Electroplating is a complex process is used extensively in all metal finishing industries such as automotive and electronics. In our business, each medal or pin is loaded onto special racks and dipped in a number of chemical solutions and supercharged to achieve the desired colour. In recent years we've started offering metal bases in any colour you want. Check out this article on the two methods we use to change the metal colour for custom enamel pins.
The exciting new innovation is DYED metal! This process offers our customers an amazing palette of colour options that were never before possible. We can create classic colour combinations of black and orange or purple or even white. This process has eliminated the need to compromise your brand identity or artistic vision because of manufacturing limitations.
This process applies an electric charge to the metal so that it attracts certain ions. In the case of custom sports medals we can use this to colour the metal about 10 different colours.
1) Medals start out as a zinc casting or stamping.
2) Medals are attached to metal racks that are then charged with electricity in a variety of finishes
View More Images Like This "8 Steps To Make Pins And Medals"
3) The electricity causes the "colour" to bond with the metal. The gold we use is real gold and it covers the surface completely and is permanent. Silver is actually nickel electroplate. Bronze, like our now extinct pennies, is also an electroplating colour as opposed to using copper.
Zinc is used these days because of high commodity prices for copper and brass. Aluminum has never delivered the right look to the medal or pin industry unless we are using it for the printed process. .
It's an exciting time for our industry. The Enamel Pin trend has driven a lot of creativity into our industry. For decades the only choices were: