Yes.
Yes, very common.
Both hard and soft gold are very pure but soft gold is more pure. Soft gold is popular in the semiconductor industry and is ideal for parts set for wire bonding. Soft gold produces a matte appearance compared to hard gold. Hard gold contains some nickel and cobalt and is not ideal for wire bonding. Hard gold is suitable for applications calling for mechanical wear and/or shiny appearances.
One is not better than the other, each has their unique properties and uses. If one needs a shiny appearance, hard gold would be preferred. If one needs a very high purity gold deposit, soft gold is preferred. Hard gold is better for applications calling for mechanical wear such as sliding contacts.
Both hard and soft gold are 99%+ pure gold so the price is the same in almost every case.
Five (5) business days is the standard hard gold plating lead time. Larger projects may take more time. Sometimes tooling is needed, such as racks or hard masks. If tooling is required, the lead time may be longer than five business days. The lead time can be found on your quote. Contact INTA Technologies to request a quotation contact@intatech.com
12-18” max length. 10” max diameter. All dimensions approximate. Large items can be quite costly to plate due to material costs (gold is very expensive).
Yes, lead, cadmium, Cr-6 and several other materials are not plated on by INTA. INTA is RoHS compliant.
Yes, in most cases.
The answer is project specific. Thicknesses range from 3u” to .015”. Contact bkneedler@intatech.com or 408-748-9955 x113 (B.Kneedler, Estimator) for assistance.
Yes.
Yes.
INTA Technologies plates copper tungsten. INTA Machining also manufactures CuW components. Most customers prefer soft gold on copper tungsten but INTA can deposit hard gold on CuW if your application requires such a finish.
Yes, but some types of plastic are excluded. ABS, PEEK, PET, PVC and many other resins and plastics accommodate hard gold plating very well. Think of the cost savings when substituting a solid gold or solid metal piece with a gold plated plastic component!
In general, .040” x .040” x .020” or 1mm x 1 mm x .5 mm
130-200 Knoop hardness.
24 Karat, 99.0 % pure
Rhodium is a harder, more durable coating. Rhodium is able to withstand very high temperatures. Hard gold coatings are generally less expensive than rhodium or platinum coatings. Hard gold and soft gold cost about the same.
Hard gold is very robust but eless nickel phos and chrome plating are more common. All three coatings offer a very hard, durable coating. Gold is much more expensive than nickel or chrome. A hard gold coating would typically be used on electrical contacts and small items whereas chrome and nickel phos plating can be used on large industrial equipment and aircraft.
INTA does not commonly offer cobalt or cobalt alloy plating. Please contact Dr. Francis Honey (fhoney@intatech.com) for further details.
Small amounts of nickel, cobalt and other contributing factors.
Hard gold coatings have many important uses. Anti-corrosion, anti-galling, durability, appearance, etc. There are many reasons to use hard gold finishes. Contact INTA Technologies to discuss your project sales@intatech.com
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Last revised: 25 JUN 2008