Galvanization

  • Home
  • Galvanization

Fully Ecological Galvanization – Electrolytic and Electroless Plating

PLASMA D.O.O. is focused on plating of eco-friendly coatings by Electroless and Electrolytic techniques on the surfaces of parts for various applications. The production plant consists of the following Electrolytic Plating Techniques:

  • Bright Chrome
  • Black Chrome
  • Nickel (Bright and Composite)
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Galvanic Zn plating
and the following Electroless Plating Techniques:
  • Bright Chrome
  • Black Chrome
  • Nickel (Bright and Composite)
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Silver
and the following Electroless Plating Techniques:
  • Nickel
  • Gold
  • Patina.

The industries that we serve include, but are not limited to: automotive, electronics, food and textile industry, electrical, broadcast and telecommunication equipments etc.

Our strength is the plating of delicate items i.e. parts with complex shapes. We have employed a variety of unconventional plating methods for decorative, functional and industrial coatings, including several innovative proprietary methods which we have developed in response to unique customer needs.

PLASMA D.O.O. has engineered the chemistry and production processes to be flexible to our clients needs. Our staff of professionals is equipped with the tools to provide the plating finish combinations that will meet your varying needs.

SUBSTRATE MATERIALS

Our plating finishes can be applied on different types of materials

  • All types of steels
  • Copper and its alloys
  • Aluminum and its alloys
  • Polymers and Composite Materials
  • Glass etc.
Prior to the deposition of these types of coatings, an adequate preparation of the substrate’s surface is done, depending on substrate’s material.

POLYMER AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS

PLASMA D.O.O. owns an innovative technique for electroless and electrolytic plated coatings on different types of polymers and composite materials.

BRIGHT CHROME

The chrome adds a bluish cast (compared to the somewhat yellowish cast of nickel), protects the nickel against tarnish, minimizes scratching, and contributes to corrosion resistance. Decorative chrome plating is sometimes called nickel-chrome plating because it always involves electroplating nickel onto the substrate before plating the chrome (it also involves electroplating copper onto the object before the nickel, too). When you look at decorative chrome plated surface most of what you are seeing is actually the effects of the nickel plating, because without the brilliant leveled nickel undercoating, you would not have a reflective, decorative surface. The chrome plating is exceptionally thin, measured in microns 0.5 – 1.

BLACK CHROME

Black chrome is usually plated over bright nickel or matte nickel in the same manner as decorative chrome. Black chrome is not lustrous. It is used for gun sights and components, some automotive parts etc.

NICKEL

Electroplated Nickel is used under decorative chrome and other final finishes to cover small defects such as polishing lines and to provide luster. The nickel plating provides smoothness, corrosion resistance, and reflectivity. Nickel can also be used as a final finish for certain applications, such as in the plumbing, lighting, and furniture industries.

COMPOSITE NICKEL

Plasma D.O.O offers several properties binary alloy finishes which provide enhanced performance and cost savings over traditional pure, single metal finishes. The alloys include Ni-P, Ni-Co-P; Ni-Fe-P, Ni-Cu-P, Ni-W-P, Ni-Mo-P, Ni-Re-P, Ni-Sc-P, Ni-Wc-P. We used a triplex process for nickel electrolytic plating to increase the anticorrosion resistance, where the first layer is a composite nickel, the second is copper and the final layer is a decorative bright nickel. The composite nickel commonly is used for application of TIPLEX nickel coating on items that are exposed to high corrosive conditions. Approximately about ½ of the total thickness of the TRIPLEX nickel coating is a composite nickel, and the rest is bright nickel.

BRIGHT NICKEL

Bright nickel is mainly used for its decorative value because it offers a smooth and mirror bright finish. A drawback to bright nickel is that the brighter the deposit gets the less ductile it becomes. Nickel used for engineering purposes is often smooth and dull grey in appearance. Bright nickel offers an excellent degree of corrosion resistance. Nickel is also used as an under-plate for other metals because it acts as a diffusion barrier that prevents any form of substrate migration to the top coating. Bright Nickel Plating can be applied to provide "duplex" extended corrosion resistance, and is used as the decorative, corrosion resistant layer under decorative bright chrome or black chrome. Bright nickel plating can be applied on different types of substrate materials, including all types of steels, copper and its alloys, aluminum and its alloys.

ELECTROLESS NICKEL

Electroless nickel plating is a chemical reduction process which depends upon the catalytic reduction process of nickel ions in an aqueous solution (containing a chemical reducing agent) and the subsequent deposition of nickel metal without the use of electricity and anodes. In the electroless nickel plating process, the driving force for the reduction of nickel metal ions and their deposition is supplied by a chemical reducing agent in solution. This driving potential is essentially constant at all points of the surface of the component, provided the agitation is sufficient to ensure a uniform concentration of metal ions and reducing agents. Electroless nickel deposit is therefore very uniform in thickness all over the part's shape and size. This process offers distinct advantages when plating irregularly shaped objects, holes, recesses, internal surfaces, valves or threaded parts.

ADVANTAGES

Distinct advantages of electroless nickel plating are:

  • Uniformity of the deposits, even on complex shapes
  • Deposits are often less porous and thus provide better barrier corrosion protection to steel substrates, much superior to that of electroplated nickel and chrome
  • Deposits can be plated with zero or compressive stress
  • Deposits have inherent lubricity and non-galling characteristics, unlike electrolytic nickel
  • Deposits have good wetability for oils
  • In general low phosphorus are considered solderable. Mid and high phosphorus electroless nickel are far worse for solderability
  • Deposits are much harder with as-plated microhardness of 450 - 600 HV which can be increased to 1000-1100 HV by a suitable heat-treatment.

APPLICATIONS

Due to its unique properties of excellent corrosion resistance, combined with a high hardness, high wear resistance and uniformity of coating, electroless nickel finds extensive applications on items such as valves, pump parts etc., to enhance the life of components exposed to severe conditions of service in a number of fields. Some of the major areas of application are:

  1. Oil & Gas: Valve components, such as balls, gates, pumps etc.
  2. Chemical Processing: Heat Exchangers, Filter Units, pump housing etc.
  3. Plastics and Composites: Molds and dies for injecting molding of plastics components, extruders, machine parts rollers etc.
  4. Textile: Printing cylinders, machine parts etc.
  5. Automotive: Gears, cylinders, brake pistons etc.
  6. Food & pharmaceutical: Capsule machinery dies, chocolates molds, food processing machinery components etc.

With correct pretreatment sequence and accurate process control, good adhesion and excellent service performance can be obtained from electroless nickel deposited on a multitude of metallic and non-metallic substrates. Proper pre-treatment is essential to effective adhesion of electroless nickel plating. We use a combination of several alkaline and acid cleaning solutions to activate the surface prior to electroless nickel plating.

COPPER

Copper plating is very important for TRIPLEX process of nickel electrolytic plating (composite Ni / Cu / bright Ni) where it protects the substrate from corrosion, wear, etc. Also copper plating is used as a technique for applying a functional coating which is characterized by high gloss and has high electrical and thermal conductivity. Located widely application for items used in electronics, broadcast and telecommunications. These are various copper contacts and connectors; where as a basic material can be used an insulator. With the copper plating achieves these contacts and electrical connectors to be more conductive, but it should be noted that due to fast oxidation of copper, after plated copper layer, another special procedure called Passivation of copper is done that prevents the copper layer from oxidation. Copper plating is used primarily for its high plating efficiency as an undercoat for other metals, primarily bright nickel. Copper covers small defects, such as pits and polishing lines. It can also be plated to heavier thicknesses and then buffed to remove and cover other defects prior to nickel/chrome plating. For these reasons, copper plating is used for plating die cast parts for highly cosmetic applications, such as automotive and motorcycle parts.

GOLD

Gold Plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold on the surface of substrates of different types of materials. Usually it is decorative but in special cases can be functional, and that is when it is necessary to achieve higher electrical conductivity of the substrate, and also that his anti-allergenic property is located application in medicine. The electrical conductivity and brightness of this gold coating remains constant and does not change over time, because gold did not (i.e. very slowly) oxidized in the presence of air. As substrates for gold plating can be used non-ferrous metals like copper or brass; except aluminum, where it is necessary before gold plating to make special surface pretreatments.

SILVER

Silver plating offers the highest electrical conductivity of all metals. It is not a precious metal and will oxidize rapidly. Silver plating is best suited for engineering purposes for solderable surfaces, electrical contact characteristics, high electrical and thermal conductivity, thermocompression bonding, wear resistance of load-bearing surfaces, and electrical applications, good corrosion resistance, good solderability, and other applications. Usually it is functional, and that is when it is necessary to achieve higher electrical conductivity of the substrate, and also that his anti-allergenic property is located application in medicine. As substrates for silver plating can be used glass, composite and polymeric materials; non-ferrous metals like copper or brass, except aluminum, where it is necessary before silver plating to make special surface pretreatments.

PATINATION

Patination is a decorative chemical process by which a patina forms on a surface of the substrate material. Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze, brass and similar metals and it is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides or carbonates formed on the surface during exposure to the chemical processes. We offer different types of patinas:

  • Nickel
  • Silver and
  • Copper.