| Pure gold has complete resistance to atmospheric tarnish and oxidation. It does not contribute to polymer formations like platinum and palladium alloys. Wrought gold metal is very soft and prone to welding and has very few contact applications. Electroplated coatings of gold on silver and other base metals are used in dry circuit application and to provide long shelf life reliability. Gold is alloyed with other metals to improve hardness, contact performance, and reduce cost. ELKONIUM® 70 is CMW's trademark for a gold-silver-nickel alloy that has sufficient hardness for most contact applications. This alloy is completely resistant to atmospheric tarnish at normal temperature and is used in sensitive switching devices where high reliability for making circuit is required. It has improved resistance to welding and transfer compared to pure gold. Because of its low electrical conductivity and low melting point it is limited to currents under d0.5 amperes. Information provided by NAECO, LLC. |
