Luigi Galvani and electroplating:
A historical connection to Rieger Metallveredlung
When people look at electroplated metal objects today, they rarely think of Luigi Galvani. And yet, the surface coating of metals would not have been possible without his contribution to the discovery of electrochemistry.
Galvani, an Italian physician, anatomist and naturalist, discovered what he called galvanism, a historical term for muscle contractions caused by electric current, in 1780. Through experiments with frogs' legs, he accidentally encountered the contraction of muscles when they came into contact with copper and iron and were connected together. In doing so, Galvani had unwittingly created an electric circuit consisting of two different metals, an electrolyte (salt water in the frog's leg), and a current indicator (muscle). Although Galvani did not yet realize the connections, he laid the foundation for the development of electrochemical cells, which later became known as galvanic cells or galvanic elements by Alessandro Volta.
The electrodeposition of metals onto substrates, also known as electroplating, would be unthinkable without the discovery of galvanism and electrochemistry. At Rieger Metallveredlung, we deal precisely with this technology. As specialists in the finishing of metal components, we offer our customers surface coatings such as bright chrome plating, nickel plating or gold plating, as well as functional coatings such as anodizing aluminum or tinning copper. In doing so, we use state-of-the-art technology and processes based on Galvani's historic discovery.
It is impossible to imagine today's industrial landscape without electroplating and we encounter it everywhere in our daily lives. From the high-end design of automotive parts to the manufacture of medical devices, electroplating offers us numerous applications in a variety of industries.
Thanks to its discovery, electroplating is now an indispensable part of industry and is used by us, Rieger Metallveredlung, to achieve high-quality and functional surface coatings.
