An electrolyte solution for iron-tungsten plating is prepared by dissolving in an aqueous medium a divalent iron salt (e.g., iron (II) sulfate) and an alkali metal citrate (e.g., sodium citrate, potassium citrate, or other alkali metal citrate) to form a first solution, dissolving in the first solution a tungstate salt (e.g., sodium tungstate, potassium tungstate, or other potassium tungstate) to form a second solution, and dissolving in the second solution a citric acid to form the electrolyte solution. An iron-tungsten coating is formed on a substrate using the electrolyte solution by passing a current between a cathode and an anode through the electrolyte solution to deposit iron and tungsten on the substrate.

A nickel-coated copper foil suitable for mass production, to which YAG laser welding can be applied while reducing the electrical resistivity by forming a nickel plating layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm or less on a surface of a copper foil by Ni plating, is provided. The nickel-coated copper foil has an overall thickness of 200 μm or less, and includes a copper layer made of Cu or a Cu alloy, and a nickel plating layer made of Ni or a Ni alloy, covering a surface of the copper foil, having a thickness of 0.01 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less, and including a surface having an a* value of 0 or more and 10 or less and a b* value of 0 or more and 14 or less in an L*a*b* color system obtained by an SCI measurement method in accordance with JIS Z 8722.

Described herein are electrochemical-additive manufacturing methods and systems using such methods. A method comprises depositing a material onto a deposition electrode by flowing a current between that deposition electrode and each of multiple individually-addressable electrodes, forming an electrode array. These currents are independently controlled based on a target map and using deposition control circuits, each coupled to one individually-addressable electrode. The target map is generated by a system controller based on various characteristics of the system (e.g., the performance of each deposition control circuit and/or individually-addressable electrode, electrolyte composition) and the desired characteristics of the deposited material (e.g., deposition location, uniformity, morphology). Furthermore, when the deposition electrode and the electrode array move relative to each other, the system controller dynamically updates the target map based on their relative positions. This movement can provide a fresh electrolyte between the electrodes and enable deposition at new locations.

Disclosed are a method of manufacturing a vehicle member including pretreating the surface of an electrically conductive plastic molded product and forming a metal plating layer on the molded product, wherein the metal plating layer includes a copper plating layer, a nickel plating layer and a chromium plating layer, which are sequentially formed, and a vehicle member manufactured by the method.

An electrolyte solution for iron-tungsten plating is prepared by dissolving in an aqueous medium a divalent iron salt (e.g., iron (II) sulfate) and an alkali metal citrate (e.g., sodium citrate, potassium citrate, or other alkali metal citrate) to form a first solution, dissolving in the first solution a tungstate salt (e.g., sodium tungstate, potassium tungstate, or other potassium tungstate) to form a second solution, and dissolving in the second solution a citric acid to form the electrolyte solution. An iron-tungsten coating is formed on a substrate using the electrolyte solution by passing a current between a cathode and an anode through the electrolyte solution to deposit iron and tungsten on the substrate.

A molded article includes a first plateable region spaced apart from a second plateable region the first plateable region by a barrier of electrically insulating material. Each of the plateable regions include an associated plateable layer of electrically conductive material for being electroplated with a different plateable finish. Several different geometries and configurations of the barrier and/or the plateable regions are provided to prevent migration of plating material from one of the plateable regions acting as bipolar electrode while another one of the plateable regions is being electroplated. A non-plateable insert may be disposed between the plateable regions to prevent migration of plating material from one of the plateable regions onto the other one of the plateable regions. A conducive robber in electrical communication with one of the one of the plateable regions, and which may be removable, may also be used to prevent migration of plating material.

An element body has an exposed surface including a selective surface material which is to be coated with the coating material and a non-selected surface material which is not to be coated with the coating material. The selected surface material has different material properties than the non-selected surface material. The element body is coated with the coating material by applying a surface modifier only on the surface of the selected surface material and thereafter coating the surface of the selected surface material to which the surface modifier has been applied with the coating material.

A surface treated copper foil 1 includes a copper foil 2, and a first surface treatment layer 3 formed on one surface of the copper foil 2. The first surface treatment layer 3 of the surface treated copper foil 1 has a Ni concentration of 0.1 to 15.0 atm % based on the total amount of elements of C, N, O, Zn, Cr, Ni, Co, Si, and Cu, in an XPS depth profile obtained by performing sputtering at a sputtering rate of 2.5 nm/min (in terms of SiO.sub.2) for 1 minute. A copper clad laminate 10 includes the surface treated copper foil 1 and an insulating substrate 11 adhered to the first surface treatment layer 3 of the surface treated copper foil 1.

A surface treated copper foil 1 includes a copper foil 2, and a first surface treatment layer 3 formed on one surface of the copper foil 2. The first surface treatment layer 3 of the surface treated copper foil 1 has a Ni deposited amount of 20 to 200 μg/dm.sup.2 and a Zn deposited amount of 20 to 1,000 μg/dm.sup.2. A copper clad laminate 10 includes the surface treated copper foil 1 and an insulating substrate 11 adhered to the first surface treatment layer 3 of the surface treated copper foil 1.

Described is a cathodic treatment for the electrodeposition of a metal layer securely adherent to the surface of stainless steel objects in an electrolytic bath comprising one or more metals belonging exclusively to the groups from 3 to 12 of the periodic table, excluding the elements nickel, cobalt, cadmium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold and rhenium, and methanesulfonic acid with a concentration of between 100 and 400 g/l. An object of the invention is also a process for applying a metal layer securely adherent to the surface of stainless steel objects, comprising a cathodic treatment as described above. Moreover, the invention further relates to an object comprising stainless steel equipped with a covering obtained by means of a process of the type described.