Electroplating
Industry leading electroplated wires
Luvata offers electroplating as a service and custom-made electroplated wires. The new state-of-art plating line in our Branford CT, USA manufacturing facility, offers numerous high-quality plating options.
Plating options include Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), and Tin (Sn) as single layer or multi-layers. The industry applications for plated wire include electronics and electrical connectors, automotive connectors and terminals, including data connectivity systems and power distribution boxes, and e-mobility including EV production, charging infrastructure and energy storage.
High-performance electroplating
In the manufacture of electroplated wires, dirt, debris and heavily oxidized areas can interrupt or hamper plating adhesion, leading to isolated defects that can be difficult to detect, and detrimental to end-use applications. Typical industry electroplating applications utilize a single cleaning and degreasing section to prep the wire surface. As chemistry removes oxides and contaminants during processing, the effectiveness is gradually diminished, increasing the risk of wire sections or single points being inadequately cleaned. Luvata – Branford’s installation utilizes two separate electro-degreasing sections, ensuring the wire to be plated will always be exposed to a high performing degreasing and cleaning chemistry.
Our plating line in Branford utilizes a modern design in mechanical, control, and monitoring systems to ensure high quality of plated wires. Our plating line starts with two separate alkaline bipolar degreasing sections to clean and prep the wire surface. Acid activation ensures uniform surface preparation for optimal adhesion. Rapid agitation in each plating bath ensures uniform plating thicknesses. The electroplating system utilizes a combination of air wipes and a 5-step rinses at each stage, preventing carryover contamination between plating segments.
Alloys
- High performance copper alloys: C151, C19210, C194, C197
- Copper: C101, C102, C110
- Brass: C210, C220, C230, C260
- Phosphorous bronzes: C510, C511, C519, C521
Specifications
Shape Specifications
• Round wire 0.010” to 0.100” (0.25 mm - 2.5 mm)
• Square wire 0.010” to 0.0600” (0.254 mm - 1.52 mm)
• Flat rectangular wire thickness from 0.001” - 0.125” (0.025 mm - 3.2 mm) width 0.005” - 0.500” (0.125 mm - 13 mm)
Plating specifications
• Nickel (Ni) 0 – 5.0 μm (0 – 200 μin)
• Copper (Cu) 0 – 3.8 μm (0 – 150 μin)
• Tin (Sn) 0 – 10.0 μm (0 – 400 μin)
Plating options
• Single layer: nickel, copper or tin
• Multi-layer: Ni-Sn, Cu-Sn, Ni-Cu-Sn (other layer configurations available upon request)
