Does plating have a big impact on terminal performance? What metal should be used for hardware?
Electroplating is the process of plating a thin layer of other metals or alloys on the surface of certain metals using the principle of electrolysis. It is a process of using electrolysis to attach a metal film to the surface of a metal or other material to prevent metal oxidation. (Such as rust), improve wear resistance, electrical conductivity, reflectivity, corrosion resistance (copper sulfate, etc.) and enhance aesthetics. The main components of the terminal block can be divided into three parts: hardware, plastic case and accessories, the most important of which are the first two parts. Needless to say, the importance of the plastic case, impact resistance, flame retardancy and other parameters are essential, but in terms of electrical performance, it should not be a conductive part. Conductive parts bear the responsibility of transmitting signals. The material selection and plating directly affect the conductivity of the terminals. Which material is better?
Pure copper has excellent electrical conductivity, but as a conductive part, it needs a certain degree of hardness while having excellent electrical conductivity. Therefore, a small amount of other metal materials are added to form alloy copper to meet these two requirements. As for electroplating nickel, we will describe in detail below:

1. The stability of the electroplated nickel layer in the air is very high. Due to the strong passivation ability of metallic nickel, a very thin passivation film can be quickly formed on the surface, which can resist the corrosion of the atmosphere, alkali and certain acids. .

2. Electroplated nickel crystals are extremely small and have excellent polishing performance. The polished nickel coating can get a mirror-like gloss appearance while maintaining its gloss for a long time in the atmosphere.

3. The hardness of the nickel plating layer is relatively high, which can improve the wear resistance of the surface of the product. Nickel plating is commonly used in the printing industry to increase the hardness of the lead surface. Due to the high chemical stability of metallic nickel, some chemical equipment also uses thicker nickel plating to prevent corrosion by the medium. Nickel plating is also widely used in functional aspects, such as repairing worn and corroded terminal block parts, and using brush plating technology for partial plating.

4. Nickel plating has a wide range of applications and can be used as a protective decorative coating. On the surface of steel, zinc die-casting, aluminum alloy and copper alloy, it can protect the base material from corrosion or play a bright decoration; it is also often used as other coatings. The middle plating layer is plated with a thin layer of chromium or an imitation gold layer on it, which has better corrosion resistance and more beautiful appearance.

In terms of functional applications, nickel plating about 1~3mm thick on parts in special industries can achieve the purpose of repair. Especially in the continuous casting of molds, surface molds of electronic components, alloy die-casting molds, complex-shaped aerospace engine parts and the manufacture of micro-electronic components, etc., are more and more widely used.

5. In electroplating, due to the many excellent properties of electroplated nickel, its processing volume is second only to electroplated zinc, and its consumption accounts for about 10% of the total nickel output.

Nickel (Ni), atomic number 28, is resistant to strong alkalis, can burn in pure oxygen, and emit dazzling white light. It has strong oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance. It is insoluble in water and forms a dense oxide film on the surface in humid air at room temperature, which can prevent the body metal from continuing to oxidize. It is precisely because of the excellent corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of nickel that it becomes the first electroplating of the conductive parts of the connecting terminal.