- What are Electroplated Snap-Caps?
- What is "electroplating"?
- Why are Electroplated Snap-Caps so expensive?
- What about "metallised" caps?
- Pricing
What are electroplated Snap-Caps?
Chrome and Gold Snap-Caps are ideal to cover exposed fasteners and give a high-quality finish on polished metal, mirrors, glass, and other high-gloss surfaces. Satin Chrome Snap-Caps are for use with satin or brushed aluminium, stainless steel or Chrome surfaces.
They look great on polished, metal or chrome fittings, anodised metals such as window or shower frames and other highly polished surfaces such as mirrors.
Amongst hundreds of other uses, Electroplated Snap-Caps look great in bathrooms (on mirrors, showerscreens and fittings), stainless kitchen & shop fittings, on signs and POS displays, vehicle trims (in the USA, plated Snap-Caps are widely used by Harley Davidson, car and truck owners to cover screws on trim and accessory panels such as wheel-arch flares and Number-plate frames).
Available in sizes 6/8 and 10/12 only. See Sizing information
Electroplated caps can be used with both CSK and F/B washers or with Mirror Grommets for above-surface mounting of mirrors..
What is "electroplating"?
You may remember science experiments from school where you copper-plated a nail by passing an electrical current through a copper sulphate solution. This is a very basic form of electroplating. Snap-Caps are electroplated using a similar (but much more complex) principle.
Electroplating plastics is a very specialised industry and there are presently only three or four companies in Australia with the necessary expertise - so we send our caps off to one of these specialists to electroplate them for us.
Firstly, the caps are moulded in a special grade of ABS plastic, which is the only plastic that can accept the process. The caps are mounted on special racks, which allow electricity to be conducted through the caps, then passed through 20 or more baths where the metal is slowly built up over the plastic until the final high quality finish is attained. Between each phase of the process, caps are rinsed in clean water. Each cap is then washed and individually checked for quality.
It may surprise you that these days all car badges and many bathroom
fittings are electroplated plastic, and are made using exactly the same
process as on our caps. This assures a durable, hard-wearing and long-lasting
finish suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. While it is
resistant to most household cleaners, you should not use scouring cleaners
that may scratch the surface, or use on applications exposed to temperatures
above 120ºC
Why are Electroplated Snap-Caps so expensive?
The electroplating process requires a number of metal compounds to be disolved in the carrier solution for the process to work. These metals are expensive. In fact, the Gold electroplating uses 18 and 24 carat gold!
All the baths used must be disposed of after the solution has been used up - an expensive cost, as is the treatment of rinse water before it can be released into the sewage system (and eventually the ocean).
There is also a high labour cost as caps must be attached to metal racks which transfer an alectrical current through the caps. After the electroplating process is complete, all caps are removed from the racks and then individually checked for quality.
What about "metallised" caps ?
Although they may look similar to Electroplated Snap-Caps, the much cheaper
"metallised" caps sold by some Suppliers, are essentially just
a painted silver or gold finish that peels off easily with use of household
cleansers. "Metallised" caps can be spotted by the exposed plastic
(usually White or Brown) inside the cap
Genuine electroplated Snap-Caps can be differentiated from "metallised"
caps as they have the plating finish on the inside of the cap as well
as on the outside surface.
Pro-Dec do not manufacture, sell or recommend the use of "Metallised" caps - Use only genuine electroplated Snap-Caps
Trade Pricing
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These prices are for "trade" customers (ie manufacturers) - Genuine Distributors and Re-sellers wishing to on-sell our products should contact us for special reseller discounts
Electroplated Chrome and Gold Snap-Caps look great on mirrors, glass,
metal and other high-gloss surfaces.
Our new Satin Chrome finish looks fantastic on satin or "brushed"
metal surfaces.
Because the finish is hard-wearing, long-lasting and resistant to most household cleansers, Chrome and Gold Snap-Caps
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Warning:
Use of electroplated Snap-Caps on direct heat sources such as motors etc. is not recommended. |