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PROCESS DEVELOPMENT IN ELECTROPLATING
F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R M A N U F A C T U R I N G
E N G I N E E R I N G A N D A U T O M A T I O N I P A
DEVELOPMENT OF COATINGS AND PROCESSES FOR MODERN PRODUCTS
The development of coatings is traditionally understood as deve-
loping materials which enable customers to meet the ever increa-
sing demands on products and components. The ultimate goal
of process development is to provide a technology which either
ensures the deposition of metals or metal compounds by means of
novel techniques or continuously improves conventional processes.
For our customers, we develop plating materials that meet the needs
of a particular application and provide the processes necessary
for going into production.
Untapped potential in coating development
Electroplating offers opportunities to advance and adapt conven-
tional plating metals such as chrome, nickel, copper or zinc but also
to create new coating materials or multi-layer coatings from novel
processes, for example from dispersion coating or alloy plating.
WAYS OF DEVELOPING COATINGS
Dispersion coating
Dispersion coating refers to the deliberate inclusion of foreign
matter in electroplated coatings. These particles are generally
insoluble in the electrolyte used for electroplating, their diameter
ranging from nanometer scale up to 0.5 mm. There is a wide
variety of particles in use, from hard material to dry-film lubricants,
but it is also possible to include encapsulated liquids in the metal
coatings. By deliberately modifying the coating, it can be tailored
to specific requirements, opening up new fields of application.
Multilayer and gradient coatings
Multilayer and gradient coatings are best qualified to enable the
definition of specific coating properties. This is particularly true
for systems where the plating metal – and thus the electrolyte –
remains unchanged. So, simply by modulating the current, a
coating can be created with precisely defined properties that
may vary across the profile.
Alloy plating
Binary or ternary alloys are used in industry for decorative and
technical applications. New demands for an increased range of
properties or the ban of individual substances set the stage for
intensified development activities. The advantage of alloy coatings
is that the properties can be very precisely defined by adjusting
the composition. With alloy coatings, it is particularly important
to think ahead – already in the development phase – as to what
kind of industrial application is intended and what process window
is required.
THE PATH OF PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
Tools used in the development of electroplating processes typi-
cally include beakers, Hull cells or small standard equipment. They
are all limited in terms of reproducibility, information content, and
efficiency. For this reason, we have developed and implemented
a platform called »Fraunhofer IPA electrolyte test bench« which
realistically and accurately simulates industrial working conditions
on three-dimensional test specimens. In our technical center,
we have several of these systems available for process develop-
ment purposes.
A D V A N C E M E N T A N D O P T I M I Z A T I O N O F
C O N V E N T I O N A L P L A T I N G M E T A L S
CONTACT
Fraunhofer Institute for
Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA
Nobelstr. 12 | 70569 Stuttgart | www.ipa.fraunhofer.de
Director
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Bauernhansl
Your contact
Dr.-Ing. Martin Metzner
Head of Department
Phone +49 711 970-10 41
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Klaus Schmid
Deputy Head of Department
Phone +49 711 970-17 60
For more information please visit our website:
www.ipa.fraunhofer.de/electroplating
Constant electrolyte monitoring as part of process
development
To provide our customers with a process that is ready for
industrial application, the electrolytes are continuously
monitored and the chemicals being used are tested with
a view to long-term stability and performance characteris-
tics. In monitoring the electrolytes, either common analysis
methods are used or an analytical instruction is developed
that suit the needs of the process.
Standard coating characterization for coating and process
development
The coating properties are ranked among the key parameters
in coating and process development. We offer standardized
test specimens to our customers which can be tailored to
their process needs. With our defined analysis methods for
characterizing the coatings, we are in a position to quickly
establish how method and coating properties are related.
Transfer into small-scale production
An essential step in process development is to transfer the
results of new developments to production. As many com -
panies are equipped with manufacturing facilities only, they
cannot test new systems. We provide an opportunity to
map the complete electroplating process chain for serial
parts on our automated electroplating system – at a scale
of 60 liters.
Have we caught your interest?
Feel free to contact us – we look forward to your call or
your visit