Coatings

• Used as underplate for improved adhesion
• Heat treat stop-off
• Highly conductive
• High thickness build

Industry Uses for Copper Plating

• Printed circuits through hole plating
• Semiconductor
• Electroforming
• Metallization of non-metallic materials

• Precious metal plating process offering high corrosion & tarnish resistance
• Wear resistance (fretting)
• High conductivity
• Low and stable contact resistance
• Bondable
• Solderable

Industry Uses (Main) for Gold Plating

• Semiconductors
• Printed/Etched circuits
• Contacts/Connectors

• Offers excellent wear resistance and can be further fortified by extreme heat treatments and the use of diamond composites
• Alloyed with other metals such as tin or tungsten, nickel electroplating delivers exceptional resistance to the elements, hardness and conductivity that lend itself to numerous applications
• Even coating on parts surface can be achieved
• There is a flexibility in plating volume and thickness
• The process can plate recesses and blind holes with stable thickness

• Electroless Nickel Plating offers superior corrosion protection
• Uniform film deposit thickness
• Magnetic
• Wear resistant
• Hard
• Viable replacement for chrome plating
• Low coefficient of friction
• Bright finish

• Precious metal plating process that is a potential replacement for gold & platinum plating
• Deposit has comparable corrosion resistance to gold and is lighter
• Semi-bright silver-blue finish
• Deposit is harder than gold, but more stressed
• Common practice is to build deposit thickness with palladium and flash a small layer of gold for connectors/contacts
• Most common application for palladium plating is for catalytic converters since it can absorb a lot of hydrogen

• Developing a palladium nickel alloy is an effective way to reduce the stress of the deposit, particularly in heavy-wear applications.
• The typical palladium nickel alloy consists of a palladium deposit in the range of 70 to 80 percent.
• Palladium nickel plating is most frequently used for electronics applications, including the plating of connectors and contacts because of its ability to provide low surface contact resistance.

Industry Uses (Main) for Palladium Nickel

• Because a palladium nickel alloy is harder to gold, it is also less sensitive to fluctuations during the plating process.
• SPC is a widely recognized industrial plating leader. Our team of engineers, scientists and production personnel are committed to one goal: achieving total customer satisfaction.

• Automotive: The auto industry makes extensive use of platinum in the manufacturing of catalytic converters, which are devices found in exhaust systems that convert pollutant gases into less harmful substances and reduce emissions. Platinum is also used to manufacture spark plugs and other automobile parts and components.
• Oil & Gas Industry: The oil and gas industry uses platinum as a catalyst to create the chemical reaction required to treat crude oil prior to converting it to gasoline and other petroleum products.
• Agriculture: Platinum is often used to manufacture nitric acid, which in turn is used to produce the ammonia found in many liquid fertilizers for farming/agricultural applications.
• Medical/Dental: Platinum's inherent chemical inactivity and biocompatibility makes it valuable for manufacturing various drugs and pharmaceutical products, as well as medical devices such as heart pacemakers and artificial body parts. The platinum protects these parts against corrosion.

• Gold plating – Typically viewed as the most effective plating solution, gold plating is usually the best choice when cost concerns are minimal.
• Silver plating – While silver is not as resistant to corrosion as gold, silver is a less expensive alternative and is an excellent choice for applications where superior thermal or electrical conductivity is important.
• Palladium Plating – Palladium can provide a cost-effective alternative to gold plating. While palladium offers corrosion resistance comparable to gold, its relative hardness makes it more susceptible to stress.
• Palladium Nickel – Alloying palladium with nickel can reduce the stress that results from palladium’s hardness. Palladium nickel is commonly used in electronics industry applications for the plating of contacts and connectors.

• Rhodium is a hard and extremely durable substance
• Rhodium Plating uses an electrical current to apply a thin layer of rhodium onto the surface of a metal object
• It is known for its silvery-white color and shiny appearance
• Commonly used for increasing the aesthetic appeal of jewelry
• Highly reflective finish
• Hypoallergenic
• Classified as a precious metal
• Can be used for complex plating specifications using rack plating

Industry Uses for Rhodium

• Jewelry manufacturing
• Automotive parts
• Telecommunications and Electronics

• Electrical contacts: Ruthenium is often alloyed with palladium or platinum to harden these materials for use in the manufacturing of wear-resistance electrical contacts. This enables the application of a much thinner coating than possible when using these metals alone. Electroplating is the primary application method in this case.
• Data storage: Another electronics-related ruthenium application is the manufacturing of various data storage products, including microchips, read elements for hard disc drives and semiconductors.
• Catalyst: Ruthenium is a versatile catalyst frequently used to assist in the splitting of hydrogen sulfide compounds. As such, ruthenium is extremely valuable for removing hydrogen sulfide during industrial processes such as oil refining, as well as various chemical processes including Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and olefin metathesis.
• Solar energy technologies: Certain ruthenium compounds can absorb light across the visible spectrum. This makes ruthenium well-suited for use in various solar energy technologies such as light absorption in dye-sensitized solar cells and the development of more cost-effective solar cell systems.

• Matte, semi-bright & bright finish can be achieved via this precious metal plating
• Silver Plating is Ductile & Malleable
• Slightly harder than gold
• Lowest contact wear resistance (even better than gold)
• Best optical reflectivity

Industry Uses for Silver

• Low UV reflectivity
• Poor corrosion protection
• Highest electrical & thermal conductive metal known to mankind
• Used heavily by the telecom industry on contacts, conductors, & mirrors
• Also used by the medical sector for its antimicrobial trait, which does not allow germs to spread

• Matte, semi-bright & bright appearance
• Solderable
• Corrosion resistant
• Environmentally friendly (ROHS Compliant)
• Soft
• Can be re-flowed for added corrosion protection