Bjs Company Ltd

Electroplating is the process of electro-depositing a metal on to a substrate to give the bulk material a specific surface characteristic. The process is carried out in a tank, which contains a complex aqueous solution and includes a metal in chemical form e.g. copper sulphate. The item to be plated is suspended in the tank and made cathodic by connecting it to the negative side of a computer controlled low voltage direct current (DC) supply. Also suspended in the tank is an anode usually a billet of the metal to be deposited. The anode is connected to the positive side of the DC supply. The anode dissolves under the influence of electricity and the metal ions travel from the anode to the cathode and thus the electro-deposit is built up on the cathode. The basic process is the same for all metals that can be electroplated e.g. gold, silver, copper, nickel etc. Using the Laws of Physics the weight and therefore the thickness of the metal being deposited can be calculated.