Umicore expands its hard gold portfolio with the sustainable high-speed electrolyte AURUNA® 8000

With AURUNA® 8000, Umicore Metal Deposition Solutions (MDS) is adding a high-performance, high-speed electrolyte for selective plating and continuous reel-to-reel gold plating to its existing range of sustainable gold-iron electrolytes. The new process combines high deposition rates with excellent coating characteristics while reducing operationalrisks – a future-oriented alternative to cobalt- and nickel-containing hard gold processes.

High-performance coating for modern production lines

AURUNA® 8000 is designed for use in high-speed systems and brush applications. The electrolyte can easily handle the high current densities in this area of use, achieving deposition rates of up to 8 µm/min. The resulting hard gold layers are characterized by a hardness of around 130 HV, a low-porosity and wear-resistant structure and a consistently low contact transition resistance of less than 5 mΩ (test force 50 cN).

The electrolyte meets the requirements of ASTM B 488 01: Type I, Code C. This makes it ideal for electrical contact surfaces and connectors that require permanently lower contact transition resistance and high reliability.

Sustainable, responsible and economical process management

Like all gold-iron systems in the new Umicore product line, AURUNA® 8000 completely dispenses with the alloying partners cobalt and nickel. This enables the hard gold process to substitute other processes (S.T.O.P. principle in CMR substitute testing) and minimizes health risks in production. Companies benefit from lower regulatory costs and thus long-term cost savings while maintaining high process performance.

Addition, not replacement: continuity for AURUNA® 8100 and AURUNA® 8400

With AURUNA® 8000, Umicore is expanding its hard gold portfolio without replacing existing processes. The well-established electrolytes AURUNA® 8100 (gold cobalt) and AURUNA® 8400 (gold nickel) remain available without restriction – many customers have been using them successfully for years and have qualified them for a wide range of applications.

• AURUNA® 8100: weakly acidic gold-cobalt electrolyte with a high deposition rate of up to 11 µm/min
• AURUNA® 8400: weakly acidic gold nickel electrolyte with very high process speed of up to 12 µm/min

AURUNA® 8000 fits seamlessly into this series: handling, process window and layer characteristics are nearly identical, apart from the alloy composition. This allows for easy integration into existing process landscapes. Even companies that have previously used competing products on their high-speed lines can now produce more sustainably without having to fundamentally change their existing infrastructure.

"With AURUNA® 8000, we are providing our customers with a sustainable and high-performance alternative. While 8100 and 8400 remain important pillars of our portfolio, AURUNA® 8000 opens up new ways of combining economic efficiency, regulatory requirements and long-term sustainability goals," explains Benjamin Wieser, Division Manager Technical Applications Precious Metals at Umicore MDS.

Up to 15% less gold consumption thanks to AURUNA® Inhibitor 2

Like AURUNA® 8100 and AURUNA® 8400, AURUNA® 8000 supports the use of AURUNA® Inhibitor 2, which minimizes the run-off zone under the mask used in selective techniques, enabling a reduction in gold consumption of up to 15% – a significant economic advantage considering the persistently high gold prices. The coating characteristics remain completely unchanged.

The gold-iron product line now covers all electroplating processes

With the introduction of AURUNA® 8000, Umicore's gold-iron product line is now available for all common electroplating processes – from rack and barrel processes to (selective) plating in continuously working reel-to-reel lines. This provides users with a tailor-made, cobalt- and nickel-free hard gold plating process for every application that meets the highest quality requirements while also being sustainable.