HighTech Finishing recently expanded its facility and added 15 new tanks to enable the company to offer plating on plastic.
“Many aviation manufacturers are employing new methods to decrease aircraft weight and using plastic can be one of the options,” explains Rick Niefield, vice president of marketing at HighTech. “With these new plastic components comes a need for decorative plating that will provide the same look and durability as plating on metal components. With our recent processing line expansion, HighTech can now plate virtually all interior items made of plastic.”
There are a variety of plastic substrates that HighTech can plate but the most common is those made of ABS-type material. HighTech acid etches each part for a stronger adhesion rather than using a sandblast method that may damage intricate aviation parts.
This fall, HighTech also enhanced its standard finishes with a micro-porous chrome. This chrome is visually similar to decorative chrome but on the molecular level, micro-porous chrome has tighter pores that provide added corrosion resistance. This finish is an excellent choice for exterior decorative parts such as handrails and there is no additional cost or turn time for micro-porous chrome.