GalvanoCalc & Learn Web App for Electroplating Apprentices

"GalvanoCalc & Learn" helps electroplating apprentices with tasks such as calculations, process documentation, and exam preparation. The new, free web app—which can be used offline—brings together electroplating expertise in one place.

Anyone currently training to become a surface coater is familiar with the problem: bath calculations, current densities, coating thicknesses, and the wide variety of metals and alloys are nearly impossible to keep straight in one’s head, and digital reference works on electroplating are scarce. An apprentice in surface treatment and electroplating filled this exact gap in his free time: With GalvanoCalc & Learn, aspiring professionals in the industry now have access to a free web application at galvanocalc.app that combines calculations, reference materials, and exam preparation all in one place.

The app was developed by Timo Leuthold, an apprentice surface coater at ADE Metallveredelung. He is supported by his vocational school classmate Ioannis Gavrilidis, who helps with organizational questions and issues. The two met at vocational school, where, while discussing their daily training experiences, they came up with the idea: to build a tool that addresses exactly the tasks that trainees struggle with in their day-to-day work—from bath calculations to exam preparation—in a digital, practical format that’s always at their fingertips.

The GalvanoCalc & Learn web app now combines nine functional areas. All formulas and calculation methods have been carefully verified against recognized technical references to ensure technical accuracy.

“We wanted to create a tool that would have helped us during our own training—one that’s easy to use, technically accurate, and always at our fingertips on a cell phone or computer,” says Timo Leuthold. “Everything an apprentice needs in their day-to-day work should be available without registration and at no cost.”

That is precisely the technical goal: The core features—calculator, metal database, glossary, quiz, and safety information—work entirely without an account and without an internet connection, since GalvanoCalc & Learn is an installable Progressive Web App (PWA) that works offline. Users who wish to synchronize calculations and logs across devices can optionally create an account; the data is transmitted using end-to-end encryption and cannot be viewed even by the operator. A separate privacy policy as well as technical and organizational measures (TOM) are documented—no data is collected or shared for advertising purposes.

The developer is currently in contact with industry associations such as the DGO (German Society for Electroplating and Surface Technology), the ZVO (Central Association for Surface Technology), and the BIA Group to raise awareness of GalvanoCalc & Learn within the industry and provide technical guidance for the app’s further development.

For companies offering apprenticeships, the app now offers an optional company portal: Trainers can invite apprentices, keep track of learning progress and exam preparation, and maintain their own company notes on bath documentation and processes. Vocational schools can also register and create their own classes. Both offerings are intended to complement the free basic version, which will remain permanently free for trainees, teachers, and private users. (OM-9/26)