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Electroforming process
Electroforming is a metal forming process in which parts are fabricated through electrodeposition on a model, known in the industry as a mandrel. Conductive (metallic) mandrels are treated to create a mechanical parting layer, or are chemically passivated to limit electroform adhesion to the mandrel and thereby allow its subsequent separation. Non-conductive (glass, silicon, plastic) mandrels require the deposition of a conductive layer prior to electrodeposition. Such layers can be deposited chemically, or using vacuum deposition techniques (e.g., gold sputtering). The outer surface of the mandrel forms the inner surface of the form.
The process involves passing direct current through an electrolyte containing salts of the metal being electroformed. The anode is the solid metal being electroformed, and the cathode is the mandrel, onto which the electroform gets plated (deposited). The process continues until the required electroform thickness is achieved. The mandrel is then either separated intact, melted away, or chemically dissolved.
The surface of the finished part that was in intimate contact with the mandrel is replicated in fine detail with respect to the original, and is not subject to the shrinkage that would normally be experienced in a foundry-cast metal object, or the tool marks of a milled part. The solution side of the part is less well defined, and that loss of definition increases with thickness of the deposit. In extreme cases, where a thickness of several millimetres is required, there is preferential build-up of material on sharp outside edges and corners. This tendency can be reduced by shielding, or a process known as periodic reverse,[1] where the electroforming current is reversed for short periods and the excess is preferentially dissolved electrochemically. The finished form can either be the finished part, or can be used in a subsequent process to produce a positive of the original mandrel shape, such as with vinyl records or CD and DVD stamper manufacture.
In recent years, due to its ability to replicate a mandrel surface with practically no loss of fidelity, electroforming has taken on new importance in the fabrication of micro- and nano-scale metallic devices and in producing precision injection molds with micro- and nano-scale features for production of non-metallic micro-molded objects.
^Journal of Applied Electrochemistry 1979 407-410 Periodic reverse current electroplating and surface finishing. M.I. Ismail
finishing. M.I. Ismail The electroforming process, archived from the original on 2010-02-12, retrieved 2010-02-02. Spiro, P. Electroforming: A comprehensive survey...
rotated in the electroforming tank while a pump circulates the electroforming solution over the surface of the master. As the electroforming progresses,...
and to manufacture metal plates with complex shape, a process called electroforming. It is used to deposit copper and other conductors in forming printed...
electrolyte used in commercial electroplating of gold onto base metals and electroforming. Gold chloride (chloroauric acid) solutions are used to make colloidal...
only on "dubs", because the additional holes can interfere with the electroforming process and professional mastering lathes use vacuum turntables that...
Bibcode:1982NW.....69..520B. doi:10.1007/BF00463495. S2CID 44245091. "Electroforming process". Retrieved 12 November 2018. Forman, Michael A. (2006). "Low-loss...
manufacture, in electrodes for dry batteries and in electroplating and electroforming, in brushes for electric motors, and as a neutron moderator in nuclear...
nickel electroforming. She then joined Midwest Research Institute and furthered her research as an electrochemist. She designed the electroforming facility...
can be used for making nanocomposite wear resistance coatings. Nickel electroforming has nickel plating applied for fabrication of nickel products. For example...
metal part. Electrotyping and electroforming both produce metal parts, but differ in technical details. Electroforming involves the production of a metallic...
complexes. Its applications include gold mining, electroplating, and electroforming of these metals; it is also used in organic synthesis to make nitriles...
cooling, making low mass of the structure very important. Therefore, electroforming is the preferred method of fabricating cold shields. Space sunshade...
silvering process and two electroforming stages reduces the risk of introducing noise that can be generated in the electroforming (galvanic) process. In...
experimentation with industrial processes, such as photoetching and electroforming, was revolutionary in the field of American art jewelry in the 1960s...
für Galvanoplastik München, which specialized in electrotyping and electroforming of statues and statuettes for buildings, fountains, tombstones, and...
fibers, and then pressed through to form a matrix Electroplating and electroforming: A solution containing metal ions loaded with reinforcing particles...
electrolytes, with industrial applications that include decorative plating, electroforming, rotogravure, and printed circuit board and semiconductor fabrication...
temperature of welding. Electroformed bellows are produced by plating (electroforming) a metal layer onto a model (mandrel), and subsequently removing the...
the process of electroforming nickel, hence the name E-FAB. The nickel has better wear characteristics than steel and electroforming creates smooth tapered...
reducing bending caused by the mask's own weight, and are made using an electroforming process. This method requires heating the electroluminescent materials...
and consumer discs were mass-produced mechanically by stamping a metal electroform made from the wax master into a suitable substance, originally a shellac-based...
blanket 1994 19,323 Shielded metal arc welding Sheet metal cold rolling Electroforming Unity (Node 1), PMA-1 & PMA-2 NASA Boeing ArcelorMittal USA AK Steel...
basis of the company was a technical process called galvanoplasty or electroforming. Soon afterward, a separate development department for electromechanical...
Lepselter developed techniques for fabricating a structure that involved electroforming an array of thick, self-supporting gold patterns on a thin film Ti-Pt-Au...
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