First of all, the basic principle of electroplating is the electrolytic process. Place the pet transparent electroplating pump lotion bottle in the electroplating tank as the cathode, and the anode is usually a soluble metal (such as nickel plate) or an insoluble electrode (such as graphite). The electroplating solution is a solution containing metal ions to be plated (such as nickel ions), conductive salts, buffers, additives and other components. When direct current is applied, an oxidation reaction occurs at the anode, and metal atoms lose electrons and enter the solution to form metal ions; while at the cathode, the metal ions in the solution gain electrons and are reduced to metal atoms, and are deposited on the surface of the PET bottle, gradually forming an electroplating layer.
The composition of the electroplating solution is the primary key control point. The concentration of the main salt needs to be precisely controlled. Too high a concentration may cause the coating to be coarsely crystallized and prone to dendrites; too low a concentration will slow down the deposition rate and affect production efficiency. Conductive salts are used to improve the conductivity of the electroplating solution and ensure uniform current distribution. The amount of conductive salts also needs to be reasonably allocated. The role of the buffer is to maintain the stability of the pH value of the plating solution and prevent the quality of the coating from being affected by pH fluctuations. Additives such as brighteners and levelers can improve the appearance and physical properties of the coating. The types and amounts of different additives must be strictly screened and tested.
The control of current density is also crucial. Too high a current density will cause the coating to burn and loosen, and the bonding force with the surface of the PET bottle will deteriorate; while too low a current density will result in too slow a deposition rate and uneven coating thickness. The appropriate current density range needs to be determined based on factors such as the material, shape, size of the PET bottle and the formula of the plating solution.
Temperature has a significant effect on the electroplating process. Generally speaking, increasing the temperature can speed up the diffusion of ions and thus increase the deposition rate, but too high a temperature may cause the decomposition of additives to fail, the plating solution to evaporate too quickly, and may also cause coarse crystals in the coating. Therefore, the temperature of the plating solution should be controlled within a relatively stable and appropriate range.
The electroplating time needs to be precisely controlled. If the time is too short, the coating thickness will not meet the requirements, and good protection and decorative effects cannot be achieved; if the time is too long, it will not only waste resources, but also may cause cracking and peeling due to increased stress in the coating.
The pretreatment of the surface of pet transparent electroplating pump lotion bottle is a link that cannot be ignored. Thorough degreasing, roughening, sensitization and activation treatments are required. Degreasing is to remove impurities such as oil stains on the surface of the bottle, roughening can increase the surface roughness and improve the adhesion of the coating, and sensitization and activation are to form catalytically active sites on the surface of the bottle to promote the deposition of metal ions.
In addition, stirring during the electroplating process is also very important. Proper stirring can make the composition of the electroplating solution uniform and avoid uneven coating caused by local concentration differences, but too fast stirring speed may introduce bubbles and affect the quality of the coating. In short, only by strictly controlling these key control points can high-quality pet transparent electroplating pump lotion bottle be produced.
