Specialist plating services for aluminium busbars, delivered with high quality finishes, and fast turnaround for Aluminium busbar manufacturers, OEMs and suppliers.
Why electroplate aluminium busbars
Aluminium busbars can be used unplated; however, bare aluminium forms an insulating oxide layer that increases contact resistance, particularly at bolted joints and terminations. In harsh, humid, or industrial environments, bare aluminium busbars are also more susceptible to corrosion‑related performance issues over time. This makes bare aluminium busbars unsuitable for applications requiring low contact resistance.
We can also apply multi-layer plating processes, for example, nickel and tin, or nickel and silver, to improve adhesion and deliver the required electrical and corrosion performance for your application.
If you’re working with aluminium busbars and need a specialist dual/multi-layer plating process, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Why choose Karas for Aluminium busbar plating
- High volumes capacities with fast lead times
- Widest dimensions available in the UK up to 4.2m
- Custom plating solutions for aluminium busbars
- Single and dual layer plating tailored to your application
- Surface preparation & pretreatment processes
- 24/7 operations
- Experienced Technical support Team
What are aluminium busbars plated with
Increasingly, we offer plating processes specifically designed for aluminium busbars for customers in a wide range of sectors. Aluminium busbars can be plated with silver, copper, tin, gold or nickel, depending on performance and application requirements. Backed by over 70 years of plating experience, our team has the knowledge and experience to deliver high volume, quality, durable finishes
Electrolytic Nickel plating
Electroless or electrolytic nickel is used as an initial layer or undercoat on aluminium busbars to create an adherent, uniform surface that other coatings can bond to. This nickel underplate significantly improves corrosion resistance and forms an effective barrier layer beneath tin, copper, or silver finishes.
Nickel plating allows for reliable, long-lasting busbars with an excellent level of resistance to corrosion and oxidation.
After the initial nickel layer is applied, you can specify one of the following finishes, depending on environment, current rating, and budget.
Tin plating
Tin plating on aluminium busbars improves surface performance by combining corrosion protection with stable, relatively low contact resistance.
It is widely used for general‑purpose power distribution, enabling good electrical contact and compatibility with a broad range of connector materials at a competitive cost.
Silver plating
Silver plating provides one of the highest conductivity of the standard busbar finishes and is ideal for high‑current or critical‑performance applications.
Silver maintains very low contact resistance across a wide temperature range and can extend service life in demanding switchgear and power applications, even where some surface tarnish occurs.
Use of Aluminium busbars
According to industry experts and suppliers, in some applications, aluminium busbars are often the preferred choice instead of copper because they offer significantly lower material cost and much lower weight, while still delivering suitable current‑carrying capacity when sized correctly.
For budget‑sensitive or weight‑critical projects, this helps OEMs and project managers control costs and ease installation without compromising on system performance.
They are also lighter than copper, making installation easier.
Plating aluminium busbars helps to
Match the performance of copper
In some applications, aluminium busbars cannot match the performance of copper busbars, particularly at contact points therefore electroplating helps aluminium busbars match or closely approach copper performance at these points.
Improve performance versus bare aluminium
Tin or silver finishes over nickel significantly reduce contact resistance at joints and terminations.
Prevent oxidation
Aluminium is prone to oxidation, particularly when exposed to air. As a result, for exposed applications, electroplating and surface finishing reduce the risk of oxidation, enabling OEMs and end customers to realise aluminium’s cost and weight advantages in applications where bare aluminium would not normally be acceptable.
Service life and maintenance
By protecting against oxidation and improving performance, plated aluminium busbars help maintain system efficiency and lower long‑term service and inspection costs.
Contact Us
Don’t let substandard plating compromise the performance, longevity, or quality of your busbar products. Choose a plating partner you can trust to deliver high-quality results every time. For high quality plating of aluminium busbars please get in touch with us.