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Gold Plating on Titanium?

I work in a dental laboratory. We work with Titanium alloy dental implants and parts. I have heard that it may be possible to coat Ti with gold plating to make it a "warmer" color for esthetic purposes in the mouth, but I have also heard that the bond of gold to Ti is weaker than most other materials. I know of and have dealt with Titanium Nitride coatings, which achieve the same results esthetically, but was wondering if gold plating was a cheaper/easier option to produce in my lab. If it does indeed bond poorly to Titanium, I am curious as to why. Thanks, all!

Don H
Dental Lab Technician - Olympia, Washington, USA
October 14, 2011

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Hi, Don

Electroplating of any sort typically bonds poorly to titanium because it is such an active metal that it is difficult-to-impractical to get a proper bond. Electroplated coatings are best grown onto other metals, not onto metal oxides, and it's difficult to get titanium inot that condition long enough to electroplate. The ASM Metals Handbook, Vol. 5, does have a discussion of this, along with prep cycles.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
October 16, 2011

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TiN would be more durable and is likely to be less expensive than gold plating.

Lyle Kirman
consultant - Cleveland Heights, Ohio
October 19, 2011