12. Conclusion

The plastics metallization market is booming. Customers are increasingly demanding processes capable of metallizing different types of plastic on a single production line. Specifications demand ever higher quality standards. Rising prices for metals such as palladium and nickel, and stringent standards concerning safety, the environment and the use of hazardous compounds are prompting R&D laboratories to develop new processes to meet these requirements.

Some dry processes, such as plasma, corona or flame treatment, appear to offer certain solutions to the metallization of plastics. However, for reasons of cost, industrialization difficulties and the thickness of the deposits formed, these processes cannot completely replace chemical metallization of plastics.