Electroplating Profile - pt.6
Reprint from an article in Product Finishing Magazine, July 2002 issue Profile of Professional Plating By Beverly Graves, editor These probes are arrayed within an assembly that descends onto a printed circuit board. As the plunger pushes the notched top of the barrel into contact with the board, information is transmitted about the makeup of the board to a computer. Because of sensitivity of the board, the electroplating on the notched tips of the plunger is critical. "We have to measure a cross sectional area of the point," noted Mr. Ingalls. "The customer does not want that to change, even after a million cycles. Therefore, we have to have tight control over the hardness and thickness of what we are electroplating." This control and refinement of its electroplating processes has helped the company survive. Craig Ingalls knew that he couldn't be a "typical" plater when he bought ProPlate®. He had to do something different from all the rest. "It was clear we wouldn't survive operating as a typical electroplating shop," stated Mr. Ingalls. "We decided to be more focused, narrow the product offering and develop the processes to a high degree. We offer a high degree of technical expertise. |