Making It by Lefteri Chris

Author:Lefteri, Chris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laurence King Publishing

– Excellent definition in detailing.

– Generates a uniform thickness of metal.

– Low tooling costs.

– An easy way to replicate existing products.

– High tolerance.

– Fairly slow and thus expensive.

Volumes of production

Due to the length of time it takes to load molds into the tank and produce the buildup of metal, this is not a process for high-volume or rapid production.

Unit price vs. capital investment

This is an economical way of reproducing designs that are intricately patterned without needing a large investment in tooling. The cost of electroforming is partly determined by the amount of metal used, so the final unit price will depend on the surface area of the mold and the thickness of the deposited metal.

Speed

Slow, but depends on the amount of metal to be deposited.

Surface

Due to the nature of this process (the fact that it uses a mold and parts are built up gradually from tiny ions), the surface pattern can be highly intricate.

Types/complexity of shape

An ideal process for making multiple units of complex, highly decorative shapes. Making the mold from materials such as wax, which can be melted out after electroforming, means undercuts are possible.

Scale

The only limitation is the size of the electrolyte bath that holds the mold.

Tolerances

Unlike other metal-forming techniques, electroforming can produce extremely high tolerances, where the buildup of material is exactly the same anywhere on the part. This is unlike when a piece of metal is bent, a process that creates thick areas of material in corners.

Relevant materials

Nickel, gold, copper, alloys such as nickel-cobalt, and other electroplateable alloys.

Typical products

A great deal of highly decorated, hollow Victorian silver tableware was produced using the technique. Today, it is still used for highly detailed silverware, but it is also used for technical laboratory apparatus and in musical instruments—a French horn, for example.

Similar methods

Simple electroplating, and as part of the micro-molding with electroforming process (see p.250).

Sustainability issues

One of the major concerns with electroforming lies in the use of toxic substances in the electrolyte solution. However, systems have been introduced in which a special cleaning process removes any chemicals and metals from the water, which enables it to be recycled back into the process to reduce waste. Despite this, electroforming is still energy intensive as it based upon the use of a continuous electrical charge and so has relatively slow production rates.

Further information

www.aesf.org

www.drc.com

www.ajtuckco.com

www.finishing.com

www.precisionmicro.com

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