used for strictly decorative applications, as it does not provide very many practical applications. The few that it does provide, however, are incredibly useful for almost any kind of metal substrate.

Chrome plating offers greater wear resistance than other metals and also provides the substrate with an added level of hardness.

 

Nickel Plating

Nickel is one of the most popular plating metals, as it is incredibly useful in electroless plating techniques. Nickel plating is often used to cover household products such as doorknobs and cutlery, making this type of plating incredibly useful for everyday use.

Nickel plates are often bonded with aluminium or copper, but they are also able to be used on a wide variety of other metals and can serve as an underlying plating for chromium products.

 

Copper Plating

Copper is another of the most popular plating metals due to its high electrical conductivity and cost-effectiveness. These are perfect for use in areas such as circuit boards.

Metals, such as copper, have a low cost, which has made them one of the most used metals in the plating industry and has been a staple of the industry for many years now.

 

Conclusion

While there are plenty more types of base metal plating, including stainless steel plating, aluminium plating, tin plating, gold plating, rhodium plating, and many more, these are some of the most popular and effective metal plating techniques in the industry.

If you would like to enlist the help of our engineering team, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at 0750 055 7290 or email us at info@astraengineering.co.uk.