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Electroforming, as distinguished from Electroplating

Posted: 03 Apr 2013, 04:41
by Fonotec
Luigi Brugnatelli is the father of electrodeposition. His first efforts at using a Voltaic pile to cause ions to deposit on metal in an aqueous solution were at the very beginning of the 19th Century in Italy. Although his first efforts involved electroplating, the related, but different pursuit, known as electroforming, is what is done when making vinyl records - "plating" of the mandrel doesn't happen (although the Silver that was sprayed onto the lacquer mandrel reverse-plaques to the Nickel which is being deposited onto it).

Electroforming is much harder to "pull off" than is electroplating, even though the electroform parts from the mandrel with relative ease.

Re: Electroforming, as distinguished from Electroplating

Posted: 03 Apr 2013, 06:35
by 13104P1
I agree with your logic. Of course, most facilities which make stampers prefer to say "plating," for some odd reason. Must be the plosive "p," which is more aggressive than a fricative, "f," which might feel a little flimsy across the lips. 0; In fact, even Spiro and Lowenheim sometimes use the word, plating, as in "plating bath" when they really only mean to say, electrodeposition bath. It's not easy to keep the language classy... Vulgarity seems to own the babbleworx. Keep up the good word sleuthing, Serif.


- 1310AP1

Re: Electroforming, as distinguished from Electroplating

Posted: 03 Apr 2013, 19:06
by Bobxxx
"Vulgarity seems to own the babbleworx" ....brilliant line. I mean this sincerely; and of mr serif, the slueth of correct terms: I always left his sessions smarter than when I walked in.

Re: Electroforming, as distinguished from Electroplating

Posted: 10 May 2015, 13:53
by Dr3d Sl3d
Paraphrasing a paragraph from an article by George Di Bari in the ASM Handbook, Volume 5, "Surface Engineering," from 1994:

Nickel electroforming is electrodeposition applied to the manufacture of Nickel products of
various kinds and differs from electroplating in one major respect. In electroplating, the coating
is metallurgically bonded to the substrate and is an integral part of the surface.
In electroforming, Nickel is deposited onto a mandrel, or mold, non-adherently, so that the Nickel can be separated
from the mandrel when it is removed from the aqueous solution. Electroforming also requires that the
aqueous solution be much cleaner than that which is required for electroplating. A common benchmark is that there be no more
than 5 ppm organic contaminants in the bath.
Electroforming applications include the fabrication of molds and dies, mesh, and other products that are indispensable to operations in the textile, aerospace, communication, electronics, automotive, photocopying and entertainment industries [Hello].

SaĆ¹de,
Dr3d Sl3d