Z810
System
User
Manual
Z
Corporation
Z Corporation Service (781) 852-5050 / (887) 88-ZCORP
67
9.4 ELECTROPLATING
Parts printed on the 3D printer on either starch or plaster can be
easily prepared and electroplated for the look and feel of a metal
part
.
Preparation
Preparation is the most important step in producing a good
electroplated surface.
1. Both starch and plaster-based powder parts can be used as the base
parts for electroplating. Parts should be well infiltrated with
cyanoacrylate resin or epoxy and sanded with 220-grit sandpaper.
Do
not wax the parts.
2. Spray parts with a sandable primer (such as Rust-Oleum Auto Primer),
let dry, and sand again. In order to create a smooth metal finish, the
part must be sanded as smooth as possible.
3. Once sanded to satisfaction, clean the part with a damp paper towel.
4. To aid in the spraying process, and make it easier to get a good
contact when plating, it is a good idea to attach wire before painting the
parts. Wire can be attached to any non-visible surface with
cyanoacrylate resin.
5. After the wire is securely attached, spray the entire part, including the
wire, with a conductive paint. There are a variety of conductive paints
on the market such as Agri Systems Non-Stick Graphite Paint, or
Dalmar Easyplate Copper Conductive Paint.
6. The conductive coating is critical to good plating. Spray all parts well
and evenly. Do not leave any surface un-coated. Be especially
careful of where the part is held while you spray it. Do a second
coating to cover these spots.
Plating
•
While any electroplating shop should be able to plate the parts at this
point, it is a good idea to find a shop that has experience with plating
nonconductors, when possible.
During the plating process, the first bath will be a copper strike. This bath will
use a relatively low current. The paint you use may come with directions for
the current and voltage that should be used for this coating. If not, a good
guideline is to start at 1 to 2 amps/square foot and increase that amount as the
part starts to plate. Once this first layer has been plated, the following coats
can be plated as normal. If the surface is not leveling, it can be sanded in
between baths to help get a shiny finish.
Contacts
If you would like to have a part plated, we recommend contacting Jason
Channell at Associated Electroplaters, Inc. Phone Number (248) 547-5520.