Gold is a precious metal. It is a noble metal. It is also a precious metal. With its bright, somewhat reddish yellow color, it is an excellent material to work with. While it is possible to produce items that consist of solid gold, it is prohibitively expensive. This is why a gold plating service is preferred. It is able to reduce the expense while imbuing the surface substrate metal it covers with the enviable properties of gold.
The Properties of Gold
Gold has long been a desirable commodity in the marketplace. For centuries, gold coins and other objects were the sole employment of the material. It was an expression of wealth and a sign of high status. Jewelry, golden dishes and even structures of gold were not for the lower classes. Only the very rich and powerful could afford to use it.
This all changed when mass production discovered the glories of gold plating. Science and technology also worked in favor of expanding the applications of this valuable metal. While the aesthetic qualities of gold remained important, its actual properties began to surge to the forefront. Fabricators and manufacturers alike realized the benefits of plating certain components in gold. Its characteristics included:
* Low reactivity
* Resistance to high temperature oxidization
* Chemical stability
* Durability
* Solderability
* Electrical conductivity – in a uniform fashion
* Wear resistance – may be increased when combined with cobalt
* Corrosion resistance
* Ability to avoid tarnishing during certain chemical processes
A fabricator can amplify these properties and reduce the chances of issues arising by utilizing a layer between the substrate and the silver plating. This underlay or under plate may be of electro-less nickel. It proves beneficial when the substrate may be brass, beryllium copper or bronze.
Overall, a gold plating service improved the substrate in very many ways. Yet, although these are all functional characteristics, the ability of gold to add that certain look makes it even more appealing to fabricators and industries.
Gold Plating and Industries
Gold electroplating is favored by several modern industries. Today, it finds heavy employment in the electronics and telecommunications industries. Gold electroplating is used for connector pins and electrical switch contacts. Other industries rely on it to help improve their components and make them suitable for their components and final products. These include both aerospace and medical devices.
Gold Plating Service
Gold electroplating has changed over the centuries. Gold has gone from being the provenance of the wealthy and simply a pretty metal to so much more. Gold is a functional metal. Although still precious and expensive, gold now has an expanded role. The use of a gold plating service now reflects the technological advances of the time, making this metal both easy to look at and very practical to use.
