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Which coating has best conductivity?

Hi all,

First, I'd like to say that having this website is a great asset to the finishing community. Looking through here for the last two days has given me a lots of new info. I currently am looking at multiple coatings used in an electrical application and have noticed that I need a more conductive finish. I have used both galvannealed and pre-galvanized materials and have noticed that the conductivity is not as great as when compared to a electro-zinc plating. Unfortunately, I can't use a zinc plating due to zinc whiskers? Are there any other coatings I can use (cost sensitive) that will give me a better results than galvannealed or pre-galvanized? Thanks,

Stan Brzezniak
Product Engineer - Chicago, Illinois, USA
2007

Thanks for the kind words, Stan. Alloy zinc platings like zinc-nickel and tin-zinc can offer good conductivity, sacrificial protection, and a lower propensity for whiskering (because they are alloys). But the "standard" non-precious plating for low contact resistance is electroless nickel.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
(Ted is available for instant or longterm help)

2007

2007

Hi all,

Thanks for answering my last post about what coating was best for conductivity. Since then, I have chosen to go with pre-galvanized steel and initially it has worked great as the net resistance across my joint has had no problems meeting the requirements. I now have come up with a new issue that seems like the conductivity gets worse if I reuse the parts over and over(right now they have been installed and reinstalled about 12-15X). the conductivity has worsened and now I am no longer passing the requirements. My question is whether this is normal or not for pre-galvanized material? Most likely these parts will be installed and not removed for an extended period of time, but I do have a concern about my results not staying the same after a few uses. As always, any help would be appreciated.

Stan

Stan Brzezniak
Engineer - Chicagoland, Illinois, USA

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