Azoth offers chrome plating and gold plating for finished metal parts. This page covers how plating thickness, masking and contact points affect your design.
Learn more about Finishing at Azoth
Plating at a Glance
| Plating types | Chrome plating, gold plating |
|---|---|
| Used for | Performance, durability, corrosion resistance and visual finish |
What to Send Us for Plating
- The plating type (chrome or gold) for each part
- The surfaces to plate and the surfaces to mask
- The cosmetic surfaces that must stay free of contact marks
Plating Design Rules
Plating Thickness and Tolerances
Plating adds material to every plated surface. Allow for it on tight fits, threads and mating faces, or mark those surfaces to be masked.
Edges, Recesses and Blind Holes
Plating does not build evenly. It grows faster on sharp outside edges and corners and thinner inside deep recesses and blind holes, so rounding outside edges and avoiding deep, narrow recesses on plated surfaces gives a more even finish.
Masking
Surfaces that must stay unplated need to be masked. Mark them clearly on your drawing.
Contact Points
Parts have to be held and electrically connected while they are plated, which can leave a small mark at each contact point. Tell us which surfaces are cosmetic so contact points can be placed elsewhere.
Surface Finish Before Plating
Plating follows the surface underneath and does not hide scratches or texture. For a bright, reflective plated finish, the part usually needs to be polished first.
Plating Pre-Flight Checklist
Review this list before you send your part.
- The plating type is called out on the drawing
- Masked surfaces are marked
- Tight fits and threads allow for plating thickness
- Outside edges on plated surfaces are rounded
- Cosmetic surfaces are identified so contact points can avoid them
Next Steps in the Azoth Workflow
The steps that can follow Plating in Azoth's vertically integrated workflow.
Still Have Questions?
Contact us today and our Applications Engineering team will get back to you as soon as possible.