Electroplating is a surface treatment in which a thin layer of metal or alloy is plated on the surface of certain metals by applying the principle of electrolysis.

In electroplating, an electrolyte containing the metal ions of the plating layer is generally used to prepare the plating solution; the metal product to be plated is immersed in the plating solution and connected to the negative terminal of the DC power supply as the cathode; the plated metal is used as the anode and connected to the positive terminal of the DC power supply. When low voltage DC power is applied, the anode metal dissolves in the solution and becomes cations, which move to the cathode. These ions are reduced to metal by gaining electrons at the cathode, and are covered with the metal products to be plated to form the plating surface treatment.