Atotech Acquires Pegastech Plating on Plastics Technology

Atotech has acquired plating on plastics technology developed by Pegastech, a French specialty chemicals company.

Atotech has acquired plating on plastics technology developed by Pegastech, a French specialty chemicals company.

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Pegastech has developed a technology for plating on plastics that does not use hexavalent chromium or palladium compounds for the pretreatment of polymers prior to electroplating. The acquisition supports Atotech’s long-term goal of promoting sustainable surface finishing technologies. The process replaces hazardous chemicals while saving resources, and it is fully compatible with industrial equipment and processing cycles. Product development finalization, testing and launching of the new process is scheduled for 2017.

The core benefits of the acquired technology are:

• Hexavalent chromium-free etch
• Palladium-free activator
• Compatibility with a wide range of polymers including ABS, ABS-PC, 2K components
• Avoidance of rack-metallization
• Compatibility with existing plating lines at plating on plastics surface finishing companies

The company says this technology is an excellent addition to Atotech’s current plating on plastics portfolio, including a hexavalent chromium-free pretreatment technology currently in development that will also be ready for market release this year.

“We are delighted to join forces with Pegastech and to continue setting industry benchmarks by creating leading plating on plastics technologies,” says Werner Richtering, R&D manager for General Metal Finishing at Atotech. “The launch of both our new technologies will bring plastics pretreatment to a new level. This is an exciting time for Atotech, as we will soon be able to deliver solutions that meet a diverse set of requirements.”