User manual

Z Corporation Z406 System User Manual
58 Z Corporation Service [phone]/(877)88-ZCORP
6.4 ELECTROPLATING
Parts printed on the Z406 3D Printer can be easily prepared and electroplated for the look and feel of
a metal part.
Preparation
Preparation is the most important step in producing a good electroplated surface.
1. Both starch and plaster-based powder parts can be used as the base parts
for electroplating. Parts should be well infiltrated with cyanoacrylate resin or
epoxy and sanded with 220-grit sandpaper. Do not wax the parts.
2. Spray parts with a sandable primer (such as Rust-Oleum Auto Primer), let
dry, and sand again. In order to create a smooth metal finish, the part must
be sanded as smooth as possible.
3. Once sanded to satisfaction, clean the part with a damp paper towel.
4. To aid in the spraying process, and make it easier to get a good contact
when plating, it is a good idea to attach wire before painting the parts. Wire
can be attached to any non-visible surface with cyanoacrylate resin.
5. After the wire is securely attached, spray the entire part, including the wire,
with a conductive paint. There are a variety of conductive paints on the
market (such as Agri Systems Non-Stick Graphite Paint, as well as Dalmar
Easyplate Copper Conductive Paint).
6. The conductive coating is critical to good plating. Spray all parts well and
evenly. Do not leave any surface un-coated. Be especially careful of where
the part is held while you spray it. Do a second coating to cover these
spots.
Plating
While any electroplating shop should be able to plate the parts at this point, it is a good
idea to find a shop that has experience with plating nonconductors, when possible.
During the plating process, the first bath will be a copper strike. This bath will use a
relatively low current. The paint you use may come with directions for the current and
voltage that should be used for this coating. If not, a good guideline is to start at 1 to 2
amps/square foot and increase that amount as the part starts to plate. Once this first
layer has been plated, the following coats can be plated as normal. If the surface is not
leveling, it can be sanded in between baths to help get a shiny finish.
Contacts
If you would like to have a part plated, we recommend contacting Jason Channell at Associated
Electroplaters, Inc. Phone Number [phone].