UniMetal scales production of its dispersive plating tech for high-power EV components

US-based UniMetal, which provides precious metal and commercial finishing services for the electronics, medical, aerospace and automotive industries, has announced production scaling of C100 Silver Graphite Dispersion, an electrolyte plating system for high-power components.

C100 provides superior resistance to fretting corrosion, oxidation, vibration and high temperatures, according to the company. It retains silver’s conductive properties while providing anti-tarnish protection.

Friction trace tests on C-100 indicate low abrasion and zero wear-through. C100 achieves its 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 the low and stable coefficient of friction of C100. Thermal aging shows stable tribological behavior and contact resistance at levels equal to those of pure silver. This gives C100 advantages over pure silver in terms of wear and heat tolerance.

C100 is cross-compatible with silver and silver alloys and offers an alternative to connector contacts that transfer high charging power from the source to the application or battery.

Source: UniMetal