Combined coatings

Innovative technology for combining two types of coating - electroplated and powder-coated.

Today's technologies place increasingly high demands on components used in advanced applications. The need to combine a variety of properties on a single component, such as high electrical conductivity in certain zones and simultaneous electrical insulation in others, poses a challenge to engineers.

Electris, as a one-stop supplier of copper and aluminium components, addresses these needs by offering an innovative solution - combining electroplating and powder coating on a single component. This approach allows the desired performance to be achieved at precise locations on a component, giving a competitive advantage and opening up new possibilities in design and manufacturing.

By choosing Electris Coating Systems' bonding service, our customers' engineers receive high-functional components with optimised electrical, mechanical and corrosion properties, ideally suited to specific applications in various power distribution equipment.

Two complementary coatings on a single component

Traditional surface treatment methods are often unable to meet all these requirements at the same time. The essence of integrating coatings on a component such as: copper or aluminium busbars at Electris is the selective application of two complementary coatings on a single component:

a galvanic coating (silver, nickel, tin) to ensure electrical conductivity and excellent corrosion protection at the contact points.
powder coating (epoxy or polyester) to guarantee electrical insulation (up to 45 kV/mm), high mechanical strength and resistance to environmental factors.

This combination makes it possible to precisely control the functionality of the components - where resistance minimisation and power transmission reliability are crucial, galvanic coatings are used, while powder coatings are applied where insulation is required. This combination allows tailor-made solutions to be designed for specific applications, while ensuring quality consistency and parameter repeatability for each product.

Which coating combinations do we make?

On copper alloy and aluminium alloy components:

insulation coating: epoxy or polyester and silver plating (silvering),
insulation coating: epoxy or polyester and tin plating (tinning),
insulation coating: epoxy or polyester and nickel plating (nickeling),
layer combination of nickel plating and tin plating on a copper component.

Advantages of integrating coatings on a single component

Precise electrical property control - combining coatings on one component enables targeted functionality. For example, an electroplated silver layer significantly enhances electrical conductivity at the contact point, while an epoxy-based powder coating provides reliable electrical insulation on the remaining surface. This synergy allows for precise control of conductivity and insulation, essential in advanced electrical and electronic applications.
Superior coating adhesion - specialized surface preparation processes ensure excellent adhesion for both electroplated and powder coatings. This is critical for long-term durability. Additionally, advanced masking techniques guarantee a highly accurate separation line between the coatings, ensuring both function and appearance.
Dual corrosion protection - by combining electroplated coatings—protecting copper or aluminum from corrosion—with powder coatings, we create a double layer of defense against external factors such as moisture, heat, and chemicals. This significantly extends the service life of components in demanding environments.
Versatile applications across industries - this integrated surface treatment solution is ideal for use in power engineering, e-mobility, renewable energy, heavy industry, and more. The combination of electroplating and powder coating is widely used across sectors such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, and construction—highlighting the versatility of our surface finishing services.
Flexible production and cost efficiency - our hybrid coating process supports both large-scale production and small prototype batches—without high initial tooling costs. This accelerates development cycles and enables efficient testing of new design concepts.

Combined coatings - electroplated and powder-coated