Types of metal plating for high temperatures include:
Nickel is a metal that is renowned for its hardness as well as excellent corrosion resistance, wear resistance, resistance to the elements. Nickel coatings are sometimes alloyed with tungsten, tin, boron and manganese to improve resistance to corrosion, hardness and conductivity further. Nickel plating is often used in the automotive, aerospace, communication and textile industries.
- Copper plating
Copper has outstanding thermal and electrical properties, offers protection from corrosion and is highly malleable. These characteristics make it incredibly valuable to the electrical, heating and industrial sectors. Copper plating can also be used as a heat treat stop-off for masking because it allows for selective heat-treating. However, copper is highly active, which means it is unsuitable for some applications.
- Gold plating
Gold plating plays a vital role in electrical components due to its excellent conductivity, but it is also commonly used in the aerospace, medical and jewellery industries due to its protective properties against corrosion, wear and heat. Though expensive, gold plating is incredibly effective and could result in a cost-saving over a longer period.
- Silver plating
Like gold, silver is a noble metal that resists corrosion and oxidisation. Silver plating protects against corrosion, withstands chemicals and acids well, and provides exceptional thermal and electrical conductivity. Silver can also be alloyed with most metals reasonably easily. Due to these characteristics, the telecommunications, auto, electronics and solar energy industries all use silver coating heavily. It is also valuable in the medical field due to its antimicrobial properties.
- Zinc plating
Zinc resists corrosion exceptionally well; a characteristic that can be enhanced further by alloying it with other metals such as nickel. Zinc nickel plating, originally developed for the automotive industry due to its excellent protection in high temperatures, has 10 times the resistance of zinc plating. Zinc plating is often used to plate nuts, bolts and small components and can be used as an undercoat on a surface before painting do to its excellent adhesiveness.
