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Most Economical Substrate for Skin Contact

August 18, 2014

Q. I am currently designing a skin electrode system and am trying to determine the best substrate metal for silver or gold plating. Are there any quick "rules of thumb" when choosing a combination? I want to avoid specifying a substrate metal that would be difficult to plate with either precious metal (such as copper or stainless steel). Would a low to mid carbon steel (such as 5160 or 1018) be easy for a plate house to work with? I would like to avoid nickel entirely in the design.

Thanks,
Adam

Adam Brooks
Product Designer - Baltimore, Maryland, USA

A. Yes Adam, low to mid carbon cold finished steel is relatively easy to plate. You'll probably want to do a silver strike followed by silver plating, or a gold strike followed by gold plating. Depending on the brightness and economy you seek, you might want a layer of white bronze (nickel substitute) before the gold.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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August 2014

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