The use of industrial palladium plating has recently been an excellent substitute for gold in electroplating applications. Although they are visually different, as gold is yellow gold, while palladium is white gold, palladium has been widely used because of their cost difference. Palladium is practically lower in price than gold. The trick is to have thick deposits of palladium and a small layer of gold for the contact points or connectors.

Palladium, the Chemical Element

Palladium is a silvery-white metal that is considered to be rare. It was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, and so the name palladium. As a chemical element, it is Pd with an atomic number of 46. It belongs to the PGM or the platinum group metals along with platinum, ruthenium, iridium, rhodium and osmium. They are grouped accordingly as they share the same chemical properties, however, palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense among the other equally precious metals in the group. Palladium is the element that is electrically stable, heat resistant, tarnish resistant and resistant to chemical erosion, as well. It is a medium safe for the storage of hydrogen and hydrogen isotopes as it absorbs up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen.

These characteristics of palladium account for its widespread use in the manufacture of multi-layer ceramic capacitors, televisions, computers, mobile phones, low voltage electrical contacts, and component plating. The unique metal qualities of palladium mark its key role in the luxurious jewelry industry.

Palladium Plating

Industrial metal plating of palladium is suitable for any plating applications because palladium plating prevents the formation of oxide. It does not react with oxygen to form oxide even at room temperature. The melting point of palladium at 2830F makes it excellent in post-plating for connector applications that involves ceramic insulator firing.

Industrial palladium plating is an excellent choice in the application of electrical contacts because palladium plating has a knoop hardness of 400 while gold has a maximum of 200. It is used in applications with point or sliding contact wear. Industrial metal plating of palladium is also considered in applications that require non-magnetic performance. It is the choice of anti-diffusion layer and is a viable replacement for gold in non-magnetic and non-oxidizing plating applications. Standard soldering procedures for gold are also applicable to palladium as they have the same solderability characteristics.

The Process of Palladium Plating

1)Barrel plating is used in industrial palladium plating. It is the procedure for electroplating small parts in large quantities. The process entails tumbling the parts so it risks of damaging the shape. But in its entirety, it is a cost-effective procedure for palladium plating.

2)Rack plating is the process of grouping individual parts together and then plating palladium as a group. Industrial metal plating using the rack method is done for electrical continuity. This process is considered practical than having to individually plate each and every part.