Metal Coatings on Plastic
14th November 2024
UK innovates metal coatings on plastic
As the UK continues to innovate on its manufacturing processes, metal coatings on plastic substrates have emerged as a fundamental innovation across industries, presenting a multitude of advantages and applications.
Precision and Innovation with Bowman XRF measurement systems
Metal coatings on plastics: precision, versatility, and Bowman XRF advantage
The Importance of Metal Coatings on Plastics
Metal coatings on plastics offer unique advantages that combine the best of both worlds—metals provide strength, electrical conductivity, or corrosion resistance, while plastics are lightweight and offer flexibility.
Whether to influence wear resistance for tools, robust barrier coatings in electronics, elevation of aesthetics in automotive manufacturing, and even the enhancement of electronic components within semiconductor devices, the interest in applying metal coatings on plastic substrates stems from the desire to achieve precision in thin film deposition with a diverse array of available coating materials.
With the rising utility of 3D printing, the precise coating of metallic alloys onto printed polymers has opened exciting avenues where traditional 3D-printed metals present a hurdle for businesses due to higher costs both in time and budget.
The Challenge: Accurately Measuring Thin Film Coatings
Whilst the application of these coatings has evolved significantly, measuring their thickness and composition has been a challenge, particularly with respect to thin or multi-layer coatings on polymer substrates.
Maintaining quality control is critical—too thin a coating may fail to meet performance standards, while too thick a coating may be wasteful and costly. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) is the preferred method for measuring coating thickness and composition.
It works by bombarding the coated plastic with high-energy X-rays, which cause the atoms in the coating to emit characteristic fluorescent X-rays. These emissions are then analysed to determine the coating’s thickness and elemental composition.
The process is non-destructive and provides critical data in minutes, whilst avoiding length preparations for more physical observations such as micro-sectioning.
The Bowman XRF Advantage: Precision, Speed, and Versatility
Traditional XRF systems have struggled to keep pace with the increasing demand for high precision in thin film coatings, particularly when it comes to detecting lighter elements or measuring ultra-thin layers. New generation systems such as those of the Bowman XRF series address the limitations of older XRFs by offering major advantages such as:
- Using standard solid state silicon drift detectors (SDD) for 5 times higher X-Ray energy resolution.
- Enhanced sensitivity for faster, more accurate measurements
- Close-couple geometry layout of the X-ray tube and detector provides lower detection limits, for enhanced precision for even the lightest of common elements (i.e., 13Aluminium)
For professionals working in high performance industries such as automotive, aerospace, and electronics, having the best-in-class equipment at their disposal offers a competitive advantage. It is here where SciMed and Bowman XRF offer a complete solution for speed, reliability, accuracy and precision.
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What Next?
For more information, or to arrange an equipment demonstration, please visit our dedicated Bowman XRF homepage
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