Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Gold electroplating: drawing power through the part?

When we went to a shop to do some gold plating for a prototype part we were developing, the people at the shop tied a wire to the part, and dangled a bolt from the wire while it was in the bath, explaining that this was necessary to draw power through the part (so the power doesn't end at the bottom of the part, they said).

We can't figure out what on earth they could be talking about. All we can understand is that it's going to waste some of the gold.

Does this practice make any sense to you?

Thanks in advance.

Eamon Egan
(potential) OEM consumer - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2007

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This sounds like they were using what is called a "thief". This keeps the plating from depositing too heavily on a corner or edge by diverting the current away. These are commonly used in chrome plating but it would be uncommon for gold plating.

I think what actually happened is that you are trying to have a prototype part plated but they do not have a tank already in place that would be ideally suited in size and shape and anode placement to your part. I suspect that if the application proves satisfactory and you wish to proceed, that they will design an installation that will suit the part and not require a thief.

If you are paying them for this development effort they should be explaining every step of it to you in detail. If it is a freebie, they may not be smart letting you in to see it :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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Ted,

About your last statement to this gentleman, I'd have to disagree. As a courtesy, a supplier may inform the customer about generalities of his process. But for a job doesn't automatically give the right to the knowledge. Only if the transfer of "know how" was also included in the price. How simple or irrelevant the knowledge might seem doesn't matter. It may be the key to win the order and beat a competitor. Many customers do not play fair and disclose information to get a better price from a less educated supplier.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
2007

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I think we're agreeing completely, Guillermo, but I apparently didn't word it clearly. If a customer wishes to pay a consultant or a jobshop to develop a process for him, he can certainly do so and thereby owns the process. But the customer does not become entitled to the jobshop's proprietary knowledge just because he has paid to have some parts plated. You don't become entitled to The Four Seasons' recipes just because you ordered dinner there.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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2007

Thanks for the answer!

As for the question on what we were paying for, we paid for the plating, but we did not pay specifically for any process development. My employee who went to the shop asked what it was for and that was what he was told.

I doubt that he was intentionally misled to protect any "proprietary know-how". Perhaps the folks in the plating shop may have been a bit unclear on the concept...

Eamon Egan
- Montreal, Qc, Canada