Metal surface treatment is the process of coating a surface with materials such as gold, silver, palladium, copper, tin, or palladium-nickel. Without metalworking, the product will wear out faster.
Electroplating is a form of metal surface treatment that is the process of applying a metallic coating to another piece of metal (or another conductive surface) through the process of electrodeposition. In electroplating, the deposited metal becomes part of the existing product along with plating/coating. In addition, electroless plating is also a common form. It is also known as electroless plating or autocatalytic plating, which is a class of industrial chemical processes that form metal coatings on various materials through autocatalytic chemical reduction of metal cations in a liquid bath. Electroplating has low cost and good effect, and has become the main type in the market. In 2019, the market share of electroplating and electroless plating was 49.18% and 23.22%, respectively.
Metal plating and finishing are used in a wide range of applications, from the aerospace, machinery, and medical industries to the automotive sector. Aircraft components that require plating and polishing include bearing separators, compressor wheels, front bearing brackets, landing gear components, rear brackets, tie rods, torque converter housings, turbine rotor clamps, turbine windpipe space, and all associated hardware. Mechanical parts required for the construction industry and the manufacture of electronic components also require metal plating and surface treatment. Medical devices, devices, and implants are highly specialized and require the highest quality materials and coatings. Medical device surface coatings help improve the performance and quality of medical devices in use. Medical device coatings help ensure short- and long-term patient safety. This is especially true for implants that are implanted into the human body, as their surface treatment contributes to the implant's compatibility with human tissues.
In addition, automotive metal surface treatment can help improve the durability of the supplied substrate, optimize the corrosion and wear resistance of parts, and improve the appearance of automotive parts. Automotive metalworking includes components such as dipstick fittings, small lug nut guards, pipe plugs, sunroof guides, motorcycle mounts, and fuel sensor electronic mounts. At present, the automotive industry in North America is mature, the demand is large, and users have higher and higher quality requirements, and the market for metal plating and finishing is wide. In 2019, the market share of aircraft parts, mechanical parts, medical instruments, auto parts and other fields was 11.86%, 26.89%, 12.34% and 32.72% respectively.
Metal plating and finishing industry analysis by region in North America
In North America, the U.S. is the largest revenue market for the metal plating and finishing industry, with a market share of 76.47% in 2015 and 76.20% in 2020, a decrease of 0.27%. In 2019, Canada ranked second with a market share of 15.14%. The Mexican market is smaller, with a market share of 8.62%.
After a period of development, the industry is in a mature stage. There are many companies in the industry, mainly from the United States, and the market concentration is very high. The top three companies are Lincoln Industries, Kuntz Electroplating Inc. (KEI), and Pioneer Metal Finishing, with revenue market shares of 8.75%, 7.78%, and 4.89%, respectively, in 2019.
Stimulated by the terminal field, metal plating and finishing will show a steady growth trend
According to the survey, the total sales of the metal plating and finishing market in 2015 were 2180.89 million US dollars, which increased to 2524.39 million US dollars in 2020. The end-user industry will play a key role in the demand of the metalworking industry. Therefore, we predict that the market value of the metal plating and finishing industry will reach $3349.62 million by 2025. The market CAGR of metal plating and finishing industry is 4.00% from 2019 to 2025.
Metal surface treatment protects metals from oxidation and exposure to the adverse effects of water and chemicals, high temperatures, or UV radiation, and provides wear resistance. Electrical & Electronics, Aerospace, Medical, and Automotive are among the most productive and require significant metal plating and finishing.
The application fields of electroplating are mainly concentrated in the field of machinery and light industry, but with the progress of electroplating technology and the growth of demand in other industries, electronics, microelectromechanical systems, and the steel industry have put forward higher requirements for electroplating technology, which has also promoted the development of electroplating industry to intensive and large-scale, and promoted the continuous progress of electroplating industry technology. For example, electroplating is becoming more and more widely used in the field of integrated circuits (ICs), and the requirements for copper interconnects are also increasing. The emergence of the double Damascus process based on electroplating technology has solved the problem of copper interconnection and also promoted the development of IC technology. At present, with the increasing demand for 3D chips, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and the Internet of Things, the electroplating industry will play a more prominent role in these new high-end fields in the future. In addition, the development of nanotechnology, cyanide-free processes and composite surface engineering technologies will also bring new development opportunities to the electroplating and surface treatment industry.
However, the development of alternatives to metal plating and finishing is also accelerating. Taking the automotive industry as an example, the automotive industry uses a large number of plastic products to replace various expensive non-ferrous metals and alloy materials, which can reduce the energy consumption of automobiles. In addition, organizations such as EPA, REACH, and OSHA have implemented strict regulations on wastewater management and hazardous waste disposal in the metalworking industry. These pollutants are harmful to the environment and pose potential health risks, which are likely to hinder the market growth during the forecast period.