INTA Technologies Corporation 2281 Calle de Luna, Santa Clara, CA 95054 || Tel: 408-748-9955 || Fax: 408-727-3027

 

 

Soft Gold Plating

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

What is a common gold plating spec?

A common spec is MIL-G-45204C. For soft gold, specify Type III Grade A

 

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How do I specify soft gold plating on a drawing?

See the previous answer. You will also need to specify a Class (thickness). For help determining Class, contact Blake Kneedler, Manufacturing Engineering 408-748-9955 x113

 

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What thickness is ideal?

Ideal thickness varies depending on several factors including:

Application

Substrate material

Undercoat

Environment

Other

Contact sales@intatech.com for design support.

 

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Does my component need a soft gold finish?

Gold has many unique properties making it very valuable and useful. There are other coatings to consider such as nickel, copper, silver and platinum. There may be alternatives for your application. Contact INTA to discuss your project in detail and learn more regarding other options.

 

Soft gold data:

Thermal conductivity: 300 W/mK

Density: 19.3 gm/cc

CTE: 14.3 ppm/deg C

 

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What is an undercoat?

In many cases it is best to apply an undercoat to the substrate prior to the gold finish. Many undercoats also serve other purposes such as aiding soldering. The most popular undercoat is nickel.

 

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What materials can I have soft gold plated?

Almost any material other than lead, Cr-6 or cadmium. INTA is RoHS compliant and does not work with certain materials such as lead.

 

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Why is gold plating expensive?

Gold plating is more costly than tin, nickel or silver plating due to the high cost of gold. Gold plating is less expensive than rhodium or platinum plating.

 

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Are there less expensive alternatives?

In most cases no, however, there is a chance another less expensive coating will fit your application. Contact sales@intatech.com to discuss your project and discover any potential alternate options.

 

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What is the lead time for soft gold plating?

Five (5) business days for normal orders. We also offer expedite service. For complex projects, projects requiring tooling or large volume orders, lead times will be extended. Check your quote for the lead time. To request a quotation contact Karen Cabral 408-748-9955 x104

 

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Can INTA plate soft gold on copper moly (CuMo)??

Yes.

 

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Can INTA plate hard gold on titanium?

Yes.

 

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Can INTA plate soft gold on kovar?

Yes.

 

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What substrate materials should I avoid?

Due to RoHS compliance and environmental concerns, INTA Technologies Corporation avoids materials such as: Pb, As, Cr, Cd.

 

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Does INTA Technologies plate soft gold on plastic?

Yes.

 

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What is DFM?

Design for manufacturability – DFM -- is key to project success. Too much masking and unrealistic tolerances can cause high plating costs and long lead times. Work with INTA Technologies from early in the project to ensure cost effectiveness. COPQ can be limited by use of DFM and INTA Technologies can help.

 

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Why is masking important?

If a drawing calls for selective plating it makes the finish more expensive and time-consuming to process. To reduce costs consider limiting masking and other labor-intensive functions in the note section of the drawing of finishing spec.

 

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How shiny is a soft gold finish?

The appearance is matte. The appearance is less shiny than a hard gold coating.

 

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How long does it take to receive a soft gold plating quote?

In general, 24 hours. Often, during the quote phase there is dialogue between the customer/prospect and INTA. The following are some common questions that come up. To speed up your quote, please provide detailed information in your RFQ and answers to any applicable questions:

How soon do you need the plating performed?

What is the project budget and/or target price?

Is this a new design? Has it ever been made before?

What testing will be performed after INTA ships the parts? Bake test, bend test, scratch, tape, etc.?

What is the operating temperature of the component or assembly?

What is the end use of the components?

What is the desired quantity? Any outlook on future and/or annual quantities?

 

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Can ceramic be soft gold plated at INTA Technologies?

Yes. In general, the ceramic will be metallized first, then plated. An undercoat may be necessary. There are also many other techniques used to deposit gold on ceramic but INTA only performs:

 

Thick film & electroplating

Chemical deposition

 

INTA does not perform thin film services or vacuum deposition currently. We can provide a referral to a local thin film company. For further information please send an email to contact@intatech.com

 

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Last revised: 2 SEP 2008