Electro-Spec has been providing award winning electroplating and electroless plating services to customers for over five decades. This includes applications for lifesaving and safety critical components. Plating is available in precious and semi-precious materials including gold, silver, nickel, copper, Tri-M3TM (Tri-Alloy), electroless and electrolytic nickel. This short article discusses these plating options, as well as their benefits and examples of industries that they are often found of use within.
Accounting for Plating Thickness in Assembly Design
The main consideration when plating threaded components would be to ensure that the plated threads properly fit into their mated counterparts. As shown in Figure 1-1, the dimensions to consider here would be the diameter and pitch of the threads. This translates into the tolerance of the plated coating being accounted for within the assembly because the plated coating will slightly change the geometry of the threaded component. The thickness of the plating should be accounted for when the part is designed. The most ideal location to account for the plated coating would be within the specifications of the mating part, including diameter and pitch. Of course, certain calculations are required to determine the slight change in the diameter or some other dimension of the mated part which will not impact the overall strength of the assembly. But, this is a calculation that should be performed before arbitrarily designating a plating thickness.
Silver plating started as a common way to provide cheaper versions of household items, which were originally made of silver.
At its beginning in the 18th century, this included cutlery, platters, plates and candlesticks among other items. In the 19th century, electroplating arose as a rapid method of finishing mass-produced items. Although the 20th and 21st centuries have seen declines in the use of silver for household wares, this reduction was followed by a rise in the use of silver plating for the electronics industry.
