A Brief Discussion of Precious Metals Plating

by | Jun 11, 2015 | Business

Today, many types of metals are coated or plated to give them special properties. Precious metals plating are used for many special applications in business today. Here is a look at some of the metal types and how they are used.

What are Precious Metals?

Precious metals are defined as being rare. As such they have great value. Plus, they hold their value well and are considered good investments. Precious metals are also known for their special properties, which is why they are used in many kinds of precious metals plating processes today.

Gold

Gold is one of the most expensive and prized of the precious metals used for coatings today. You can see gold in special electrical components which require high conductivity and durability. Gold plating has uses in custom applications also, like gold plated battery casings for insulin pumps (to make them resistant to corrosion).

Silver

Silver is not considered a precious metal by some standards. For example, it will oxide quickly, yet is not easily subjected to corrosion. A perfect example of this is tarnished silverware. However, with special processing methods, top precious metals plating services can produce silver coatings resistant to tarnishing.

Many people consider silver a precious metal because of its high value and special properties. Silver is one of the best conducting metals you can buy, so it is utilized in quality electrical components. Its excellent soldering properties make it useful for electronic components also.

Palladium

Palladium has a silver color resembling platinum. It is a rare element possessing many properties similar to gold. For example, it is ductile and malleable. Because palladium does not easily oxidize it is used for coatings which resist oxidation. The melting point is in excess of 2800F, so palladium is highly resistant to heat.

Rhodium

Rhodium is a white metal, related to platinum. Rhodium is a hard metal which is resistant to corrosion. In addition, it has a very high melting point and is extremely dense. Moving electric contacts coated with rhodium hold up very well in all kinds of conditions.

Alternative Finishes

If you wish to save on costs with precious metals plating, alternative finishes may be the solution. For example, instead of paying for more expensive metals you may be able to use an alloy made from cobalt and gold. It will provide 400 knoop hardness, and is 58 percent pure gold, so it is cheaper than gold and cost considerably less than rhodium plating.

To learn more about the many benefits of precious metals plating, come to ProPlating. We have more than 3 decades of experience in the metal plating business and can provide custom solutions to your needs. Visit on the Web today at Proplate.com for more details.

Recent Articles

Categories

Archive

Related Posts