Electroplating 3D Prints Without Requiring a Big Vat
A new method for electroplating 3D prints has been developed that eliminates the need for a large vat. This technique involves rotating the part in a smaller custom-built vat, allowing for an even coating. The process has been tested successfully, making it a viable option for those working with oversized parts.
- ▪Electroplating traditionally requires submerging parts in a large vat of electrolyte.
- ▪A custom rig was built to rotate the part in a smaller vat for even coating.
- ▪The method was tested successfully, showing no issues with the electroplating process.
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Electroplating 3D Prints Without Requiring A Big Vat No comments by: Maya Posch May 18, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy Electroplating 3D prints is a good way to get a pretty nice coating on even a basic PLA part, but generally you’re expected to dunk the entire part into a big vat with electrolyte after coating it with the requisite conductive paint layer. This is great for small parts, like a ring you’d put on a finger, but gets rather silly when it’s a much larger part, such as the one in [Hendrik]’s recent video. Out of curiosity he tried to see whether rotating the part through a much smaller vat would still get you an even coating, or not.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hackaday.
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