Goldtouch - Immersion Gold Plating

When the goal is to achieve the best looking decorative gold plate
with the most durable finish . . . The solution is Instagold Flash™.

Save nearly $20,000.00 setting up a 30 gallon
(114 Liter) gold plating bath.
Low gold content bath drastically cuts drag out losses of gold.

Gold Bath Type

Electrolyte Cost

Gold Content (PGC)

Cost

Bath

Conventional Gold Bath

30 Gallons

$2.00/gal

30 Troy Ounces x $700/ troy ounce=$21,000

$21060.00

Instagold Flash™ Bath

30 Gallons

$35.80/gal

1.5 Troy Ounces @$700/ troy ounce gold=$1050

$2004.00

The INSTAGOLD FLASH SYSTEM uses technology that is so sophisticated yet so simple and cost efficient that you can easily set up your own in-house plating line and save up to 60% of your plating costs. INSTAGOLD FLASH deposits a bright and uniform surface finish via the modern and simple process of non-current immersion plating. The solution is safe and easy to use. Custom designed for the decorative jewelry industry and electronics, InstaGold Flash is far superior to any other gold plating solution.

LONG-LASTING/DURABILITY
InstaGold Flash forms a strong chemical bond with the metal surface and features the hardest acid formula. The durability of the finish is superb.

UNIFORM DEPOSITION
The secret is in the solution. Because the gold adheres to the metal surface through electromotive potentials (like magnets) generated internally by chemical interaction and not by an external force generated by an electric current, the coating of gold is as uniform as the surface.

Technology so advanced . . . It's Simple to Operate.

The substrate is plated by immersion into the solution for less than one or two minutes. The pieces are then removed from the gold bath rinsed and dried. Finished. The solution is so easy to use that anyone can be an expert gold plater.

SIMPLE TO INSTALL
InstaGold Flash works via immersion therefore complicated electrical connections are obsolete. You no longer need rectifiers, anode and cathode rods, barrels, danglers, and racks.

In the gold plating game . . . The more you use - the more you lose. GOLD SAVINGS Due to the highly advanced chemical technology of InstaGold Flash only 1/3 of the normal amount of gold is used in the plating process. Operating at gold concentrations as low as 3/4 of a pennyweight per gallon, gold losses are negligible. The equipment needed for the immersion process is a simple basket with no contact points, eliminating refining losses normally associated with racks and barrels. With InstaGold Flash, plating at a thickness of only two micro-inches will give you the durability normally achieved with six micro-inches.

IGF is the only gold bath known in the industry that can plate at extremely low gold concentrations. The initial start-up usage concentration of gold is only 1 dwt. (1.5 g) per gallon. However, the industry regularly abuses this rule and operates at an average concentration of 1 gram per gallon to as low as 0.3 grams per gallon. This low gold concentration virtually eliminates gold drag-out losses. Your gold stays in the bath where it belongs. IGF plates as fast or faster than baths containing twenty times the gold. No kidding!

Gold should be added as needed. It is obvious when gold needs to be added when the color is pale, and takes a longer time to deposit.

InstaGold Flash has the versatility of achieving a bright and beautiful 10-24 karat gold plate of any shade simply by varying temperature and time of deposition. InstaGold Flash can be incorporated into custom designed systems that increase: Production efficiency, Profit capability ,and product quality. With products meeting environmental standards Gold Touch's InstaGold Flash systems and solutions are Economical and Ecological. At Gold Touch we have one goal in mind - customer satisfaction. To further this goal we direct our entire staff to research today's ever changing market and bring you the most modern and efficient chemical technologies and hardware. We custom design plating solutions and systems for the decorative and jewelry trades by combining the best the market has to offer with superior solutions developed by our modern research laboratories.

InstaGold Flash(IGF) contains internally generated electromotive potential. This means that electricity is generated by the reaction of the solution coming in contact with copper bearing or nickel substrates. Therefore there is no need for a rectifier in order for electroplating to occur. However, since most systems used today are not automated, and parts are not always active when immersed into IGF the possibility of oxidation or passivation occurring on the surface of parts can interfere with proper adhesion in an immersion process. When IGF is used with a rectifier excellent adhesion is assured while maintaining superb uniformity. Only when a part is unusually large and multi-dimensional may it be better to plate by immersion only. But generally low and high current density areas are not plated at different rates when the bath is heated to 140-150F and plated at 2-3 volts. The general operating parameters are 130F at 3-4 V

The rate of deposition of gold is only slightly different between immersion and electrolytic, and this should not be a consideration when choosing which process to use.

When used electrolytically, IGF tends to give a brilliant yellow gold appearance as opposed to when it is used immersionly which gives a very slight brownish-yellow tint.

The pH range of IGF is 5.0-5.5. At this pH range the solution's pH remains fairly stable. Generally the pH will only move up over much usage. In order to lower the pH simply add "Acid Agent" which is specifically designed for use with IGF.

The life of IGF varies depending on its usage. Basically drag out by parts and contamination by drag in of parts, as well as bath maintenance determines its life.

The bath is generally exhausted when the equivalent of 1/2 a troy ounce of gold per gallon has been ac cumulatively passed through. However, the bath can still operate after this point for a very long time if contaminants are kept low. The problem that arises is that IGF will not be plating gold uniformly anymore even though it may appear so to the naked eye. Gold usage will rise because the internal electromotive potential of the bath has been used up, and you will be plating by the rectifier only with the help of the complexed cyanide salts that have built up over time. If you add IGF make-up salts as you utilize the bath, gold usage will remain low and the life of the bath will be significantly lengthened.

The plating thickness of IGF ranges between 0.5 - 5.0 micro-inches with out any brighteners. After 5-7 micro-inches, the gold color richens and starts an orange tint appearance. With the addition of a brightener such as "IGF-Ni" IGF can plate up to thicknesses of 100 micro-inches or 2.5 microns while maintaining a beautiful karated color of your choice from 10Kt. to 24 Kt.

IGF generally deposits at a rate of 1-1.5 micro-inches per minute at a temperature of 120-130F and a gold concentration of 1.0 gms. per gallon. Every 10 degrees F increase will increase deposition by about approximately 10-15%. Every additional 0.1 gm. of gold concentration will increase deposition rate by 10%. Therefore, operating at 150F with 1.5 gms. of gold will increase the deposition rate to approximately 1.8 - 2.7 micro-inches per minute.

The amount of power exerted by the rectifier with in the 2-5 volt range has a negligible effect on the rate of deposition this is because IGF's internal electromotive potential repels excessive power delivered to the substrate.

Cell Agent is an excellent additive for IGF. Anytime contaminants enter the bath, Cell Agent ties them up and allows the gold to remain free of encumbrances. If uniformity is ever affected, Cell Agent immediately corrects the problem. In fact, the more Cell Agent in the bath, the further the gold will uniformly through itself into the lowest current density areas.