Letter 34096

Electroplating conductive plastic?  

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I need to plate the surface of a conductive plastic (graphite-filled UHMW) with a metal like copper or silver as an electrode. Is it possible, since the material is conductive, to simply electroplate it as if it were a metal, or is it more complicated than that? And if it is not possible, what are my options? Electro-deposit?

Don Gilmore
Mech. Engineer - Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Hello Don. There is virtually nothing that cannot be electroplated one way or the other, and graphite-filled UHMW is not likely to be on that very short list. Usually the real issue turns out to be how to get sufficient adhesion to meet the needs of the application, and there I think you'll run into trouble. Hopefully another reader will correct me, but I don't think the application is promising at all unless no mechanical force is applied to it and the shape is such that a "shrink-wrap" plating would work.

When you ask what are your options, what are your constraints? Is there any chance of making the object from ABS instead? Or maybe even graphite filled epoxy?

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Letter 34096 suggests graphite filled epoxy as a plastic to electroplate.
What proportion of graphite is recomended to get enough conductivity?
Would it be possible to use a filler for strenght (glass or carbon fibers) and just paint the surface with conductive epoxy?

Eduardo Bianchi
- Phoenix, AZ, USA

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