Gold Plating (Electroplating) Services per MIL-G-45204, ASTM B488
Artistic Plating Company has provided quality functional and decorative gold plating services to Mil-G-45204 or ASTM B488 for over sixty years. Our expertise in providing precision barrel, rack and vibratory gold plating services is currently employed in numerous industries including the medical, telecommunications, aerospace and electronics industries.
Artistic offers a wide range of gold plating services from Type III 99.9% pure “soft” to Type II 99.0% pure “hard” deposits. Artistic has the ability to underplate with our various nickel plating services includingboth bright electrolytic nickel, sulfamate electrolytic nickel and electroless nickel deposits as well as copper plating if required.
Gold Plating Services – Gold Properties
Gold has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, offers exceptionalsolderability and is a superb reflector of infrared radiation. In addition, gold is a noble metal that does not oxidize or chemically react under normal conditions. For this reason it is an exceptional choice for numerous engineering requirements where electrical conductivity (especially at low voltages), solderability and corrosion resistance are design requirements
Gold Plating Services – Gold Specifications
The two most common gold plating services certified by Artistic Plating are MIL-G-45204 and ASTM B488. Artistic Plating also can certify our gold plating services to AMS 2422,AMS 2425 as well as most company-specific gold specifications. A summary of the gold types per the ASTM and MIL specs is as follows:
Type I: 99.7% pure gold with a hardness ranging from A (90 HK25 max) to C (130-200 HK25). - Type II: 99.0% pure gold often referred to as hard gold with a hardness ranging from B (91-129 KH25) to D (> 200 HK25). Artistic provides a cobalt hardened Type II gold deposit.
- Type III: 99.9% pure gold often referred to as soft gold with a hardness of A only (90 HK25 Max).
Gold Plating Services – Why Artistic Plating?
Artistic Plating provides expertise in gold plating services to fulfill even the most demanding applications. From prototyping and PPAP qualification to full production processing – it is Artistic’s dedicated effort to exceed your expectations. The following points highlight why Artistic Plating is a leader in gold plating services:
- Diversity of substrates: Artistic Plating provides gold plating services on nearly any metallic substrate including copper & copper alloys including beryllium and tellurium coppers, hardened and alloyed steels, stainless steels, Inconels, Hastalloys, Monels, ductile & cast iron and metalized plastics.
- Delicate and Difficult Geometries: Artistic Plating specializes in gold plating services on delicate parts employing specialty oscillating, rock-and-roll, compartmentalized, vibratory and minimum part movement barrel technologies as well as custom-engineered rack fixturing when required to ensure even the most delicate parts are handled properly. Artistic has a working R&D relationship with several tooling manufactures that has lead to several patented designs.
RoHS and REACH Compliance: Artistic is at the forefront of environmental legislation and can certify our gold plating services as needed to the current RoHS, EVL and REACH regulations.- Competitive Pricing: Artistic Plating has been providing quality gold plating services for over sixty years. Competitive pricing in gold plating services is paramount to gaining and maintaining our customers in today’s competitive global marketplace.
- Lean Lead Times: With inventories leaner than ever, rapid turn around is a core competency that we highly value ensure the service our customers need.
- Value Added: Artistic prides itself on meeting the customer’s needs. Whether it’s custom engineering packaging, vacuum or nitrogen sealed packaging to enhance storage, Kanban inventory management, light subassembly or multiple finishing combinations – Artistic will work with you to ensure we meeting your needs in gold finishing services.
- Extensive in House Analytical and Quality Lab Services: SPC is employed in all wet-lab work surrounding our gold plating services to ensure baths are analyzed and adjusted at optimum frequencies to ensure operation between critical upper and lower control points. Our quality lab employs the latest in x-ray, coloumetric and spectrophotometer technologies to inspect your parts and will work to your requirements to provide testing as needed. Our quality lab can certify salt spray performance to ASTM B117, adhesion to ASTM B571 and solderability to ASTM B678. Mounted cross sections of parts are also available.
