Speaking of the three common electroplating processes in the showcase industry
The three most common electroplating processes in the showcase industry: vacuum plating, water plating, and electrophoresis. The material generally used in electroplating process is stainless steel, which is commonly used in jewelry, clothing, clubs, shopping malls and other places in business. What is the difference between vacuum plating, water plating and electrophoresis?
First, let's talk about their respective definitions. Electroplating is an electrochemical process as well as a redox process. The basic process of electroplating is to immerse the part in a solution of metal salt as the cathode, and the metal plate as the anode. After connecting the DC power supply, the desired coating is deposited on the part.
Vacuum evaporation: Under high vacuum, the metal thin layer is attached to the plastic surface through the evaporation and condensation of metal filaments. The melting of metal (the most commonly used aluminum) in the vacuum evaporation process takes only a few seconds to evaporate, and the whole cycle generally does not exceed 15s, and the thickness of the coating is 0.8-1.2uM.
Water plating is the process of depositing metal or alloy on the surface of the workpiece by electrolysis to form a uniform, dense and well-bonded metal layer, which is called water plating. A simple understanding is a change or combination of physics and chemistry.
Electrophoresis is divided into cathodic electrophoresis and anodic electrophoresis. The electrophoresis solution required for different electrophoresis is also different, mainly because the charge is opposite. The difference between the two is that the intermediate objects are different, one is a metal ion and the other is a colloid. The results after treatment are also different. Electroplating is to coat a layer of metal for protection, rust prevention, beauty and other functions. Electrophoresis is generally used for painting, that is, coating the surface with a layer of paint, which is often used in the automotive industry. The same point between the two is that there must be electricity, that is, positive and negative electrodes, which can form an electric field and allow ions or charged colloids to move in a direction.
Among the three processes, if it is stainless steel that needs electroplating, the price of water plating is the highest, followed by electrophoresis, and finally vacuum plating. The price is also different, if the color of the electroplating is said, it depends on the process. For example, green bronze and yellow bronze require a water-plating process.
But now the water plating is too scarce, and it seems that there are not many water plating factories in the Pearl River Delta region. There is no way to have water plating factories in Shenzhen, and they are concentrated in Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan and other places. Therefore, some are like high-end jewelry cabinets, but the cost of water plating is high, and the price also increases.
Therefore, stainless steel materials are mainly made of vacuum plating and electrophoresis. The price is also much cheaper than water plating. Today, if you are looking for green bronze, yellow bronze and other styles, you still do water plating, because vacuum plating, electrophoresis and other processes really cannot achieve the effect of water plating, although many electroplating factories say that electrophoresis and vacuum plating can achieve the effect of water plating is actually a lot of fools.
