Plating Additively Manufactured Plastic Parts
Using electroplating to enhance the structural properties of 3D printed parts.
RePliForm Inc. (Halethorpe, Md.) utilizes electroplating for more than just a final finish. The company has been a pioneer in electroplating non-conductive materials for more than 20 years, exploring ways to adapt electroplating processes to a variety of materials and complex geometries. The company worked with stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed parts and used electroplating to enhance the structural properties, effectively creating a metal-clad composite.
Related Content
-
NASF Foundation Research Project #123: Electrochemical Manufacturing for Energy Applications - 10th Quarterly Report
The NASF-AESF Foundation Research Board selected a project on electrodeposition toward developing low-cost and scalable manufacturing processes for hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysis cells for clean transportation and distributed power applications. In this period, we followed our work on 3D printing anode support for solid oxide fuel cells, focusing on the thermal shock properties of 3D printed yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ).
-
NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #123: Electrochemical Manufacturing for Energy Applications - 6th Quarter Report
The NASF-AESF Foundation Research Board selected a project on electrodeposition toward developing low-cost and scalable manufacturing processes for hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysis cells for clean transportation and distributed power applications. In this period, work focused on 3D printing anode support for solid oxide fuel cells, SOFC (or cathode for solid oxide electrolyzers, SOEC) based on our designed optimization outlined in the previous report.
-
NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #123: Electrochemical Manufacturing for Energy Applications – 4th and 5th Quarter Report
The NASF-AESF Foundation Research Board selected a project on electrodeposition toward developing low-cost and scalable manufacturing processes for hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysis cells for clean transportation and distributed power applications. During the reporting period, efforts were focused on planning the overall project work, with the eventual goal of manufacturing an improved design for a Solid oxide fuel cell anode supported flat tube (SOFC).
