Contact Plating

Contact plating (finish) provides corrosion protection for base metals and optimizes the mechanical and electrical properties of the contact interfaces. Contact plating can provide a shield from environmental attacks to the copper alloy base metals, thus prohibiting the accumulation of an insulating layer on the contact interface and maintaining its electrical stability. Contact plating can be divided into two categories, according to the options of plating materials: noble metal plating and non‐noble metal plating. A contact finish is not always 100% complete. Pores and manufacturing defects expose the base metal to outside unfriendly environments. A contact underplate creates another barrier against the intrusion of environment conditions and seals off the base metal. Generally, there are four methods to apply plating to a connector contact: electrolytic plating, electroless plating, cladding, and hot dipping. These are all overviewed in this chapter.