Plating on Plastics Chemical preparation for plating on plastics process

Plastics are widely used for a wide range of applications, some of which require metallization. Why are plastics metallized? There are many reasons.

From an economic point of view, choosing a plastic such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) rather than a metal part reduces the weight of the object to be metallized, as well as the energy costs associated with the various stages of transformation, mechanical polishing and transportation. What's more, an ABS part has a glossy appearance after molding, and therefore requires lower thicknesses than a zamak part, for which surface porosities have to be filled.

For technical reasons, metallic coatings provide protection for polymers, giving them new mechanical, corrosion, heat, ultraviolet and solvent resistance properties.

In addition, it is interesting to combine the dielectric properties of thermoplastics with the conductivity of various chemically and/or electrolytically deposited metal layers for numerous applications such as printed circuits or electrostatic and electromagnetic shielding.

From an aesthetic point of view, the metallization of plastics is also used in the decoration and perfumery sector to give a final colored metallic appearance.

The emergence of plastics processing, and its strong development in the second half of the 20th century, is still too recent to completely dethrone metals and the strong image associated with them. It is therefore necessary to ennoble plastics with gold, chrome, silver or bronze deposits.

Finally, the metallization of plastics completes the great freedom of shape, color, appearance and weight permitted by the use of polymers. Polymers are increasingly sought-after by all designers, especially those in the automotive sector.

The chemical metallization process is widely used on certain types of plastic. It is a two-stage process. The first is a series of chemical passages to make the plastic substrate conductive, while the second is a succession of electrolytic passages to impart different properties to the finished article.

New European legislation on the classification of certain chemical products is pushing this sector towards major technological innovation.