Front Grills

Plastics are light, corrosion-free and can be formed to virtually any shape. Even complex components can be cost effectively produced in volume. A metal surface gives plastics a high quality and decorative appearance. This is why the advantages of plating on plastics are being appreciated in the automotive industry. Most of modern car front grills today are made of plated plastic, mostly ABS polymers. To convert this piece of plastic into a functional and decorative grill, several steps are necessary.

Typical Process Sequence with Recommended Products (Common application):

Substrate	>> ABS and ABS/PC blends
Cleaning	>> Optional
Etching	>> Chromic sulphuric acid
Reduction	>> Futuron® CR Reducer
Pre Dip Activation	>> Noviganth® AK Activator or Noviganth® PL Activator
Accelerator	>> Noviganth® AK Accelerator Plus
Electroless Ni	>> Noviganth® LFS or Noviganth® Ni HC, Ni Strike
Acid Copper	>> Cupracid® PL or other Cupracid® or CuFlex® process
Semi-Bright Nickel	>> Mark 90
High-Sulfur Nickel	>> HSA 60
Bright Nickel	>> UniBrite B-100 or Makrolux® NF
Microporous Nickel	>> NiPore® 50K
Bright Chromium	>> Bright Chromium Bath CR 843

or Additional Application and Finishes (also used for other internal or external parts):

Instead of Noviganth® AK process	>> Futuron® process
Satin Nickel instead of Bright Nickel	>> Satilume® Plus AF or Velours® Nickel
Bright Chromium Alternatives	>> TriChrome® Plus & TriSeal® I or TriChrome® White & TriSeal® I or TriChrome® Smoke & TriSeal® I