Types of Metals

The Most Conductive Metals

Conductivity plays a vital role in many industries, including electronics, aerospace and telecommunications. However, there are actually multiple kinds of conductivity. Thermal conductivity refers to a material’s ability to transmit heat, while electrical conductivity refers to a material’s ability to allow an electrical current to pass through without resistance. In general, materials that exhibit high […]

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Palladium vs. Gold Plating: Which Option to Choose?

While both are lauded in the jewelry industry for their beautiful appearances, there’s more to palladium and gold than their looks — they are extremely useful metals for a variety of plating applications. Lustrous gold is as useful as it is glamorous, and it is one of the common metals of the electronics industry. Silvery-white […]

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Durability of Platinum Plating

Platinum is one of the most sought-after precious metals in the world, as much for its aesthetic appeal as for its durability, which makes it ideal for a number of industrial applications.

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Why Metal Finishing Matters in the MedTech Industry

Medical device manufacturers face numerous challenges in their quest to develop the high-quality, top-performing, safe products their specialized client base demands. Metal finishing, the process of altering the surface of a workpiece to enhance its appearance, performance and/or durability, plays a prominent role in most medical device manufacturing operations.

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Platinum Vs. Palladium Plating in Medicine

The biomedical industry uses a range of metal instruments, and in recent years, the prevalence of implantable medical devices has increased dramatically. From joint replacements to pacemakers, implanted medical devices are changing the world of biomedical science. A key part of these implants’ functionality involves metallic plating. The biomedical field widely uses metal coating, and […]

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Alternatives to Cadmium for Plating Connectors

Before the 1960s, cadmium, also referred to by its elemental abbreviation “Cd,” was the go-to material for numerous industries. The blossoming aerospace industry and rapidly expanding military industry both sought cadmium for use in several key mechanical applications, but things changed when expanding research discovered several drawbacks of the material, both to public health and […]

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Tin-Lead Electroplating Alternatives

Plating with a tin-lead alloy is often used when a softer and more ductile surface is desired. Depending on the application, the alloy can consist of anywhere from 50 to 95 percent tin. A tin-lead alloy offers a wide range of appearances, as matte, semi-bright or bright finishes can be achieved. Tin-lead plating also offers […]

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