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Have new polymer that is not glass filled, need conductive coating

We are a manufacturer looking for a process to plate a polymer that has a Rockwell B 80. It is very hard, very dense, no filler, acids don't touch it, and it's non-conductive. We need to find a coating process, or combination of processes to end up with .001 per side of conductive material, preferably nickel. Various types of PVD have been tried, in order to get a plate-able surface. This new material machines like metal, we have to use diamond-tipped tools to machine it. The CTE is closer to metals or aluminum, than it is to plastics, so if we can successfully plate it, the "Fat Lady" will sing.

Tom Saxe
electronics manufacturer - Oxnard, California, USA
2006

In reading a transcript from a very old technical conference recently, I noted that one participant suggested soaking hard to plate plastic in tin chloride for a week.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006

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