Sheet Metal Plating Versus Sheet Metal Anodizing: Comparison

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By Roy van Rivero


There are two popular methods involved in metal finishing - defined as the deposition of a metallic coating on a metallic or non-metallic substrate or the application of an organic coating to a metallic or non-metallic substrate to enhance both the performance and appearance - namely, the sheet metal plating and sheet metal anodizing. For the general public, discussing these topics might not be that important but, to a person who is doing a metal-related business or working in a manufacturing company that uses metal as a main material in the production, this is imperative.

To be able to understand more about the above-mentioned topic, we are to discuss here the difference between the two processes:

Sheet metal plating -- is what is used to deposit a metal coating on the surface or the outer most layer of a substrate (metal). As a result, the treated material will become more corrosion resistant and has an improved solderability and wearability. In addition to that, the process also reduces friction on the substrate's surface and improves paint adhesion property.

Sheet metal plating (or metal plating, in general) has two major types - (1) electroplating and (2) electroless plating. Using electric current, the former is employed to supply electrons to a metal to form a non-ionic coating on the surface of the substrate; the latter, which is also known as auto-electrolytic plating, facilitates a surface treatment process that does not need electric current. POP or the plating on pop and PCB or the printed circuit board manufacturing companies are the largest users of this process.

Sheet metal anodizing -- an electrolytic passivation process that is utilized to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer of a substrate. Just like the sheet metal plating, it increases the corrosion resistance, better adhesion for paint, as well as the surface hardness of the treated metal. Aluminum is the most common material that is treated using the anodizing process.

To summarize, I would say that, while the two processes are employed to improve a substrate's resistance corrosion property, wearability, adhesion for paint, as well as sturdiness, the two are pretty different, specifically in the materials used in coating process. Plating utilizes other material (e.g. zinc plating) to coat the substrate; on the other hand, anodizing does not...it simply changes the surface of the material being treated through what is called electrolytic passivation -- that is, without changing the substrate's chemical composition.




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