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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
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Gold plating blistering on a copper terminal
Hello
I'm an Engineer and my job is finding the root of failures... Recently I have been changed to the coatings/platings area. And I received a copper terminal that is presenting a gold plating blistering, I have another one that not. The good terminal have the twice the plating thickness than the bad terminal, and the good plating cover more area, but still with this I don't find the answer for the blistering. Could corrosion on the base material of the bad terminal be the answer of this problem?
Automotive employee, and student - Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
2006
Electroplating is a complex process with a lot of interdependent variables, and it is always difficult to just look at a finished part and guess what went wrong, Rafael. But the most common cause of poor adhesion is improper preparation, not the plating step itself. The part probably wasn't clean.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006
What is the alloy of the copper? Tellurium? Beryllium? What kind of gold plating solution? Strike?. Tell us more, we want to help.
Robert H Probert
Robert H Probert Technical Services
Garner, North Carolina
2006
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