Thin & Hollow: Electroforming
This was the process that was taught completely out of high school chemistry class. Electroforming is what it basically means, similar and yet different from other process that involves two poles, some electrolytes and a current running between them.
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But this time, instead of a two dimensional electroplated sheet, a three dimensional object can be build around a mold using the same practice. The major components of electroforming (or any other kind of similar electro-inducing process) are an anode, a cathode; or a mold; positive and negative nodes, some electrolyte solution and a current running thought them.
Both the anode and the cathode will be fully submerged into the electrolyte solution, where anode is connected to a positive node and cathode is connected to a negative node. When a current is being passed from positive to negative, it’s transitions will carry ions from the anode to the cathode, in the process building up a layer over the cathode (which could be made out of any non-conductive material) Once a sufficient level of metal has been build up around the mold, the final finishing components will be removed from the mold (cathode) itself.
Electroforming has far greater advantages compared to its drawbacks, consider the time it takes for the metal component to build thus the cost for all the conductive materials. But look on the bright side, it provides higher quality with complex details under cheap cost for tools, as well as providing an easy replication process.
