Resin Plating Process

What is resin plating process?

Resin plating process of Yuken Industry

Resin plating processes can be applied to products in all industries.
This is proven by Yuken Industry’s experience in processing products dating back half a century.
We manufacture products that meet the demands of users in various industries and sectors, such as automotive parts, faucet-related parts, housing facilities, game consoles, electronic parts, etc., under our integrated manufacturing system.

This is the difference! The resin plating process of Yuken Industry

Improved corrosion resistance

We deliver interior and exterior parts for domestic car manufacturers, meeting all strict specifications.
Quality control system

As the processing division of a chemical manufacturer, our Group possesses state-of-the-art analyzers and testing equipment to guarantee customer satisfaction in the unlikely event of a failure.
Improved chrome coverage

Chromium can be applied 10 to 25% better than other resin plating manufacturers.

Processable specifications

Effective surface of plating process

Resin materials

ABS resin, polycarbonate ABS resin

Processing type

Copper → Nickel → Chrome

Resin materials

Copper: 5～40μm
Nickel: 5～40μm
Chrome: 0.01～0.8μm

Reasons for plating on resin

This section explains the process of how plating is applied to plastics that do not conduct electricity.

Resin plating process (1) Pretreatment process

The process of adding conductivity to a plastic surface that does not conduct electricity.

Soak in an acidic solution

Etching

Spoil the foundation
Recover
Rinse in water
Catalyst

Catalyzing
Rinse in water
Accelerator

Surface preparation
Rinse in water
Electroless nickel

Conductivity

Etching

Provides hydrophilic properties. Dissolves butadiene rubber and creates microporosity on the resin surface.
Resin and metal are physically adhered to each other by the anchoring effect.
Catalyst

Pd (palladium) catalyst is adsorbed on plastic surfaces.
Electroless nickel

Nickel metal is deposited on the plastic surface by a chemical reaction with a Pd catalyst at the core.

Resin plating process (2) Electroplating process

Formation of decorative metal film on plastic surfaces.

Nickel strike

Prevention of electroless Ni burning
2～4μm
Copper plating

Improved leveling
10～20μm
Soak in an acidic solution
Semi-bright Ni plating

Improved corrosion resistance
7～10μm
Bright Ni plating

Adding metallic luster
3～5μm

Type 3 nickel plating
Joule Ni plating

Prevention of corrosion penetration
3～5μm
Soak in an acidic solution
Chrome plating

Adding metallic luster
0.15μm

Copper plating

Strong smoothing action, smoothing out micro-unevenness of the material. It has good spreadability and relieves thermal expansion stress between resin and metal.
Type 3 nickel plating

Three types of nickel plating are laminated to retard the progression of corrosion.
Chrome plating

It has excellent corrosion resistance, high film hardness, and excellent abrasion resistance. It has a beautiful bluish color.

The pre-treatment and electroplating processes together include about 30 processes and take 3 to 5 hours. Since there is a possibility of defects occurring in each process, Yuken Industry has a full lineup of equipment for quality control and pursuit of the causes of defects.

Analytical and measuring instruments

Material considerations for resin plating

Points to be noted for product configuration

Corners (sharp edges) should be rounded to 0.2R or more.

It is harder than resin. However, it is also more brittle. Therefore, it is necessary to be innovative in design.

Convex corners cause current to concentrate, resulting in poor appearance (scorching).
Concave corners are difficult to plate.
Easy to crack due to stress concentration during thermal buffering.