Reliability
High quality production delivery
Excellent selectivity
New highly selective activators
No rack metallization
Eliminates rack metallization
- Excellent stability – no precipitation in concentrates and working solutions
- Wide working window and versatile process
- Used for ABS, ABS/PC, etc.
- Suitable for plating on 2K components
- Eliminates rack metallization
- Enhanced tolerance to variations in rack coatings
- Extended solution lifetime, less maintenance
- Designed for automatic lines
- Stable and consistent processing
- Highly suitable for a wide range of application including automotive, sanitary, white goods, consumer goods and cosmetics finishes
- Versatile process used for ABS, ABS/PC, 2K components, etc.
Adhemax®
Setting the standard for decorative plating on plastics
With its first appearance on the international market, Adhemax® introduced a new era for conventional plating on plastics. Nowadays, Adhemax® is still setting standards, with new highly selective activators and electroless processes for plating on plastic processes for decorative applications.
Capable of handling most plateable ABS, PP and ABS/PC blends, Adhemax® is a versatile, high quality process with outstanding selective plating properties. Compared to other plating on plastic processes on the market, Adhemax® is extremely stable and offers excellent selectivity on 2K components.
Additionally, it does not produce precipitation in concentrates and working solutions and eliminates rack metallization. It is also makes it possible to work with boric acid and ammonia-free electroless nickels.
Main process steps
Etching
The etching phase sets the scene for quality processing of plastic materials. The parameters of the solution are set according to the specific plastic part and as an option Adhemax® Additive CR can be added optionally to improve etching and Pd adsorption on complex parts.
Neutralization
Adhemax® Neutralizer CR works to neutralize any Cr(VI) left over from the etching phase, extending the lifetime of the activator.
Activation
As a complement to the standard Adhemax® Activator SF – a tried-and-trusted, high performing activator capable of handling most platable plastic substrates – the Adhemax® Activator IN adds a new dimension to the process with a special focus on selectivity and processing of 2K components.
Acceleration
Adhemax® accelerators will efficiently expose Pd which will work as a catalyst for the subsequent electroless step.
Electroless nickel plating
Electroless nickel provides the conductive layer necessary for the electroplating of plastics. Apart from the standard Adhemax® Ni LFS, our lead-free and boric acid-free Adhemax® Ni U or our lead-free, boric-free and ammonia-free Adhemax® NiLow are used to produce uniform, light and slightly bright electroless nickel layers.
Conventional plating Adhemax®
Cleaning (optional)
Etching + Adhemax® Additive CR)
Adhemax® Neutralizer CR
Pre-dip
Adhemax® Activator SF /
Adhemax® Activator IN
Adhemax® Accelerators
Adhemax® Ni LFS / Adhemax® NiLow / Adhemax® Ni U
Immersion Cu / Cu strike or Ni strike
Electroplating
What inspires us
Why we developed Adhemax®
Your challenge
Metal provides plastics with a distinguished decorative appearance. To deliver that appealing surface on plastics, however, requires a reliable plating process, ideally with a wide working window. Customers also request additional features like excellent selectivity for 2K components or being able to handle exotic materials.
Our solution
In response to challenges related to the metallization of plastics, we introduced Adhemax®. Since then we have continously improved the process, for example recently with highly selective activators. Adhemax® is a reliable process for conventional plating on a large range of plastic materials including ABS, PP and ABS/PC blends, and delivers the highest quality.
