Why do connectors have metal coatings
Why are connectors (especially contact points) coated with metal
Electronic connectors are very important components in the electronic component industry, and electronic engineering technicians can also find that most connectors are coated with a very special coating. So what is the special meaning of plating connectors? The reason why connectors need a contact coating is that this coating can not only maintain the connector and reduce environmental corrosion, but also enhance its durability and wear resistance. It can also assist in establishing and maintaining a stable connector impedance from an electrical perspective. Specific manifestations include:
1、 Connector coating helps improve mechanical functionality
The parameters related to mechanical function are primarily factors that affect the durability, wear, and compatibility of the coating. If we want to consider these elements, there will be two different perspectives under the same fundamental action, namely the sharing of cold welding in the relative motion process of multi-point contact interfaces. The most important mechanical functions include hardness, ductility, and friction coefficient of coating materials. And these characteristics need to be determined by the connotation and nature of the coating data and the operation process used, so the coating of connectors is very important.
2、 The anti-corrosion function of connector coating
The first thing that connectors need to consider is corrosion maintenance. Nowadays, most of our electrical connectors are made of copper alloy with contact springs, and copper alloy is the easiest to corrode in typical electrical connector working environments, such as oxidation and vulcanization. In fact, the contact coating is used to close the contact fragments and the working environment, thereby isolating and avoiding copper corrosion. Of course, the coating material also needs to be ensured not to be harmed in the working environment (at least within the harmful range).