Ever seen those attractive car logos on fancy
vehicles? They look so shiny, so attractive, and of the highest quality. Or
even various types of handles and knobs on appliances. Manufacturers nowadays
try to offer the most unique and elegant looking products in this regard. Would
you believe that these products are made of plastic at its
core, and that they are just coated with metallic substances? Well, metal
plated plastics have achieved widespread popularity these days, owing to rapid
progressions in polymer chemistry coupled with developing production
technologies. That is why we see many areas of application for plating
on plastics market, such as automotive, electronics, utilities and other
consumer goods.
Plating on plastics has been a concept that goes
a long way back to the 1960s, being practiced in Europe and North America.
However, achieving a strong bond between metallic coating and the plastic
substrate proved to be extremely hard for manufacturers, which can explain its
low level of acceptance in those days. However, the adhesive properties
of plastic were enhanced through the implementation of a chromic
acid-based etchant that was used for the surface treatment on acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS),
a thermoplastic polymer. The process found usage first in the
automotive industry in the 1970s, and a variety of areas such as plumbing,
electronics and household product manufacturers adopted it in the 70s and 80s.
There are a number of resins that are used for
plating on plastic applications; however, 90% of these applications
still make use of ABS as the resin. The product has an acrylonitrile-styrene
matrix which is evenly distributed with butadiene rubber, which leads to
effective plating. The butadiene is etched out from the matrix, leaving
microscopic holes that are utilized as bonding sites by the plate. Other
factors that have encouraged the large scale of ABS are the ease of
molding, high metallic adhesion, affordability and low coefficient of thermal
expansion.
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Other resins that may be used for the plating on plastic process include:
- PEI
(polyetherimide),
- PBT
(polybutylene terephthalate),
- LCP
(liquid crystal polymer),
- PEEK
(polyether ether ketone), and
- nylon/polyamide, among others.
It
is important to note that PEEK and polypropylene can only be plated in
a blended form. ABS polycarbonate (ABS/PC) is expected to witness good
demand in the plating on plastics market in the coming years. The blend
contains 40-60% of ABS, while the remaining is made up of PC. This mixture
offers high ductility and strength, and can be made use of in extreme
temperatures.
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A typical plating on plastic process consists of the following steps,
although some steps may vary according to the need of the product:
- Cleaning - Requires a mild alkaline,
or in certain instances, a chromic acid solution
- Pre-dipping - Helps improve the
surface of poorly molded, highly stressed parts. Also makes it easier for
etchant to react and attack the surface
- Etching - Etchants generally
consist of sulfuric acid or chromium trioxide solutions, which help to
increase the substrate surface, thus enhancing liquid absorption.
- Conditioning - An optional step in the
plating on plastic process, this helps in promoting a more uniform
absorption during the activation stage
- Neutralizing - Neutralizers such as
sodium bisulfite can help ensure the elimination of any excess etchant.
- Pre-activating - Pre-activator helps in
facilitating absorption during the activation stage of the plating on
plastic process. They work well with polypropylene or polyphenylene oxide.
- Activating - Involves the usage of
low-concentration precious metal liquid activator, which serves as a
catalyst during plating. Typical metals found in activators include platinum,
gold and palladium.
- Accelerating - Accelerators removes
excess stannous hydroxide from the part, and also prevents skip plating
occurrence during the plating on plastics process.
- Bath
immersion - After rinsing, the plastic parts are placed in an electroless
bath to deposit a thin metal coating. Nickel is generally used in the
process, although some instances utilize copper.
When
it comes to the type of metal used in the plating on plastics process, chrome
and nickel have seen huge demand from various industries. The former offers
good surface finish, aesthetic appeal and rust resistance to the substrate, and
is used for plating arm rests, grills and motorbike parts. Trivalent chrome
finds extensive usage in these applications as it is environment friendly. With
regards to nickel, it is used mainly for decorative purposes in the automotive
sector, where it is used in exterior and interior vehicle parts such as
door handles, bumpers, emblems, wheels and gear shift knobs, among
others. Copper has also seen significant growth in demand in the
plating on plastics market, mainly from the electronics industry, where
high electrical conductivity is required in many products.
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and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research
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