UniMetal, a provider of precious metal and commercial finishing services for the electronics, medical, aerospace, and automotive industries in Thomaston, CT, announced the production scaling of C100 Silver Graphite Dispersion, a unique electrolyte plating that’s proved particularly beneficial for high power components.
C100 provides superior resistance to fretting corrosion, oxidation, vibration and high temperatures. It is highly conductive, and retains silver’s conductive properties while providing significant anti-tarnish protection.
Friction trace tests on C-100 indicate low abrasion and zero wear-through. C100 achieves its exceptional abrasion performance through embedded graphite particles. The graphite component in the silver matrix acts as a solid lubricant. With each friction event, the surface is recreated, and the abraded tips of the graphite lamellae are distributed over the friction surface. The abrasion that plagues pure silver plating is prevented, contact resistance is minimized, and continuously high charging performance is ensured.
Tribometer tests at 50,000 cycles demonstrate C100's low and stable coefficient of friction. Thermal aging shows stable tribological behavior and contact resistance at levels equal to pure silver. This gives C100 significant advantages over pure silver, which provides lesser performance in both wear and heat tolerance.
C100 is cross-compatible with silver and silver alloys in the field. Manufacturers dissatisfied with the service life of connector contacts that transfer high charging power from the source to the application or battery are prime beneficiaries of C100 as a plating alternative.
Today, there is an acute need for durable, high-performance silver coatings, perhaps most urgently in the electromobility sector. The worldwide market is forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 22.96% between now and 2034.
Contact UniMetal at 860-283-0271 or www.unimetal.com.
