Method for electroplating high-impact plastics
AssigneeLacks Industries, Inc.
InventorsRoger James Timmer, Lee Alan Chase
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for plating a high impact resistant plastic, particularly a polycarbonate substrate which has been modified with up to about 50 percent by weight of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. The surface of the plastic is first conditioned with a halogenated organic solvent conditioner, preferably 1-3-dichloro-2-propanol, prior to the electrochemical deposition of the desired metal layer.
Claims12
A method for electroplating a plastic article comprising the following steps:
- providing a substrate of a polycarbonate which has been modified with between about 15 percent and about 50 percent by weight of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene;
- conditioning a surface of said substrate with a halogenated hydrocarbon organic solvent conditioner at a temperature and for a duration sufficient to increase the amount of exposed acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene at said conditioned surface, said halogenated hydrocarbon organic solvent conditioner consisting of between about 5 and about 25 volume percent of a halogenated hydrocarbon in an aqueous medium, said halogenated hydrocarbon being chosen from the group consisting of halogenated alcohols, halogenated ketones and halogenated ethers;
- etching said conditioned surface of said substrate with a chromic acid-sulfuric acid solution at a temperature and for a duration sufficient to roughen said conditioned surface;
- electrolessly depositing a layer of a metal strike on said roughened and conditioned surface of said substrate;
- and
- electrochemically plating a metal onto said layer of said metal strike.
A method for electroplating a plastic article wherein the surface of the article is first treated with a solvent conditioner and then with a chromic acid-sulfuric acid etch, and the thus treated article is subsequently plated with a metal strike layer and electrochemically plated with a layer of metal, the improvement which comprises:
- said plastic is a polycarbonate modified with between about 15 percent and about 50 percent by weight of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and said solvent conditioner is chosen from the group consisting of between about 5 and about 25 volume percent of one of a halogenated alcohol, halogenated ketone and halogenated ether, wherein the treatment with the solvent conditioner increases the amount of exposed acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.