Top 5 FAQs:

1. What is the difference between Hard and Soft Gold?

 

 

 

 

In a nutshell, gold in it's normal state is considered to be "soft" and therefore pure gold deposits are often called soft gold because the have little if any grain refiners or additives that could make the deposit hard.  Hard gold is made when you combine soft gold with either nickel or cobalt which increases the hardness.

Here is some of the technical specifications:

Hard Gold -  For gold contact were some sliding wear is required.

Knoop=  hardness   130 - 200

Purity=   99.7%

Hardening agents=  cobalt or nickel

Soft Gold – is for touching type contact were no wear is required

Knoop  hardness=   91 – 115

Purity=   99.9%

No hardening agent added

We hope that this helps. If you need more assistance, please contact us at asktheexpert@ppc1904.com and we can get more specific as it regards your application.

 

 

 

 

2. Electroplated Tin vs. Nickel

 

 

 

 

One of our vendors is planning to start plating the copper bus bars in their assemblies, to which we connect our busbars, with nickel. We are unfamiliar with the properties of nickel, and are considering whether we should change from Tin plating to Nickel plating for any reason. Can you advise me on any concerns about long term effects between nickel and tin plated materials clamped together, and any significant differences in cost between the 2 methods?

Tin vs. Nickel

Nickel is not Solderable, so any items that may need to be soldered to the buss bar wouldn’t stick to electroplated nickel. Forming, nickel is not as ductile as tin would be and therefore may crack under stress if bent. Tin is better than nickel as far as conductivity is concerned. Nickel can and will grow a thick oxide that may prevent conductivity over time as the oxide is more difficult to break through than tin.

Costs

Nickel may cost more than tin to plate due to the efficiency of the bath and the value of nickel as a commodity is more than tin and increasing.

Lead Free Tin

Tin is now available as a lead free finish as well so it is becoming a better alternative o move to lead free tin and stick with it. Nickel is fast becoming more and more of an environmental hazard as the EU and China are starting to view it’s properties as not ideal for many applications. Some people are allergic to nickel and this is gaining some potential that it will be more regulated in the next few years.

 

 

 

 

3. How does nickel plating work with other plating technologies?

 

 

 

 

Nickel acts as a barrier layer between the base substrate and the finish that is applied over the nickel layer. The nickel prevents the base metal composition effecting the performance of the final finish.

Nickel is a critical part of soldering and wire bonding process and there are many different types of nickel. Choosing the correct nickel will make the difference in part performance and cost.

 

 

 

 

4. Is precious metal included in the lot charge?

 

 

 

 

As a rule, Precision does not include the charge for precious metals in our Minimum Lot Charge. Our Minimum Lot Charge covers the cost of labor and materials, not including precious metals.

All quoted jobs requiring precious metals will receive a precious metal factor which is calculated by multiplying the factor times the price of the precious metal the day the product is shipped. See how do I calculate my factor?

 

 

 

 

5. Are there any alternatives to gold?

 

 

 

 

That is a great question and in fact there are a couple of alternatives to Gold and these are Palladium and Palladium Nickel. Both of these finishes have been offered by Precision Plating for the last 20 years and we can even design a specification that will equal or out perform your current Gold deposit.

Palladium and Palladium Nickel are more dense at lower thickness and harder than Gold so you can use less and save even more. We offer and often time recommend Palladium with a Gold cap so that the end product looks like Gold.

Alternatives to Gold

 

 

 

 

Existing or Potential Customer FAQ

Are you a NADCAP qualified facility?

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, Precision Plating Company, Inc. is not NADCAP Certified. We are certified to plate certain specific products/processes for Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Raytheon but we are not NADCAP certified.

 

 

 

 

Does Precision offer visual inspection?

 

 

 

 

Yes, Precision has the capability to offer you 100% visual inspection off-line where it can be detailed for distortion or plating location variations. We are currently working on in-line systems that will allow us to 100% inspect product on line for assurance that it meets your specification.

 

 

 

 

Do you utilize vision systems in your plating process?

 

 

 

Yes, Precision monitors pin counts using optical counters and for pin perpendicularity or missing pin detection we offer more sophisticated vision system options.  If you have specific vision requirements please contact us to discuss them in greater detail.

 

 

 

Does Precision have an ISO certification?

 

 

 

Yes, Precision holds both ISO 9001:2000 and TS16949 certifications.

 

 

 

Do you plate wire?

 

 

 

Precision does not plate on wire.  Our plating cells and transport tooling does not support plating on wire.

 

 

 

Do you plate on plastics?

 

 

 

Precision does not plate on plastic substrates.

 

 

 

Does Precision plate chrome or black oxides?

 

 

 

Precision does not offer chrome or black oxide finishes.

 

 

 

Customer Service and Expedites

How can I cut my lead times?

 

 

 

 

Precision likes to think of itself as an extension of your process. We do not mean this as a buzz word, but in fact metal finishing is the final process for you to sell your product so we are much more than just another "vendor". If scheduled into your production process after you order or release raw material, we can ashere to your desired schedule.

Pre-planning is the most cost effective and efficient way for us to provide you with accurate delivery dates. Lack of planning for the finishing process is a costly and common mistake that should be avoided if at all possible.

We know that it is not always possible, but this should be th exception and not the rule.

 

 

 

 

Can you plate in 24 hours or less?

 

 

 

 

Of course! Precision prides itself on impeccable service and turnaround is an area where we can always to better and most times all we need is your help! Call your customer service representative as far in advance as possible of your need for next day or same day service.

At this time, we will pre-schedule your item and provide you with a best case scenario that you can now use in your production plan. In some extreme cases expedite or interruption fees may apply.

 

 

 

 

Precious Metal Questions

What is the difference between hard and soft gold?

 

 

 

 

In a nutshell, gold in it's normal state is considered to be "soft" and therefore pure gold deposits are often called soft gold because the have little if any grain refiners or additives that could make the deposit hard.  Hard gold is made when you combine soft gold with either nickel or cobalt which increases the hardness.

Here is some of the technical specifications:

Hard Gold -  For gold contact were some sliding wear is required.

Knoop=  hardness   130 - 200

Purity=   99.7%

Hardening agents=  cobalt or nickel

Soft Gold – is for touching type contact were no wear is required

Knoop  hardness=   91 – 115

Purity=   99.9%

No hardening agent added

We hope that this helps. If you need more assistance, please contact us at asktheexpert@ppc1904.com and we can get more specific as it regards your application.

 

 

 

 

How do I calculate the precious metal factor?

 

 

 

 

The precious metal factor is a calculated constant that indicates how much gold, silver, or palladium is on your product. The factor will appear on your quotation and tells how many troy ounces of precious metal are on each unit of product, either pound or individual piece.

Here are the steps you must follow to determine the dollar value of gold on a product:

1. Locate daily market prices for the precious metal you want to calculate on our home page, http://ppc1904.com
2. Daily gold price as of April 7, 2006 is $635.76
3. Your gold factor is .000125 per each piece/pound.
4. Calculate gold per piece/pound (Au Factor X Daily Au Price) = Metal Per Piece/Pound or 635.76 X .000125 = $0.07947 each piece/pound.
5. If you are dealing with pieces and wish to get the price per thousand, then do the following: (0.07947 * 1000) = $79.47 per thousand.

This will also work for Silver and Palladium pricing. You only need to substitute the appropriate precious metal factor and daily precious metal price in the formula shown in step 4. If you are in need of further assistance, please call us at 888-621-1292.

 

 

 

 

What is the difference between regular metals and "fabricated" gold, silver and palladium?

 

 

 

 

Regular precious metal pricing is precious metal in it's natural state. In order to electroplate these various precious metals, the metal is "fabricated" in order to make it work within our plating solutions. Gold and Palladium is created as a salt and added to a chemical bath.

 

 

 

 

Is precious metal included in the lot charge?

 

 

 

 

As a rule, Precision does not include the charge for precious metals in our Minimum Lot Charge. Our Minimum Lot Charge covers the cost of labor and materials, not including precious metals.

All quoted jobs requiring precious metals will receive a precious metal factor which is calculated by multiplying the factor times the price of the precious metal the day the product is shipped. See how do I calculate my factor?

 

 

 

 

The price of gold has increased since my last order with you.  Can you revise my quote to reflect the new price of gold?

 

 

 

Precision’s quotes are comprised of a base rate and a precious metal price.  To calculate the new part price simply take the per piece volume of gold and multiply by today’s gold price.  Add this to the piece part price and you now have your per piece cost.  Multiply this by the number of pieces you will be sending in for plating and you can estimate a ball park for your next order.  Keep in mind that if the number of pieces you are sending is lower than the “min-lot” quantity than you will be charged a “min-lot” price plus the precious metals.  Please note: Final invoice calculations will be made using the price of gold on the day the products were shipped so some variance may exist.

 

 

 

Material Handling

Can I request plated samples to be sent with each order?

 

 

 

 

Yes, this service is especially helpful for wire-bondable product which is sealed prior to shipping. Precision can attach a sample to the outside of each reel eliminating a need to open any reels for testing.

 

 

 

 

Can Precision handle specific splicing requirements such as max number of splices per reel or a minimum coil weight?

 

 

 

 

Precision is happy to discuss specific requests. We can reduce splice counts or limit coil sizes for better integration into your manufacturing process.

 

 

 

 

Do you stock various interleaf sizes?

 

 

 

 

Precision stocks interleaf paper from .003"-.007". Our standard is non-bleached natural craft paper. If your needs fall outside this range please contact customer service to discuss specifics and we are happy to special order an interleaf to meet your needs.

 

 

 

 

Should I send empty reels to you with my order?

 

 

 

 

PPC requires at least one empty reel per order. We are happy to store empty reels here at PPC for any recurring product runs.

 

 

 

 

Does Precision offer welded splices?

 

 

 

Yes, typically we utilize tape, rivet or wire-tie splices.  However, if your job requires welded splices Precision is has welding equipment to facilitate these requests.

 

 

 

Can Precision handle specific reel quantities for dock to stock requirements?