Electroplating Services That Ensure Part Performance

The most common problems are poor coverage in deep IDs and complex geometries, adhesion failures caused by incoming part condition, and specifications that conflict with how plating behaves. Most are preventable with the right process, incoming inspection, and an early review of the spec. Our guide to the most common plating problems and how to solve them covers each one.

There is no single lifespan, because plating life depends on the finish, thickness, base material, and the environment the part sees in service. Wear, corrosion, and oxidation are the main causes of failure, so matching the finish and thickness to those conditions extends life. Tell our engineers about your operating environment and we will recommend a finish for the service life you need.

Plating gives solder a clean, oxide-free surface to bond to. A nickel underplate with a thin gold flash of roughly 5 to 20 microinches is the standard system, and much thicker gold can cause brittle solder joints. Our guide on how electroplating enhances solderability explains how to spec it correctly.

Start by reviewing the spec with our technical team before production, so coverage, thickness, and cosmetic requirements are realistic for your part geometry. We inspect incoming parts, run the job under documented process controls, and test properties such as adhesion and thickness in-house before shipment. Prototype quantities and process validations are available for new or difficult requirements.

Yes, many customers come to us after recurring problems such as poor coverage in small IDs, peeling, blistering, or staining. Our metallurgical lab performs failure and root cause analysis, and we work with your engineers to correct the cause, whether it is the process, the specification, or the incoming part.

Our PLC-controlled automated lines capture process data, and statistical process control, lot traceability, and archived job records let us review how a part was run years later. Vacuum vapor degreasing and in-house testing, including X-ray fluorescence, cross-sectioning, and scanning electron microscopy, catch problems before parts ship. Our quality system includes PFMEA, PPAP, control plans, APQP, and 8D.

Certificates of conformance and packing lists can be downloaded from the Customer Portal for each order. Typical plating lead times are 3 to 5 days, and inspection and testing are performed in-house.

We review the functional requirement behind the spec with your engineers and separate critical performance needs from cosmetic preferences. When geometry or coverage is the barrier, we can change the method, such as moving a part to spouted bed electrode plating or electroless nickel, and validate the change with test data. Early consultation, before parts are in production, leaves the most room to solve the problem.