World Leading Chemical Etching

Plating

What is plating?

Plating is a surface covering in which a metal is deposited on a conductive surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years, but it is also critical for modern technology.

Plating is used to:

  • Add a decorative finish
  • Create corrosion inhibition
  • To improve solder-ability
  • To harden the surface
  • To improve durability
  • To alter conductivity
  • For radiation shielding
  • To improve paint adhesion
  • To reduce friction
  • Plus many other purposes

Plating Benefits

  • Corrosion resistant
  • Solderable
  • Conductive
  • Contact Resistant
  • Abrasion Resistant
  • Decorative Appearance
  • Non-stick Surface
  • The Full Service – etched, formed, heat treated and plated

There are many metal plating / finishing processes, our customers expect to receive a finished component or assembly, for this reason we can offer a range of plating / finishing processes to cover our customers requirements:

  • Alochrome
  • Anodised
  • Cad
  • Chromate
  • Electroless Nickel
  • PX3
  • Gold
  • Hard Anodise
  • Hot Tin Dip
  • Nickel
  • Passivation
  • Hand Infill Paint
  • Silicon Coating
  • Silver Plate
  • Tin Lead
  • Tin Plate
  • Zinc Plate
  • Emralon
  • Also selective plating and many other options
  • Photofab chrome plating
  • Gaskets and seals
  • Formed components

Typical Properties for some Finishes

PropertiesFinish
Corrosion ResistanceZinc & its Alloys, Tin & its Alloys, Nickel (Electroless & Electrolytic), Gold & its Alloys, Chromium, Cadmium, Platinum group metals.
SolderabilityTin & its Alloys, Nickel (Electroless & Electrolytic), Gold & its Alloys. IDEA!!! Why not consider using a base metal with good solderability like Nickel Silver to eliminate the cost and time of an extra process?
ConductivityCopper & its Alloys, Gold & its Alloys, Silver.
Contact ResistanceGold & its Alloys, Platinum group alloys.
Abrasion ResistanceAbrasion Resistance
Black ColourationZinc & Black passivate, Black Chromium, PX3 Blacken (on Stainless Steel), Black anodise (on Aluminium).
Decorative AppearanceGold & its Alloys, Platinum group metals, Chromium, Cadmium, Zinc & its Alloys, Silver, Tin & its Alloys, Nickel.
Non-Stick SurfacesChromium
Softness & LubricityCadmium, Lead and its Alloys, Silver, Tin Alloys
Oil Retentiveness for LubricationChromium
Rubber & Sealant AdhesionCopper and its Alloys

Photofab’s range of Additional Processes means we can offer Flat, Formed, Heat Treated, and Plated parts. Basically the Full Service!

If you would like to discuss your metal plating requirements please call us on 01480 226699. Alternatively either email us at sales@photofab.co.uk, or complete our contact form.

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Chemical Milling / Chemical Etching

Forming & Toolroom

Plating

Laser Cutting

Metal Stamping

Wire Erosion

Far East Supply Chain

Prototyping to High Volume

Short Lead Times

Electronic File Handling

Photo Etching

Chemical Milling / Chemical Etching

At Photofab, we’ve been working in chemical etching (otherwise known as chemical milling or photo etching) since 1971. In that time, we’ve built a large pool of technical knowledge on the subject; we know the benefits it brings to our customers. Chemical etching is a machining process which uses acids and other chemicals to dissolve unwanted material, usually metal, to …

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Forming & Toolroom

Our forming department covers not only the bending of metal parts, but also complex tool making, soldering, spot welding, surface grinding, milling and turning. We specialise in both prototyping and production runs. This section details not only what Photofab can provide in terms of forming methods, but also the assembly, soldering, spot welding a grinding services. Forming and Toolroom Benefits …

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Plating

What is plating? Plating is a surface covering in which a metal is deposited on a conductive surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years, but it is also critical for modern technology. Plating is used to: Add a decorative finishCreate corrosion inhibitionTo improve solder-abilityTo harden the surfaceTo improve durability To alter conductivityFor radiation shieldingTo improve paint adhesionTo reduce …

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Laser Cutting

Etching through metal over 1.5mm thick gets expensive, this is where laser cutting comes into its own. With state of the art equipment and finishing facilities to remove sharp edges and burrs Photofab can offer high tolerance cost effective solutions. Laser Cutting Benefits Laser option – CO2 Laser option – Nd Laser option -Nd-YAG Laser Marking Photofab can provide parts …

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Metal Stamping

Photofab offer the process of stamping (sometimes referred to as blanking) metal components. The manufacturing process of metal stamping involves feeding sheets of metal into a high tonnage press between pre-manufactured stamping dies to cut and form metal. Metal stamping is predominantly used for producing parts in high volumes at low manufacturing costs. Metal Stamping Benefits Very low unit cost …

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Wire Erosion

Wire Erosion is used by Photofab in combination with the Photo Etching / Chemical Milling process to produce very precise cost effective products with very low cost tooling or set up charges. As a machining process Wire Erosion is used to cut through various substances in order to form parts for a number of different industries, who require component accuracy …

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Far East Supply Chain

Photofab have developed strong links with a reputable etching company in the Far East. We have researched them and they have passed various tests for environmental, ethical, and employment practices. We recognise the importance of our responsibility to only work with decent and honest companies. Far East Supply Chain Benefits Large Volume Manufacturing Lower cost compared to UK Tried and …

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Prototyping to High Volume

Prototyping to High Volume Whether you are looking for volume production in hundreds of thousands, a short production run or a one off prototype, Photofab has the answer. The chemical milling, photo etching or chemical etching process is ideally suited to rapid prototyping as electronically generated files can be used to produce photo-tools which are then transferred to the surface …

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Short Lead Times

24 hour quotes Dedicated account managers Rapid 3 day service Here at Photofab we pride ourselves on the short lead times we provide our customers Photofab, the chemical machining specialist, have an enviable record of meeting customer requirements both in terms of achieving the impossible on short lead times and reliability. We will always quote within 24 hours for standard work; even faster if …

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Electronic File Handling

Most types of file formats can be viewed but not all types can be used to create photo-tools. Quotation Stage Almost all electronic drawing file formats can be opened and read at the quotation stage. These include: CAD format dwg, dxf, IGESImage format: pdf, eps, cdr, ai If your drawing format is not shown here, please call us on 01480 …

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Photo Etching

There is a phrase often associated with Photofab and photo etching, “If you can draw it, we can make it”. With nearly 50 years experience and a large pool of technical knowledge, we are specialists in photo etching of thin metal parts. Photo Etching High Accuracy Burr Free Components Low Cost Tooling Fast Turn Arounds This means we can offer …

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