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Quality You Can See
Wiotec®
REACH-compliant, chromium-VI-free and production-ready plastic finishing process for a wide range of plastics and specialty polymers
Welcome to the future
As a market innovation, we present you with a REACH-compliant (CrVI-free) and environmentally friendly plastic finishing process. This innovation, supported by the Effizienz-Agentur NRW and the European Union, enables the metallizing of specialty polymers and components using the 3D printing process. We have thereby taken on a pioneering role, especially in the field of resource and environmentally friendly process engineering.
With this newly developed process, it is now also possible to coat plastic substrates that were previously not able to be processed. This results in advantages both in the upstream and downstream value chain.
Materials can be exchanged for lighter materials, and surfaces can be achieved on substrates that were previously not possible. Consequently, entire product series can be manufactured more cost-effectively and in an environmentally friendly manner. This also opens up new possibilities in product design for our customers.
Coating of plastic substrates that were previously not able to be processed
What are the advantages of the process?
Applications
Replacement of metal housings for shielding
- Polyetherimid PEI still in testing
- Lignin Biomaterial
- Polyarylamid PARA e.g. IXEF® 1022
- Polyarylamid PARA e.g. IXEF® 2011
- Polyarylamid PARA e.g. IXEF® Para 1032
- POM still in testing
- CFK
- SLA Accura Extreme 3D print
- Polyphenylsulfon PPSU e.g. Radel® R
- Polyphenylsulfon PPSU e.g. Radel® NT
- ASA Acrylnitril-Styrol-Acrylat-Copolymer
- PU Pel-Urethane MU-52A/MU-52B similar to ABS
- Polyphenylensulfid e.g. Ryton® PPS still in testing
- Polyethersulfon PESU e.g. Veradel®
- Polysulfon PSU e.g. Udel®
- HPPA (high performance polymers) high-performance polyamides polyamide PA 6.6 with long glass fiber reinforcement e.g. Omnix®
- Polyetheretherketon PEEK e.g. Keta Spire®
- Polyimid e.g. Kapton®
- Polyamid (PA)
- Polyamid (PA6)
- Polyamid (PA12)
- Polyamid (PA2200 based on PA12) Laserinter
The new process for metallizing plastics: Conditioning / Sulfonation with gaseous sulphur trioxide (SO3)
The procedure utilized up to now
When talking about the electroplating of plastics, approximately 95% of these plastics were ABS or ABS/PC plastics, which were previously particularly suitable for electroplating.
Up to now, plastics were pickled (conditioned) in a mixture of chromic acid and sulphuric acid according to the latest technology in order to be able to subsequently store colloidal palladium in the etched cavities. This was the only manner that made it possible to apply an adhesive, galvanic coating.
Our new solution - the individual steps
Conditioning / sulfonation with gaseous SO3 in a closed system (without use of oleum)
Sulfonation with sulfur trioxide produced in situ means that the use of oleum can be dispensed with. The advantages of this process include REACH conformity, lower energy costs, the elimination of three to four active baths and, above all, the wide range of coatable plastics.
With this new technology, SO2 is converted into SO3 (advantage is that SO2 is available in gas cylinders in unlimited quantities and is very easy to handle) with air or oxygen over a vanadium pentoxide catalyst at 400-420 °C in situ and replaces the problematic oleum (logistics of which involve very complicated handling). Furthermore, a new absorber technology is used to completely remove the SO2 and SO3 used from the exhaust air and to comply with all mission values. In this way, no wastewater is produced during conditioning.
NEW
Wide range of coatable types of plastics.
To date, 95% of all coated plastics consist of ABS or ABS/PC blends, as the chromic acid pickling system was specially developed on the basis of these plastic types. In addition, up to now, so-called specialty polymers could only be coated with further pretreatment steps and sometimes with low adhesion values.
At the same time, however, it can be assumed that the demand for these engineering plastics will increase in a number of economic and industrial sectors. The increasing demand is mainly due to efforts to replace metals due to their weight. For example, the ever faster developing e-mobility requires more types of plastics to meet the increasing requirements. And this new process simplifies the coating of these specialty polymers when they are ready for series production.
Any questions? We’ll gladly assist you ...
Any questions?
We’ll gladly assist you ...
WIOTEC® Ense GmbH & Co. KG
Auf den Geeren 9-11
59469 Ense-Höingen, Germany
WIOTEC® Arnsberg GmbH & Co. KG
Wagenbergstraße 55
59759 Arnsberg, Germany
Phone
+49 2938 97833-0
Fax
+49 2938 97833-20
E-Mail
mailwiotec
From metal to precious metal
The company WIOTEC® is your specialist for surface finishing and metalworking. In our electroplating shop, which is managed according to the latest environmental standards, we are capable of finishing both small parts and long parts of up to six meters. This makes us one of the leading and most efficient decorative surface coaters in Europe.
Our most important resource is our employees - with their commitment, competence and experience. Together with them, we work out and develop individual and tailor-made solutions for our customers. From detailed consultation and planning to purchasing, mechanical and chemical pre-treatment, professional electroplating and supplementary services - WIOTEC®'s range of services leaves nothing to be desired.
© 2020 - WIOTEC® - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
© 2020 - WIOTEC® - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Brochures, data sheets, etc.