CHROME PLATING

Chrome Plating with Borough

Widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading chrome plating specialists, Borough has built a strong reputation for its combination of quality and efficiency, utilising industry best practices to ensure high standards are consistently met and often exceeded.

Since its foundation in 1947, the firm has remained steadfast in its customer-centric approach, updating and modernising its injection moulding and chrome plating services to guarantee the highest quality components for a vast range of products.

What is Chrome Plating?

Chrome, formally known as chromium, is a natural element commonly used as a plating material due to the smooth, durable finish it provides.

There is a common misconception that a chrome finish can only be applied to metal parts, whereas in reality, chrome plating on plastic components is the only process undertaken here at Borough.

Over time, more customers prefer Borough to manage the creation of chrome plated components, starting with the design and injection moulding of the plastic substrate.

To maintain the quality on which our reputation is built, we continue to invest in the latest injection moulding equipment, including two-shot machines that combine plastics that can be plated with those that resist plating and therefore remain flexible.

This control over the components we produce, from design and moulding to plating and finishing, ensures we continue to deliver the highest quality chrome plating, favoured by the world’s leading brands.

Technology & Techniques

Our injection moulding shop includes a range of machines as well as tie-bar-less technology, which allows us to mould components of far larger size and consistency than would be expected of machines this size.

When choosing plastic chrome plating, the most obvious advantage is the weight saving with plastic moulded components. But consistency of finish as another advantage, with the first part off the line exact in every way to the millionth.

Traditionally, bright chrome plating was the classic finish for metal products, but the significant weight saving offered and consistency of manufacturing quality has ensured the majority of chrome-plated components in the automotive industry are in fact plastic.

More industries are benefiting from the advantages offered by chrome plated plastic components, with drinks and cosmetics packaging, bathroom and hygiene product manufacturers now utilizing the quality of chrome-plated plastic components.

Only the component itself is plastic, not the coating. There are paints, vacuum and foil finishes that offer a cheap approximation of a chrome finish, but few companies globally can apply a high-quality metallic chrome plating to plastic components – Borough leads the way.

Want to Find Out More About Chrome Plating?

If you have a project that would benefit from the quality, durability and weight-saving offered chrome plated plastic, get in touch to see how we can make your design a reality.

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Chrome Plating is a complicated process that requires a large number of steps, but in simple terms, first the plastic component must be made electrically conductive. In a chemical dipping process a layer of nickel is applied over catalytic palladium and copper layers.

Once the nickel layer has been applied the chrome plating is applied in another full immersion process, with a range of finishes available including satin or bright chrome and even coloured chromes.

There are an increasing number of applications where chrome plated plastic components deliver a range of advantages over traditional chrome on metal or other ‘metal-like’ finishes and you can discover more about the products we have produced: [link to case studies once created]

If you have a project that would benefit from the quality, durability and weight-saving offered by chrome plating on plastic, please get in touch and our in-house team will talk you through the steps to make your project a reality.

Product Testing

Our commitment to quality and manufacturing consistency is underpinned by our thorough product testing capabilities.

It is this determination to ensure every component meets the expected standards that has allowed us to cement our position as one of the world’s leading chrome platers of plastic components.

As part of the product testing process, we use micro-sectioning of plated components to assure customers that their unique specifications have been met. The information gathered during this process also allows our in-house team to accurately programme the parameters for future jobs.

The product testing department uses the following services:

Copper Accelerated Salt Spray (C.A.S.S.): Corrosion resistance testing
Humidity testing: Temperature/humidity testing
T.E.P. testing: Simultaneous thickness & electro potential testing, which tests the thickness of various nickel layers.
Thermocycling: Cyclical temperature testing, 40-90 degrees.
Micro sectioned, thickness testing: To analyse the thickness of the various plating layers
Adhesion testing: Adhesion strength of the plating to the plastic substrate
Drop tests: Chipping and fracture test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can plastic be chrome plated?

Yes, plastic components can be chrome plated. For many applications this is the increasingly popular choice for product designers, as it delivers enhanced design flexibility, whilst achieving a similar durability to that seen in chrome plating on metal.

Typically, the accuracy of manufacture with chrome plating on plastic injection moulded components is greater with less deviation between first and last, compared to similar metal parts. In quantity, it is also generally a more cost-effective option than other methods.

How does chrome plating on plastic work?

To successfully chrome plate plastic, we first coat the component in layers of copper and nickel before applying the chrome, which can be satin or bright in finish. This process can only be used with rigid plastic parts, typically ABS, since flexible plastic is weaker and therefore more susceptible to fractures. The chrome provides a corrosion resistant finish, with enhanced durability and the appealing shine we have all come to know and love.

What chrome finishes are available on plastic?

Whilst the traditional shiny finish of chrome is perhaps best known, the newer satin finish is favoured by many product designers, either as a contrast to bright chrome finish on a two-piece component or for automotive interiors, where bright shiny surfaces can be distracting. New techniques also allow for coloured tints to be created, which overlay the bright chrome to deliver a range of colours only constrained by the designers imagination. For interior applications, where durability is not as critical, the copper used as a base for the chrome, can be left as the final finish, to give designers even more latitude for their visions.

What plastic is best for chrome plating?

The properties of some plastics make them more suitable for electroplating than others. Whilst some plastics have a natural suitability, others must be blended together to reach the necessary requirements for plating. The most common plastic used in chrome plating is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS).

Although Nylon and Polypropylene can be successfully plated, about 90% of the world’s plastic plated components will use ABS. This thermoplastic polymer injection moulds precisely and consistently to ensure it is the go-to material when high quality chrome plated plastic components are need.

Can electroplated coatings flake or peel?

The peeling or flaking problems are more typically seen with cheap foil or paint applications and rarely a problem with chrome applied over nickel and copper to ABS plastic. However, it is critical that components that are to chrome plated are designed with the process in mind, as slight adjustments to designs can make a big difference to the quality of the finish product.

Can chrome plating rust?

Modern chrome plating on plastic components will not rust. There will sometimes be imperfections present in finished components, but these will be spotted and removed during the quality checking process. Each manufacturer will set limits for the size or amount of microscopic imperfections, but chrome plated plastic components will not degrade and rust like metal plated parts.

Can chrome plating be coloured?

Typically, chrome plating appears a shiny, silver colour, although changes in the plating process can produce a satin finish, often favoured by the designers of automotive interiors. New finishes also allow bright chrome to be ‘washed’ with coloured varnishes to create subtle colour changes that create a unique look and feel.

Get in Touch

If you’d like to learn more about our injection moulding or chrome plating services, then please get in touch and our in-house team will talk you through the steps to chrome perfection.