Introduction to Plastic Plating
Electroplating is not strictly limited to metal-to-metal plating applications. Plating metal onto plastic can be difficult to get right, but it's a very useful process. The main reason for applying metallic coatings to plastic or other non-metallic substrates is to make the surface of the object electrically conductive.
Copper is usually the metal of choice for this purpose. Plastic plating can also improve the appearance of an object or enhance its corrosion resistance. It even hardens the surface and increases its durability.