As Gold is a soft metal it is easy to process, Gold plating is generally done to avoid corrosion and oxidation on the surface of the metal which could lead to poor performance, shortened product life, and electrical conductivity issues. Gold is a very good conductor of electricity, Gold plating also adds to the aesthetic look of the product. Gold Plating involves the application of a thin layer of gold on the surface of another metal.

Gold Plating functional properties are:
• Low Electrical contact Resistance
• Highly Conductive
• Good Bonding & Solderability
• Abrasion and Wear-Resistant

At Spectronic Plating we have classified Gold plating into 3 types:

Cobalt Hardened
An alloy of Gold and Cobalt is used to harden the gold used for plating. Hard gold plating deposit is obtained from the plating bath with Ni and Co. Our hard gold plating contains 0.3 to 1.5 wt% of cobalt

Nickel Hardened
Where gold is made hard along with an alloy of Nickel. The composition of gold and nickel in this alloy based on their mass as a percentage of the total is 80 ≦Au ≦90, 10 ≦Ni ≦20 ≦

Immersion Gold
This is an electroless gold plating method that ensures a stable deposition rate is applied to the independent circuit pattern too
This plating is used when we need to form a uniform thin layer of gold plating on the nickel surface. The plating thickness chosen ranges from 0.05 μm to 0.1 μm

The process enables a uniform deposit of gold and enhances the solderability of the metal

It provides excellent bonding and High conductivity

At Spectronics we specialize in gold plating of connectors used in Aerospace, Defence, Automobiles, Telecom, Industrial, Railways and etc. by using reel to reel, barrel and rack plating methods.

Palladium plating is a cost effective option to plating requirements. At Spectronics we specialize in Palladium-Nickel alloy plating, the properties of Palladium are similar to gold with excellent corrosion resistance, low porosity; low contact resistance and good solder ability. It is also chosen when there is a requirement of a barrier between base metals such as nickel or copper and gold.

Palladium Nickel alloys were originally developed as a low cost replacement for gold. Alloy deposits can range from 70 percent palladium to 80 percent palladium with the remaining 30-40 percentage being nickel.

Palladium provides a substantial advantage in terms of metal cost. The reasons for its usage initially were technical, in order to eliminate cold welding problems occurring in the mating of connectors plated with a conventional cyanide gold deposit. Palladium offered a solution because the ammonical electrolytes that were available were mildly aggressive. For these reasons palladium found significant properties.

The functional properties of Palladium Nickel plating are:
• Excellent corrosion resistance
• Low porosity
• Low contact resistance
• Good solder ability

Silver is the best conductor of electricity among all metals. At spectronic plating we specialize in bright silver plating, by using reel to reel, barrel and rack plating techniques. Bright silver plating is best suited for applications that require high electrical and/or thermal conductivity, lubricity and/or wear resistance in bearing applications, solderability applications and optical reflectivity in lighting and/or LED applications.

Silver plating provides an economical choice for electrical contacts considering its relatively low price compared to precious metals such as gold and platinum. The electronics and semiconductor industries use silver plated metals since it’s the best metal available for conducting electricity, it is very malleable, and provides outstanding solderability. The excellent lubricity of silver makes it useful for metal finishing on bearing surfaces and anti-galling applications.

Silver plating functional properties are:
• Excellent Electrical Conductivity
• Excellent Solderability/ Good Heat Conductivity
• Very ductile and high Lubricity
• Relatively Low Cost
• Decorative Appearance

Methods of Silver plating include:
• Reel to Reel Silver Plating (Bright Silver)
• Barrel Silver Plating (Bright Silver)
• Rack Silver Plating (Bright Silver)

Nickel plating offers excellent corrosion and wear resistance. It acts as an exceptional barrier to prevent the migration of base material components into the gold, palladium, or other metals. At Spectronics Plating our Nickel Plating services include, Semi-bright, matte, Electroless Nickel mid-phosphorus and high phosphorus. We offer overall and selective plating for electronic &electrical connectors.

Electroplating Nickel:
Nickel Sulphamate is widely used as a primary layer on surface coating of Tin, Gold, Palladium or silver plating. Nickel produces a hard surface that enhances the wear resistance of metals that are coated on top of the Nickel plated surface. Matte nickel plating is used in the pretreatment of stainless steel parts.

Methods of Nickel Electroplating include:
• Reel-to Reel Nickel plating
• Barrel Nickel plating
• Rack Nickel plating

Electroless Nickel Plating:
Typically, when anyone is interested in metal plating for their parts, the most opted option is electroplating. However, there is another method that could alternatively be used called electroless plating. There are many advantages to electroless plating, industries are constantly exploring the uses of electroless plating.As it is cost-effective, and a simple alternative to traditional electroplating techniques.

In electroless Nickel plating, the nickel alloy comprises of nickel and phosphorus. Phosphorus quantities range between 2% to 14%, depending on the specification and performance requirements. At Spectronic we specialize in Mid Phosphorus (5-9%) and High Phosphorus (10-14%) Nickel Plating,

Electroless Nickel plating functional properties include:
• Low coefficient of thermal expansion
• Solderability
• Low thermal conductivity
• Electrical conductivity
• High melting temperature
• Abrasion and wear resistance
• Corrosion resistance
• Total coating uniformity

Electroless Nickel plating methods are:
Barrel Nickel plating
Rack Nickel plating

Tin plating provides a white deposit that is non-toxic and corrosion resistant. This makes tin plated metals a highly sought after input in food processing, shipping industries and electronics industry for connectors, semiconductors, components, etc.

At Spectronic we specialize in Lead-free tin plating that provides superior electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance. Lead free tin is used in electrical contact applications such as terminals, switching components and all connector applications. Our lead free tin deposits meet all RoHS requirements. In addition to lead free tin plating, we also provide Bright Tin Lead and Matte Tin Lead plating.

Tin plating methods include:
Reel to Reel Tin plating (Bright/Matte)
Rack Tin plating (Bright/Matte)
Barrel Tin plating (Bright/Matte)

Tin plating functional properties are:
• Solderability
• Good Corrosion Resistance
• Excellent heat conductivity
• Very malleable
• Non-Toxic
• Decorative value
• Excellent lubricity

Copper is commonly used for barrier plating like the case of nickel, although it can be used as the only plating material. Copper adheres well to a variety of different base materials as well as subsequently plated metals. Copper is also an excellent conductor of both heat and electricity, making it a popular choice for many engineering applications.

At Spectronic plating we provide both bright and matte finish. Acid, alkali as well as cyanide copper plating are available.

Copper plating functional properties are:
• Good diffusion barrier
• Excellent heat &electrical conductivity
• Adheres well to many substrates
• Copper is ductile

Copper plating methods include:
• Reel to Reel copper plating (Bright/Matte)
• Rack copper plating (Bright/Matte)
• Barrel copper plating (Bright/Matte)

Cadmium is a soft white metal that functions as sacrificial coating; it corrodes before the substrate material. Cadmium coatings are applied to iron, steel, brass and aluminum and provide excellent resistance to corrosion in most conditions, especially in marine and alkaline environments. Electroplating of cadmium is a robust and versatile metallic coating process.

To enhance the corrosion protection of cadmium plating, chromate conversion coatings can be used to increase its life. Clear hexavalent chromium, yellow dichromate and olive drab chromate conversion coatings are available. The coating is generally specified in thickness between 5μm and 25μm depending on the severity of the atmosphere.
Cadmium coatings are particularly useful in electrical, electronic, aerospace, mining, offshore, automotive and defence industries, where they are applied to bolts, fasteners, chassis, connectors and other components.

Cadmium plating functional properties includes:
• Excellent corrosion resistance
• Low electrical resistance
• Outstanding conductivity
• Superior solderability
• Excellent natural lubricity

Cadmium plating methods include:
• Rack cadmium plating (Olive drab /clear/Yellow -Finish)
• Barrel cadmium plating (Olive drab /clear/Yellow-Finish)

Zinc-nickel provides the high-performance coating that enables exceptional corrosion protection in harsh environments. It can be formulated to meet a variety of corrosion resistance specifications. Zinc is more environmental-friendly than Cadmium. It is mainly used in Aerospace, Automotive, Electrical Transmission, Fastener, Bearings and Defense Industries.

Zinc-Nickel is recognized as an environmentally safe alternative to cadmium electroplating. Due to its cost-effectiveness and reduced environmental impact, it is a highly preferred electroplating metal.

This plating is a combination of a High Zinc-Nickel alloy containing (10% - 15% nickel). There are three varieties chromate finish namely, Clear-Iridescent, Yellow-Iridescent, and Black Chromate. Corrosion resistance of Zinc Nickel plating deposit shows twice the strength of zinc-nickel alloy containing low-nickel and five times of zinc plating.

Zinc Nickel plating functional properties are:
• Excellent Corrosion Resistance
• Superior ductility
• Outstanding conductivity
• Bendable and Deformable After Plating
• Superior solderability
• Excellent natural lubricity

Zinc Nickel plating methods include:
• Rack Zinc Nickel plating (Clear-Iridescent, Yellow-Iridescent, and Black Chromate)
• Barrel Zinc Nickel plating (Clear-Iridescent, Yellow-Iridescent, and Black Chromate)

Passivation is a process used to remove contamination and improve corrosion resistance from the surface of stainless steel. Passivation drastically improves the condition of stainless steel when iron and other foreign particles are embedded on its surface.

Passivation is "the removal of exogenous iron or iron compounds from the surface of stainless steel by means of a chemical dissolution, most typically by treatment with an acidic solution that will remove the surface contamination, but will not significantly affect the stainless steel itself."
The passivation process ensures that the naturally occurring, protective oxide film is continuous on the stainless surface. Based on the alloy of stainless steel different acid concentration and temperature is used to match the passivation process.

Stainless Steel is naturally corrosion resistant due to its chromium content, however, it has been widely witnessed that stainless steel has issues with rusting because it is not properly treated. At Spectronic we provide Nitric acid passivation and Citric acid passivation.