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Durability vs. Appearance With Electroplating Onto Plastics

For decades, manufacturers in industries such as automotive, electronics, plumbing fixtures manufacturing and consumer products have experienced the advantages of electroplating onto plastic as part of their production processes. Two of the most prominent benefits include increasing the durability of the plastic material and enhancing the appearance of the finished product. While many manufacturers seek […]

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Benefits and Difficulties of Plating onto Plastics

Companies in a variety of industries these days are relying on plastic parts and components when designing and manufacturing their products. Compared to heavier, bulkier materials, plastic offers a lightweight alternative that is surprisingly tough and durable. However, plastic in its natural state may not produce the desired result when manufacturing certain types of products. […]

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Biocompatibility and Design Considerations

What is biocompatibility? A biocompatible material is one that does not induce a response in living organisms, whether it be on their skin or tissue. Medically, such a material is useful because it is known to not cause allergic reactions, long-term problems or other complications in patients. Biocompatibility is meant to eliminate undesired local, tumorigenic, systemic, […]

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Plating for High-Temperature Applications

Plating your components, a process that applies a thin metal coating to the outside of a substrate, provides many benefits. It can improve various characteristics, such as hardness or corrosion resistance, to a part or even introduce new ones, like electrical conductivity or magnetism. One sought-after feature plating can enhance is resistance to high temperatures. In many applications, exposure to […]

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Plastic Materials as Electroplating Substrates

While electroplating is typically known as a metal-on-metal process, some manufacturing applications require plating onto plastic materials. The reasons are often functional, such as metalizing a plastic substrate to enable it to conduct electricity or to harden and protect the surface. While electroplating onto plastic offers a variety of benefits, it is often more difficult to execute successfully than […]

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Electroplating IC Packages

Electroplating integrated circuit packaging is simultaneously becoming a more complex and more in-demand service — especially as the U.S. electronics industry has continued to generate annual revenues pushing well past the $200 billion mark since 2012. With the domestic consumer electronics (CE) market estimated to shatter the $300 billion mark in 2018, the number of […]

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How Plating Onto Refractory Metals is Different

How is Plating Onto Refractory Metals Different From “Traditional” Electroplating? If you ask the average person to name a few metals, they are likely to list materials such as gold, silver, tin, copper and aluminum. You’d probably be shocked to hear the words “molybdenum” or “tantalum.” The latter two are examples of a category of […]

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Electroforming Guide

Many different processes, from forging to deep drawing to casting, are used to form metal — and most of them involve applying some sort of effective stress to a metal. These methods are useful for a range of applications, but did you know that you can also “grow” metal? When working on a complex project that […]

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What Supplies Do You Need for a 3D Printer?  

3D printing is a flexible, efficient and profitable approach to production, but it requires more than a printer and filament. Between storage, ventilation, handling materials and equipment configurations, your 3D printing budget must accommodate additional items, especially if you plan to utilize a 3D printer’s exceptional versatility. Before you explore the world of 3D printing, […]

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Guide to Surface Finishing for 3D-Printed Parts

3D printing is a useful new technology that allows manufacturers to produce components relatively quickly, in small batches and with a high degree of flexibility. Often, though, after a part comes out of the printer, it needs to undergo a surface finishing process before it’s ready for use, especially if it’s a consumer good or […]

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