Of all the precious metals, silver is often overlooked, but it can be a valuable metal when it comes to metal finishing. Silver is one of the best electrical conductors available easily, and it also has a high thermal conductivity. Silver plating services allow you to have your metals finished with a coating through silver electroplating, giving you the very best conductors you need—conductors that are highly corrosion resistant—at a fraction of the cost of other precious metals.

Electrical Conductor

When looking at the electrical conductivity of atoms, there must be valence electrons available, and most metals have the available electrons to conduct electrical currents. silver and copper have single valence electrons, which allows for the lowest resistance, thus making them the best conductors available; however, silver ends up beating copper out. Silver, being the most conductive, makes it very valuable when it comes to electroplating, especially when conductance is key, like in fields that use electronics. Silver plating services are used in many industries, such as conductor and semiconductor manufacturing, bearings, power generation (especially solar and battery), musical instrument creation, etc.

Thermal Conductor

Not only is silver a great electrical conductor, but it is also a great thermal conductor. Heat is transferred via three ways: conduction, convection, and radiation, and the properties that make silver a great electrical conductor also lead to its thermal conductance capabilities. With silver’s high conductance and temperature resistance, automobile and jet engine manufacturers will use silver plating services for many of the metals used in their products.

Antibacterial, Corrosion Resistance, and other Properties

Beyond silver’s conductance properties, silver also has many other benefits that warrant the use of silver plating services. Studies have shown that silver electroplating results in a surface that has antibacterial properties, making it valuable in medical and biology professions. As well, silver is naturally corrosion resistant, so you can use silver electroplating to protect your other metals, increasing their longevity. Silver can tarnish easily, though, if an anti-tarnish coating is not applied after the electroplating process, but it is easily cleaned and polished back to a pristine condition. Silver also has the property of excellent solderability.

Luxury at a Decent Price

One of the biggest benefits of using silver plating services over other electroplating metals, is the cost. Silver, when compared to other precious metals that are commonly used in electroplating, such as gold, copper, or platinum, is a much more cost-effective metal, allowing you to protect your product or equipment at a fraction of the cost. As well, there are many coating finish options available, which means you can give your product that luxurious shine, or matte look, and know that your product has an appropriate decorative finish that is also functional in protecting it for your product’s lifetime.

Get Your Electroplating Done by Professionals

Like all electroplating processes, when you use silver plating services, ensure that they are being done by expert professionals. They’ll know how to properly prepare your metals for the electroplating process, like ensuring the parts are free from hydrogen embrittlement, pits and cracks, tensile stress, tool marks, or contaminants. Silver electroplating should also be done as the last step of a product’s creation, after any treatments, shape changes, welding, etc.

If you are looking for expert silver plating services for your equipment or products, contact Sun-Glo Industrial Plating today.