The most common coating for connector terminals is gold plating. High quality gold plating layer, uniform thickness, uniform color, and full luster. If there is a deviation in the color of the gold plating layer of the connector from the normal gold layer, or if there are differences in the color of the gold layer of different parts in the same matching product. Usually influenced by the following factors:
1、 Gold plating raw materials contain impurities
In the terminal electroplating process, if the impurities carried by the chemical materials added to the plating solution exceed the usage standards of the gold plating solution, it will have a negative impact on the color and brightness of the gold layer. The specific manifestation is that the gold layer may appear dark and floral, which seriously affects the appearance quality of the product.
2、 Excessive gold plating current density
In the gold plating process, the calculation of the total area of the plating tank parts is incorrect, resulting in the calculated value being greater than the actual surface area, which will cause excessive gold plating current. In addition, when using vibration electroplating for gold, if the amplitude is set too small, it can also cause problems. Both of these situations can cause rough crystallization of the gold coating on the plated part, resulting in a red state of the gold layer.
3、 Aging of gold plating solution
When the gold plating solution is used for too long, impurities in the plating solution will continue to accumulate. When impurities accumulate to a certain extent, it can cause abnormal color of the gold layer in gold-plated products, affecting the overall quality of the product.
4、 Fluctuations in alloy content of hard gold coating
If the purpose of electroplating is to improve the hardness and wear resistance of the terminal, the hard gold plating process is usually used. Among them, gold cobalt alloy and gold nickel alloy are commonly used coating materials. However, when the cobalt and nickel content in the plating solution changes, it will cause a change in the color of the gold coating. This may lead to inconsistent gold layer colors in the same batch of products provided to customers, posing quality risks and a crisis of customer trust to the enterprise.
Understanding these factors that affect the inconsistent color of connector electroplating can help strengthen quality control in the production process, ensuring the stability and consistency of product quality.
