About us
About us
We are the market leaders in functional coating of high-temperature polymers with metals
Competence for high-tech materials
We are a German Company offering market-leading competence in manufacturing and supplying coated polymer parts with functional metal surfaces. Our products are developed to suit customer requirements, brought to production status, and manufactured in both small and large volumes. We define ourselves as a full-service provider with a strict focus on customer needs.
Advantages
Advantages
High-tech products based on polymers with metallic properties
A proven model for success
Metal-plated polymers are a success story with a decades-long track record in the automotive and sanitation industries. They are used for complex yet high-volume parts which need to fulfil demanding aesthetic criteria and be pleasant to handle.
A natural connection
Nature itself shows us the way: the peel of a lemon, the bark of a tree, or human skin. Optimized properties can only be achieved by combining materials in an intelligent way. For metal-plated polymers that means typical metallic qualities like excellent conductivity, wear, and corrosion resistance in combination with outstanding flexibility and precision in shape.
Added value through function
Metal plated polymers don't just look shiny, but offer diverse functionalities as well. Whether you need light-weight construction, shielded housings, HF-antennas, filters, or components with strong resistance to wear with special vibrational properties, metal-plated polymers are often the best choice.
Know-how & experience: the key to success
The sheer range of metal-plated polymer options can make choosing between them daunting, but by combining the right polymer with the right manufacturing method and coating technology, we can find the optimal solution for your requirements. With our long years of experience in manufacturing metal coatings on polymers and our expertise in the science and technology behind the process, we can provide exactly the right solution for you across a full range of available technologies.
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Products
Products
Let us inspire you!
to suit customer needs
We will keep you informed about new applications and provide you with tailor-made solutions for your requirements.
Light-weight construction and complex geometries
Light-weight construction and complex geometries
Metal plated polymers allow for weight reductions of up to 50% compared to light metals. With polymer dye-casting complex geometrical details like threads or high quality surfaces can be manufactured without any post-processing in one step.
Wear-resistant and low-friction
Wear-resistant and low-friction
One disadvantage of polymer parts compared to their metal counterparts are an inferior hardness and wear resistance. The use of high coating thicknesses especially in combination with hard metals like nickel can almost compensate this disadvantage. Incorporation of special polymer particles in the metal coating can even maintain superior low-friction properties without the need of using lubricants.
Resistant to chemicals
Resistant to chemicals
Certain metallic coatings like chromium or nickel, especially with a higher content of phosphor show excellent resistance to aggressive chemicals. Those substances don’t penetrate the dense metal surface and protect the parts in basic as well as acidic environmental conditions. Paintings on the other hand are especially susceptible to basic chemicals.
Gas- and liquid-proof
Gas- and liquid-proof
The use of stainless steel for the manufacturing of pressure vessels leads to high weight products. If weight is an issue and to meet the requirements of high strengths fiber reinforced polymers are an option, especially carbon fibre reinforced epoxy. However, polymers generally have a certain permeability to most gases, especially when it comes to very small gas molecules like hydrogen. Electroplated nickel coatings of the inner surface can reliably seal the vessel against gas losses.
High thermal conductivity
High thermal conductivity
Polymers have low thermal conductivities compared to metals. Those properties can, however, be improved by applying a thick copper coating, especially on structured surfaces. In many cases of natural convection thermal transport can be improved with this combination to a level much closer to metal constructions than to uncoated polymer parts.
Electromagnetic shielding (EMI)
Electromagnetic shielding (EMI)
Due to the high coating thicknesses, the use of ferromagnetic metals like nickel as well as top layers with excellent conductivity like silver elektroplated polymers can meet the highest requirements for the shielding against electromagnetic waves throughout a very broad frequency spectrum. The shielding properties can even be further improved by combining the reflective sufaces with absorbing fillers in the polymer. Properties no pure metal solution can provide.
Exquisite look and feel
Exquisite look and feel
Beside technical functions the appearance of a surface in the field of view is always an important factor for customers. Because of their high thicknesses electroplated coatings can mitigate microscopic irregularities and can therefore lead to glossy appearances even on matt polymer surfaces. The high thermal capacity of thick coatings results in the so called „cool touch“ effect, a haptic perception closer to metal parts like any other surface finish that greatly improves the perceived value of the product.
High-frequency antennas and filters
High-frequency antennas and filters
At very high frequencies current is increasingly trapped inside a small layer on the conducting surface of antennas or filters. Higher coating thicknesses seem to be unnecessary at first sight. However, the performance of those components is more and more dependent on the surface quality. In contrast to typical decorative applications, where ABS plastic is widely used, high performance polymers like PPS or PEI are needed for these applications especially to meet the requirements for thermal properties. In dye casting those polymers don’t show a perfectly glossy surface. Electroplating is therefore the perfect process to compensate for that and provide the best possible surfaces.
Service
All-round Service
Everything from requirements analysis and plating services through to materials testing and expert assessments
Are you looking for an initial project assessment?
With our initial consultation free of charge, we provide you with information about the various possibilities for your project.
Do you need to a sound decision prior to project launch?
Use our requirements analysis service to help you understand the options for using plated polymers - and the risks and opportunities for your project. For a small fee, you gain access to our competence and expertise, receiving a written report that will stand up to critical scrutiny.
Do you see opporunities - but also risks?
The biggest potential is always to be found outside of standard applications. With our feasibility studies we clarify basic technical realizability for you and your application, both eliminating identifiable and critical technical risks while also offering an initial assessment of the final production costs.
Do you need larger volumes and a certified series manufacturing process?
Starting from first development samples, it can be long and difficult path to the final series process. A key factor in avoiding unpleasant and costly surprises in the later stages of series development is manufacturing prototypes which resemble the final products to the greatest possible extent as early as possible. Choosing Biconex means choosing a partner with many years of manufacturing experience combined with profound scientific and technical knowledge, all backed up with our strong partner network.
You are just looking for manufacturing capacity?
If all the technical issues are resolved, we are happy to offer you coating of your polymer parts as a service, preferably in our own facility. On request, we also accept orders for the complete manufacturing of coated parts. Together with our partner network we not only offer a coating service with unprecedented production depth, but are also perfectly equipped for various special requirements. Our main focus is the simplest solution for you. This also includes commissions to our partners if this fits your needs best.
Are you looking to further optimize your products?
There are numerous approaches to quality and costs optimization. For example, quality control processes can be adapted to real-life returns of products from diverse applications and regions. Key to these improvements is a profound understanding of aging and change processes during service life, leading to improved test procedures based on refined prediction models. Benefit from our background in materials science and our excellent research partners in the region around Dresden.
Contact
Contact Us
Use our polymer and coating expertise for your specific application
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