Surface treatment is a method of artificially forming a surface layer on the surface of a base material with 

mechanical, physical and chemical properties different from that of the base.

The purpose of surface treatment is to meet the corrosion resistance, wear resistance,

decoration or other special functional requirements of the product.

Commonly used surface treatment processes include: vacuum electroplating, electroplating

process, anodizing, electrolytic polishing, pad printing process, galvanizing process, powder

coating, water transfer printing, screen printing, electrophoresis, etc.

①Vacuum plating

Vacuum plating is a physical deposition phenomenon. That is, argon gas is injected in a

vacuum state, and the argon gas hits the target material, and the target material is separated

into molecules that are adsorbed by conductive goods to form a uniform and smooth imitation

metal surface layer.

Process cost: In the process of vacuum plating, the workpiece needs to be sprayed,

loaded, unloaded and re-sprayed, so the labor cost is quite high, but it also depends on the

complexity and quantity of the workpiece.

②Electropolishing

Electropolishing is an electrochemical process in which atoms of a workpiece immersed in

an electrolyte are converted into ions and removed from the surface due to the passage of an

electric current, thereby achieving the effect of removing fine burrs and increasing the

brightness of the workpiece surface.

Process cost: The whole process of electrolytic polishing is basically completed

automatically, so the labor cost is very low. Environmental impact: Electrolytic polishing uses

less harmful chemicals. The whole process requires a small amount of water and is easy to

operate. In addition, it can prolong the properties of stainless steel and delay corrosion of

stainless steel.

③Galvanizing process

A surface treatment technology that coats a layer of zinc on the surface of steel alloy

materials for aesthetics and anti-rust effects. The zinc layer on the surface is an

electrochemical protective layer that can prevent metal corrosion. The main methods used are

hot-dip galvanizing and Galvanized.

Process cost: no mold cost, short cycle/medium labor cost, because the surface quality of

the workpiece largely depends on the manual surface treatment before galvanizing.

④Electroplating process

The process of attaching a layer of metal film to the surface of parts by electrolysis, so as

to prevent metal oxidation, improve wear resistance, conductivity, light reflection, corrosion

resistance and enhance aesthetics. The outer layer of many coins is also electroplated. .

Process cost: no mold cost, but fixtures are required to fix the parts / time cost depends on

temperature and metal type / labor cost (medium-high), depends on the type of specific plating

parts, such as silverware and jewelry plating requires extremely It is operated by highly skilled

workers because of its high requirements on appearance and durability.

⑤Water transfer printing

It is a way to print the color pattern on the transfer paper on the surface of the

three-dimensional product by using water pressure. With the improvement of people’s

requirements for product packaging and surface decoration, the use of water transfer printing

is becoming more and more extensive.

Process cost: There is no mold cost, but multiple products need to be water-transferred at

the same time using fixtures, and the time cost generally does not exceed 10 minutes per

cycle.

⑥Screen printing

Through the extrusion of the scraper, the ink is transferred to the substrate through the

mesh of the graphic part, forming the same graphic as the original. Screen printing equipment

is simple, easy to operate, easy to print and plate-making, with low cost and strong

adaptability.

Process cost: The mold cost is low, but it still depends on the number of colors, because

each color needs to be plate-made separately. Labor costs are high, especially when it comes

to multi-color printing.

⑦Anodizing 

The anodic oxidation of aluminum is mainly based on the electrochemical principle to form

a layer of Al2O3 (aluminum oxide) film on the surface of aluminum and aluminum alloy. This

layer of oxide film has special characteristics such as protection, decoration, insulation, and

wear resistance.

Process cost: In the production process, the consumption of water and electricity is quite

large, especially in the oxidation process. The heat consumption of the machine itself needs to

be continuously cooled by circulating water, and the power consumption per ton is often around

1000 degrees.

⑧Metal wire drawing

It is a surface treatment method that forms lines on the surface of the workpiece by

grinding the product to achieve a decorative effect. According to the different textures after

wire drawing, it can be divided into: straight wire drawing, chaotic wire drawing, corrugated,

and swirling.

Process cost: The process method is simple, the equipment is simple, the material

consumption is very little, the cost is relatively low, and the economic benefit is high.

⑨In-mold decoration

It is a molding method that puts the pattern-printed diaphragm into the metal mold, injects

the resin for molding into the metal mold and joins the diaphragm, and makes the

pattern-printed diaphragm and the resin integrated and solidified into a finished product.

Process cost: only need to open a set of molds, which can reduce costs and man-hours,

high-automatic production, simplified manufacturing process, one-time injection molding

method, and achieve molding and decoration at the same time.

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