Blog

Specifications of Superalloys

An alloy is a metal created by combining two or more metallic elements. The alloying process enhances the properties of each of the metals, resulting in a more useful end product. People typically produce alloys to increase corrosion resistance, hardness or tensile strength or lower melting point. Superalloys are high-performance alloys that exhibit many of […]

Continue Reading

Mixing Gold and Tin Contacts

In electronics, it’s often debated whether to use gold or tin as contact materials when developing a product. The debate between the use of gold and the use of tin continues because both materials provide their own unique advantages and disadvantages. That is, each can be helpful in different situations. To help you make the […]

Continue Reading

Hard Gold Plating vs. ENIG

When working on an application that requires gold plating services, there are two design options available: hard gold plating and ENIG plating. The hard plating process features a refined grain surface and harder deposits that emerge from the gold itself being alloyed with a different element — like iron, nickel or cobalt. ENIG plating, or […]

Continue Reading

Gold Plating Thickness Standards for Connectors

It may seem difficult to determine the right thickness for gold plating connectors and contacts. Connectors must perform reliably even under harsh conditions, and they can only do so when the plating is properly designed with the right amount of thickness. As an added factor, gold can be an expensive material to procure, meaning it’s […]

Continue Reading

Developments That Have Impacted Plating on Plastics and Ceramics

Electroplating technology continues to evolve. A process that originally entailed the application of a metal coating onto another metal substrate now also encompasses non-metallic materials such as various plastics and ceramics. Metal finishing companies are finding new ways to improve the techniques for plating these surfaces and making them more accessible and affordable to manufacturers. […]

Continue Reading

History of Electroplating

Electroplating is used in a wide variety of modern industrial and commercial applications, using the power of electricity to deposit metal on the surface of various types of objects. The object acts as the cathode, while the material to be coated serves as an anode, which is oxidized by the charge and reduced and deposited […]

Continue Reading

An Overview of Micromanufacturing

Micro is the way of the modern world — from consumer products to the medical and aerospace industries, getting the most output with as little input as possible is the goal for many manufacturing operations. Enterprises are using smaller, more precise components, and manufacturing methods must adapt to produce these components accurately and cost-effectively. While […]

Continue Reading

How Precious Metals Prevent Corrosion

Precious metals are well-known for their aesthetic appeal, but there’s so much more to them than their looks. Precious metals, which include gold, silver and platinum, are widely used in engineering and industry. While precious metals possess an attractive luster that makes them visually appealing, they also hold a great deal of utilitarian value — […]

Continue Reading

Differences Between Plating Onto Ceramics and Plastics

Manufacturers that produce items made from ceramic or plastic materials must often implement additional steps to improve and protect their workpieces. Electroplating is a preferred finishing technique that deposits a metal coating onto the substrate. Electroplating ceramics or plastics provides benefits such as making the surface electrically conductive, improving strength and durability, increasing corrosion resistance […]

Continue Reading

Plating on Superalloys for Aerospace Turbine Engines

An alloy is a metal created by combining two or more metallic elements. Alloys provide enhanced properties in critical areas such as corrosion and wear protection, friction reduction, electrical conductivity and heat resistance While many metals offer these characteristics in their base form, developing alloys will augment the performance of each metal and improve overall […]

Continue Reading