What is the difference between gold-plated and immersion gold PCB boards?

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The differences in the manufacturing processes of gold-plated plates and immersion gold plates are as follows: ① Immersion gold uses chemical reactions to create a coating layer; generally, this layer is relatively thick. It is a type of chemical nickel-gold plating method that allows for the formation of a thicker gold layer. ②Gilding is achieved using the principle of electric current passed through electrolysis, also known as electroplating. In actual product applications, 95% of gold-plated sheets are electroplated gold sheets, as the poor weldability of plated gold sheets is its fatal flaw! What are the advantages of gold-plated boards? ⑴ The thickness of gold-plated boards is much greater than that of plated boards; gold plating results in a golden yellow color, which is more yellowish compared to plated boards, whose color is slightly whitish (the color of nickel). ⑵Sunk gold is easier to weld compared to plated gold, and it does not cause welding defects. For products with bonding, it is more favorable for the bonding process. ⑶In a gold-plated circuit board, gold plating is only present on the pads; beneath the solder resist, it is copper with no gold plating. The solid board differentiation process allows the solder resist to be wiped off to check whether it is copper or gold; if it is copper, gold plating is applied on that side. ⑷In gold-plated boards, gold is only present on the pads, so the adhesion between the solder resist and the copper layer along the circuits is stronger. The engineering work does not affect the spacing when making compensations. ⑸As wiring becomes more and more precise, JLC has achieved a minimum line spacing and width of 3.5 mils. Plating with gold can easily cause gold wire short circuits. The gold-plated board has gold only on the pads, so it will not suffer from gold wire short circuits. ⑹Compared to gold plating, filled gold has a denser crystal structure, is less prone to oxidation, and offers better flatness.