We often see and use plastic product with chrome plating on it, but this is actually more complex process than metal. Plastic itself can't directly plating with many kind of metal, either
chromium plating or
nickel plating, but to make plastic more artistic people modified this product with many kind of experiment. To make the plastic can be plated with chrome or nickel, the plastic surface should be covered with metal first for example copper powder. Beside to modified the plastic surface, to make chrome plating work on plastic, we should keep the temperature under control, because plastic can't stand on high temperature.
Plastic that usually being chrome plating such as, fiber glass and resin that applied to dashes, dash board, arm rest, vent, mirror, door handles, reflector, grill and plastic motorcycle parts. If the base principle on electroplating have been understood, then anything can be plated with chromium or nickel.
The process of chrome plating on plastic and fiberglass is not as easy as on metal plating, need modification first on the surface to make this plastic can be plated with chrome. One of the finished chrome plating on plastic product is on the picture below:
