We are the foremost Plastic Chrome Plating specialist in Australia.

At Chrometech we have designed a special process on electroplating plastic and fibreglass car parts and any other non-conductive materials.
We Chrome Plate all types of plastics, fibreglass and resin. Any material can be plated.
We electroplate plastic interior and exterior car parts up to 1.3 meters.
Our specialty is theChrome Platingof plastic dashes, dash boards, arm rests, vents, mirrors, plastic door handles, plastic grills on cars and plastic motorcycle parts.

The term Electroplating means the coating of an object with a thin layer of metal by use of electricity.
(We do not vacuum-metallise. Vacuum metallising is the process of evaporating a film of metal onto products under a vacuum.)

The process of Electroplating on Plastic is more difficult than performing the same operation on a metal.
It is a very specialized field.
Depending on the finish, the item has to be treated and prepped and then followed by a lengthy electroplating process.

The procedure used when electroplating plastic and other non metal items entails thoroughly cleaning, smoothing and repairing of any scratches or cracks.
The items are then covered with a special conductive gold coating and allowed to dry. Areas that don't require plating can be left uncoated with a special non-conductive paint applied to prevent the plating from occurring in that area.

The staff at Chrometech have over 40 years of experience in all areas of electroplating. We have an excellent reputation with our customers in the car industry and with car lovers who want to make there pride shine.

THE 10 STEP GUIDE TO ELECTROPLATING CHROME ON PLASTIC AND FIBREGLASS.

1. Every plastic or fibreglass car part that is sent in for chrome electroplating is evaluated to determine exactly what process will be used. This is decided predominantly by the type of material the quality and condition of the surface.

2. The parts are stripped using a caustic or solvent mix to remove any paint or other unwanted debris from the surface.

3. After stripping, the components are checked for damage and repaired where necessary. This includes filling gaps or reconstructing missing parts- This is a huge job for some items.

4. Any areas which do not require plating are then carefully masked off with a tape.

5. Electrodes are placed to ensure an even coating across the surface to be electroplated . Placement is critical to protect against build-ups in some areas and an uneven finish overall.

6. The parts are now coated with three layers of primer to ensure adhesion of the conductive paint to applied later. (Both the primer and the conductive paint are formulated in-house)

7. After the primer is allowed to dry overnight, three coats of conductive paints are then applied and given 24 hours to dry completely.

8. The components are then placed into a copper plating tank for eight to nine hours where it is gently agitated to obtain an even coating of copper that’s 50-250 microns thick, depending upon material and application.

9. The next step is to place it in the nickel tank for approximately one hour to achieve a coating of nickel 20-30 microns thick.

10. The thinnest layer is actually the chrome itself, which is added as the last step in the process.

NOTE:

The finished items look every bit as good as it would have when first produced, and is a huge improvement on the pitted and faded parts which were sent in originally.

Practically anything can be Electro Chrome plated.

IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT, WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Our turn around is 4-6 weeks.
Urgent orders can be accommodated at a higher charge.