The Benefits of Gold Plating

The metal plating system takes a conductive surface and coats it in a type of metal. There are gold plating, silver plating, and rhodium plating systems and more. Plating is not a new technique; it has been used for hundreds of years. In the age of technology, plating is more important than ever.

(Pixabay / AnnaER)

Plating is used in the following ways:

• To make a cheaper metal look better. For example, you can take a piece of jewelry made of an alloy of less-expensive metals and coat it with lustrous 18k gold plating. The base metal is cheap, and you use such a small amount of the precious metal for the plating that the price stays low. However, the final product takes on the look of a solid gold piece of jewelry.
• To inhibit corrosion. If a product is going to be exposed to the elements, you can build it from a low-price metal alloy, then plate it with a type of metal that is not susceptible to rusting from moisture, such as 24k gold plating.
• To allow paint to stick to a surface. Paint bonds to certain types of metal better than others. You can plate products with metals that encourage paint adhesion.

Plating is also used to enhance solderability, improve conductivity (in electrical devices), make something more durable, improve reflectivity, and more.

Gold is frequently used for plating because of its inherent properties. Here are some reasons why gold is often the metal of choice for plating projects:

• Gold doesn’t oxidize. Oxygen contributes heavily to the corrosion of many metals, but gold does not oxidize. It is the least-reactive of all metals. That means that it is impervious to moisture and high temperatures. Gold will hold up well in many environments and will not melt when subjected to high heat.
• Gold has excellent electrical conductivity, meaning that it facilitates the transmission of electrical current. This makes it a vital metal for the electronics industry. When components heat up due to the passage of electrical current, some metals will melt. Gold is unaffected, however, due to its heat-resistant properties.
• Gold is malleable. As a result, this metal can be easily deposited in very thin layers over metals such as nickel. Gold plating makes substrate metals more durable.

GoldPlating.com offers all-inclusive kits that include gold plating solutions and supplies to help with all of your metal plating needs.

Gold in its so many forms such as earrings, pendants, necklaces, or anklets never lost its value through time. In fact, its value simply appraises through time. However, gold, in nature is malleable and can be easily deformed especially when a force is used against it. However, because of gold plating solutions, such disadvantages are corrected.