---
title: 'The Process'
url: 'https://www.camyerelectroplating.com/process'
markdown: 'https://www.camyerelectroplating.com/process.md'
date: '2026-10-01'
description: 'How electroplating works: metal salts, direct current and electro-deposition explained by CaMyer Electroplating.'
---

The idea & the process

# How electroplating works

A metal salt solution, a DC power source and a lot of know-how. Here’s what happens when your parts go into the tank.

Inside the line

## From raw part to finished finish

1. 01 ### Clean

    Oils, scale and soils are stripped so the new metal bonds directly to the part.
2. 02 ### Activate

    A quick acid dip removes oxides and readies the surface for plating.
3. 03 ### Electro-deposit

    With the part as the cathode, current drives metal ions out of solution and onto the part.
4. 04 ### Post-treat

    Chromates, passivates, sealants or baking lock in the protection.
5. 05 ### Verify

    Thickness and appearance are inspected before parts are packed and shipped.

   ![Parts in mesh bags submerged in an agitated blue plating bath, hanging from rack bars](https://www.camyerelectroplating.com/user/pages/03.process/plating-bath-wide.jpg) In the tank

## Current, chemistry and care

Clean parts, a balanced bath and steady DC current: that is how an even, durable finish is built.

## The science in plain terms

**Electroplating** uses a solution of a metal salt and an electrical direct current to coat an electrically conductive item with a layer of that metal. The process that makes it happen is called **electro-deposition**, and it works like a battery (a galvanic cell) running in reverse.

The part to be coated is placed in a tank containing a solution of one or more metal salts and is connected to an electrical circuit. When current passes through the circuit, electrons moving through the solution drive a chemical reaction: the dissolved metal is reduced to its ground state, becoming **pure metal** rather than a metal compound, and it deposits on the part, covering it in an even layer.

## Electroplating vs. other finishes

Electroplating *adds* metal to a part. That sets it apart from **electropolishing**, which removes a thin layer to smooth and brighten a surface, and from **anodizing**, which grows an oxide layer out of the base metal itself, usually on aluminum.

## Ready to finish your next run?

Send us your prints with certification requirements, or drop off a sample part, and we’ll get back to you with a free estimate.

 [Request a Free Estimate ](https://www.camyerelectroplating.com/contact#quote) [417-859-4461](tel:+14178594461)

---

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