Types of Metal Coatings for Stampings

Pre-plated

Pre-plating handles all raw materials before stamping, which is usually cheaper than plating each part. However, pre-plated material may be affected by the stamping process, resulting in unplated areas such as edges and sides, which may require further manipulation to meet specification requirements.

spot welding

When precious metals require electrical conductivity, spot plating is usually chosen to minimize material usage and expense.

After plating

Post-plating is done after stamping to improve the part's appearance or function in harsh environments. Parts plated on reel-to-reel carriers will have exposed areas where the carrier is separated from the part, which should be considered up front.

Some metal stamping parts also need to be stamped first, then electroplated, and finally stamped. This is also done to reduce the cost of precious metals or to reduce exposure of bent terminals during barrel plating. It's also an advantage if manufacturers want to form and fix parts in their factories to feed them into their automation systems.

Precious Metal Plating

The metal stamping itself may be made of non-ferrous metals such as copper, and the precious metal coating is only used for connection points. These metals are often used in applications that require high reliability for product safety, such as precision electronics used to mitigate collisions in automobiles. Conversely, electroplating with non-precious materials such as copper, nickel, or tin may be suitable for applications that transmit signals, such as headlamps, turn signals, and radio switches.

metal plating process

Choose the ideal metal coating process based on the stamped metal material, part type and coating location. For complex stampings, electroplating is usually done in a roll-to-roll operation, especially spot plating. Barrel plating is a lower cost process that provides bulk plating.