What Does
Base Material Mean?
A base material is the parent material to which a coating or plating is applied. The term base material helps to differentiate between the overall part, the various layers and the original base material. Base materials are very important in coating, electroplating, welding and soldering.
Electroplated or coated base materials are generally used for a specific property or function, such as decoration or corrosion resistance.
A base material is also known as a substrate.
Corrosionpedia Explains Base Material
Base materials are the primary or underlying material on which other materials (such as ink, coating, paint or treatment) are applied, or from which other materials are made. For example, in zinc plating and zinc-nickel plating, the typical base material is steel and sometimes zinc die castings.
The most common base materials for coating include:
- Steel
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Zinc alloys
- Galvanized steel
A proper surface treatment of base materials is required for getting good adhesion with the coatings and reduced corrosion or coating failures. Surface treatments control and protect the base material's surface before bonding, and they protect the surface from changing after the assembly is placed in service.
Various surface treatments involve physical or chemical processes or a combination of both. The choice of surface preparation process depends on the coating, the base material, the nature of the base material before bonding, the required bond strength and durability, as well as the production processes, time and budget available to the user.