Plating on Ceramics

A key part of the electroplating process is the use of electricity to deposit the desired material onto the surface of a substrate. However, if the substrate being plated is non-conductive (glass, plastic, and ceramics), then the desired coating will not be deposited. 

In order to properly electroplate non-conductive materials, their surface must be made conductive. This is why non-conductive substrates require an electroless nickel base layer (or another autocatalytic material) to be plated first, allowing subsequent surface finishes to be applied.

In the case of Ceramics, a layer of electroless nickel is deposited to the surface as a base layer. This makes the surface of the ceramic substrate conductive. Once conductive, any subsequent material can be applied through the traditional electrolytic plating process. 

Note: Due to the complexity of the non-conductive substrate plating process, it is important to account for thickness, dimensional variation, and component draining ability (through hole).