METALLIZATION PROCESSES

POLYMER PROCESSING ASSIGNMENT

BY-
ANJANEYA MISHRA(BE/10684/15)
JITESH KUMAR(BE/10688/14)
 WHAT IS METALLIZATION?
• Plastic parts are often coated with a layer of metal for
aesthetics as well as performance.
• Properties such as abrasion resistance and electric
conductivity, which are not innate characteristics of
plastic, are often obtained through metallization.
• The mirror-like finish on many consumer parts are
examples of metallization serving an aesthetic
function.
• This process is mainly used to obtain a property mix of
both plastics and metals to produce low cost
automobile products.
• For a part to be metallized, it should be smooth
and blemish-free. There should be no weld lines
or sink marks on the part. Any surface irregularity
will be magnified by the metallic coating.
• thermoplastics that can be readily etched and
plated include acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene
(ABS), modified polyphenyl oxide, modified
polypropylene, and polysulfone. Virtually all
plastic substrates can be metallized, except
polyethylene and urethane.
• The greatest volume of plated plastic is
represented by ABS and modified PPO.
• Non-automotive parts that are plated include
marine hardware, plumbing fixtures, packaging,
and appliance and furniture hardware.
 METALLIZATION PROCESSES
Although various methods have been
developed through time for metallization, the
most common and cost effective methods that
find large scale industrial applications are
listed below:
• Electroless plating
• Electrolytic plating
• Vacuum plating
• Hot Stamping
 ELECTROLESS PLATING
• Electroless plating is a surface treatment process
that does not require electric current as does
electrolytic plating.
• any plastic part to be plated with the electrolytic
process must first be electroless plated to create
a conductive surface.
• It deposits a dissolved metal
such as copper or nickel, on
the surface of a plastic part
through the use of a chemical solution.
• Before the plating process, the surfaces have to be treated
to ensure good adhesion.

• The etching process uses a chromic acid solution to provide

a microscopically roughened surface to the plastic part.
• The catalytic treatment or seeding involves an inactive
noble metal catalyst, normally palladium which deposits
into the microcracks created during the etching process and
act as active catalyst sites for chemical reduction of the
electroless copper or electroless nickel.
 ELECTROLYTIC PLATING
• electrolytic plating can be added to the
previous process to provide a metallized
surface that is thicker and more like typical
metal surfaces.
• Electroless plated plastics
are grounded and the
positively charged metal atoms precipitate
onto the negatively charged plastic.
• Electrolytic-plated parts are nearly
indistinguishable from metal parts, and due to
the plastic body, the plated plastic parts are
lighter, less expensive, and can be used in a wider
range of designs than their metal counterparts.
• The semi-bright
nickel layer controls
the amount of current
that flows through the
metal and protects it
from burning off.
Other finishes like brass, silver and gold can be
done in place of chrome coating.
 VACUUM METALLIZING
• Vacuum metallizing is a physical rather than a chemical
process for depositing metal coatings on prepared surfaces.
• a base coat of lacquer is
applied to eliminate surface
defects.
• The parts are then placed in a vacuum chamber with small
pieces of coating metal (e.g., chromium, gold, silver, zinc, or
aluminum) placed on special heating filaments in a sealed
chamber.
• The filaments are heated once vacuum is created and metal
gets vaporized and condenses on cooler surfaces
• Because vacuum metalizing inherently has a thinner coating,
less metal is used and no toxic chemicals are involved.
 HOT STAMPING
• It is the most widely used method in plastics decorating
because of its convenience, versatility, and performance.

• Plastic part is placed under a hot stamping die and a foil roll
is placed between them. As it descends, the metal is fused
into the impression made by the stamp.
• Hot stamping is best suited for flat surfaces, although
contoured dies could provide hot stamping for curved
surfaces.
• Hot stamping is used to apply small
decorations and explanatory lettering, logos,
and so on, to plastic moldings.
• These foils are dry
and therefore can
be used to coat
painted surfaces.
• The process may be automatic or hand
operated.
• Hot stamping is used primarily on
thermoplastics, the process is also applicable
to thermosets.
 CONCLUSION
The processes discussed here have all found large scale
applications in producing metallized plastic products
which have varied end uses such as plumbing tools,
use-and-throw cutlery and mirror-like surfaces used in
headlamps in automotives.
All of these products have different property
requirements such as gloss or mechanical strength,
which can be altered by changing the thickness of the
metal sheet and the subsequent protective coatings to
better suit the consumer needs.
THANK YOU