Metal Coating is a type of surface treatment, forming a thin film of a metal different from the material on the surface of metal or resin. The Chinese character for “gold plating” can be written as “plating”, “electroplating”, and sometimes “plating”. This time, we will introduce the types and methods of gold plating.
What is Metal Coating?
Plating is a surface treatment that covers the surface of a workpiece that becomes a base with a thin metal film. There are three main purposes of plating.
• Improvement of Decorativeness
Plating is done to improve the aesthetic appearance, such as creating a shiny surface or a high-grade color. Representative examples include gold plating.
• Improvement of Corrosion Resistance
Some materials such as iron commonly used in industrial products are prone to rust. Therefore, the surface is covered with a corrosion-resistant metal, which is plating to avoid rust. Zinc plating is a representative example.
• Improvement of Functionality
In addition to decorativeness and corrosion resistance, plating can also add various functions. For example, in plating to optimize the suitability of solder called solder wettability, nickel plating is performed, or copper and tin alloys are used for plating. In addition, there is plating to improve sliding properties or conductivity.
