How to Save Money When Buying electroplating machine

Electroplating &#; relates to plating over metal surfaces.

Ruisite Product Page

Electroforming &#; relates to plating over non-conductive surfaces such as plastic.

Tank plating &#; a form of plating whereby the object to be plated is fully submerged in plating solution inside a tank. Tanks are fitted with specific anodes which work in conjunction with the plating solution.

Mini tanking &#; a much smaller version of tank plating which is limited to coin/ring sized metal items only. Parts are plated in small pots or containers, generally using 50-100ml of plating solution.

Brush plating &#; a form of electroplating whereby plating solution is brushed over a surface using a brush plating wand.

Pen plating &#; a form of electroplating whereby plating solution is applied to an surface via a pen plating wand fitted with a plating nib. Pen plating is a similar concept to brush plating, but this technique only allows for the plating of very small areas. Great for detailed work or selective plating on small sections of an object.

Anodes - metal sheets or rods that are placed inside a plating tank. Metal sheets are used for full tank plating, rods are often used in smaller tanks such as when mini tanking. Anodes are electrodes that provide a positive electrical charge to the plating solution. 

No, pen plating isn&#;t thick enough. Silver requires a &#;strike coat&#; of either Nickle or Palladium before the gold. Palladium is preferred due to Nickle allergies. Also a sufficient coat of Palladium prevents copper migration to the surface where you get tarnishing. We do 2 minutes in the Palladium to achieve this.

Are you interested in learning more about electroplating machine? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Setting up plating is not terribly difficult. Check with your supplier to see if they have jewelers who can answer your questions and help you. For example both Rio Grande and Stuller have this available. I found that very helpful when I started with plating.

Equipment has to include a rectifier which converts the AC from the outlet to the DC that plating requires. Small scale can be done in glass beakers or glass dishes. You can get an all in one set-up with multiple tanks and rectifier included. The budget can vary broadly. You might find plating machines in the thousands of dollars or buy the things needed for significantly less. I set up 2 lines that run production and the equipment can be minimal. We opted for NOT using plating machines because it&#;s easier to swap out equipment on an open line. Here&#;s your sequence:

Electro Cleaner (degreaser)>Rinse>Acid Dip (neutralizer)>Rinse>Palladium>Rinse>Gold>Final Rinse and steam or dry

All water MUST be distilled or deionized. You need at least one Rinse tank between baths (two is even better). Electro Cleaner, Palladium and Gold all need heat. There are non-cyanide based Gold solutions available. You would need anodes, which are the pieces of metal connecting the current to the liquid. Electro Cleaner uses stainless steel (some people use a stainless steel container so that becomes the anode, Palladium uses platinized titanium, most Gold can use either.

It is possible to be very safe and environmentally friendly in plating. I&#;ve set up several small production plating lines at our company and this is a must for a business. Best if you have an area that is dedicated to plating, it&#;s easier to keep from contaminating other things and easier set-up.

And after all that, it may be that sending your plating out is more economical and easier for you. There does have to be testing per your situation. Plating is easy once things are set up. I can train someone in an hour and they can run the plating line as long as someone can answer their questions, etc&#; If you REALLY want to learn plating, that is a steeper learning curve. There are very few resources (books) geared toward the contemporary small shop. Specific information is more easily acquired from other jewelers or suppliers.

Good Luck,

Ruthanne

Want more information on barrel nickel plating machine? Feel free to contact us.