Yes. The relevant specification is Mil-G-45204 Type I. The process involves electroplating. Hard gold can be plated on most materials including conductive and non-conductive components, substrates and assemblies.
Yes, very common.
Both hard and soft gold are very pure but soft gold is more pure (99.9%+ vs 99.7%). 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 less 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 99.7%+ 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
Standard: 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). Custom projects (very large pieces) may be accomplished at INTA but the costs are very high. Call INTA for a quote 408-748-9955 x113. Drawings are required.
Yes, lead, cadmium 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”. A typical hard gold coating thickness would depend on factors such as application, use environment, testing procedures, atmosphere, temperature requirements, substrate, finish, geometry and more. In general, coating are in the 1-8 micron range. The relevant specification is Mil-G-45204 Type I. According to the specification, the customer should furnish the following information to the plater (this is a partial list):
Type, grade and class
Finish required, bright or matte (matte is soft gold)
Strikes and underplating required
Location of critical surfaces
Degree of smoothness required and method of determination
Post-plating testing required if applicable (solderability, bake out, etc.)
Preparation for delivery (packaging)
Contact blake@intatech.com or 408-748-9955 x113 (Blake Kneedler, Manufacturing Engineer) for further information.
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, 99.7+ % 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
We recommend Metal Finishing Magazine as a resource for folks interested in learning more about this topic (www.metalfinishing.com).
Interested parties may also wish to visit www.finishing.com for helpful insights.
Copper
Ruthenium
Rhodium
Silver
Rhenium
Osmium
Iridium
Platinum
Gold
Mercury
To
a physicist, all the d-bands in the electronic structure must be filled in
order for an element to qualify as a noble metal. In which case the only
noble metals are copper, silver and gold. Try this experiment:
Prepare a clean platinum plated surface in high vacuum and then compare the
results using the same process with a gold plated surface.
Yes, INTA ships products around the world. We have built our reputation over the past decades. We are well-known and well-respected due to our rich company heritage, commitment to quality and the fine work we have done brings customers back repeatedly.
No. INTA offers many products and services including machining, plating, brazing, assembly, metallizing, ceramics and others but does not sell plating chemicals.
INTA Technologies purchases plating chemicals from vendors in the USA.
Consult your local jeweler for small plating projects. INTA concentrates on industrial applications and our list of equipment is exhaustive due to the high product mix and high reliability nature of our work. Here is a partial list:
Preparation tanks
Rinse tanks
Plating tanks
Liquid pumps for circulation
Monitoring devices and recorders
Wastewater treatment
Air ventilation equipment
Nitrogen
Dryer
Microscopes
XRFs
Full series of inspection tools (too many to name)
DI water packs
Laboratory equipment (too many instruments to name) for titration and chemical analysis
Liquid heating systems
Power sources
Meters
And much more!
Blake Kneedler, Manufacturing Engineer
408-748-9955 x113
or
Dr. Francis Honey, Engineering Manager
408-748-9955 x103
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Last revised: 5 DEC 2008
