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Laser Gold and Laser Black: How to Specify
Many of the products that require both the
highest IR reflectance and ruggedness to permit physical cleaning;
specify Laser Gold on the drawing. As one aerospace engineer
remarked, “It’s my name in the ‘Designed By’
box in the corner of the drawing. Sourcing the critical coating
process is one way to insure the integrity of my work.”
In short, Laser Gold is a space-proven, field-tested process
for more than twenty years. Hubble, Keck, and Mars Surveyor
are just a few of the high-rel projects that rely on Laser
Gold to enhance their flawless performance. Does your project
deserve any less?
Simplified
Basic Specification
More
Detailed Specification
Aluminum and Beryllium Substrates
Dielectric Substrates
Laser
Black, Specifying
Simplified
Basic Specification:
“Gold coat per Epner Technology, Brooklyn, New York Laser
Gold specification #2011”. With this call out your parts
will be plated with a .25 micron of Laser Gold. This assumes
the component will be received at Epner ready for Laser Gold
plating that is in nickel or copper or stainless steel. No
polishing at Epner is anticipated.
More
Detailed Specification:
Electrochemically deposited gold. Total reflectivity shall
be equal to or greater than 97% at 0.7 microns when measured
on a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 750 Spectrophotometer with integrating sphere
or equivalent. The spectrophotometer must be calibrated against
an NIST infrared standard #2011. A suitably prepared witness
sample plated concurrently with the product may substitute
for direct measurement when applicable. Hardness shall be
minimum 180 Knoop when measured by the diamond indented method
of ASTM-B-578-87.
Aluminum
and Beryllium Substrates:
Typically, aluminum and beryllium substrates are coated with
.004”-.008” optical grade electroless nickel-phosphorus
prior to imparting the final optical figure and subsequent
Laser Gold plating. Epner Technology is presently researching
techniques that will eliminate the heavy nickel, i.e gold
direct on the diamond turned or polished surface. Stay Tuned.
Dielectric
Substrates:
Zerodur, Pyrex, Quartz, BK7 and certain plastics etc. all
require a vapor-deposited binder coating prior to Laser Gold
plating. Epner Technology uses well-established coating firms
to achieve an adherent binder coating with no distortion to
the optical figure.
Laser
Black per Epner Technology Spec 3688:
Your product will be plated with a duplex copper coating and
then a velvet-like copper oxide is formed. A fifty year old
process was significantly modified in ETI's Lab to achieve
a coating that one expert said, "Swallows light."
Under certain conditions a roughening of
the substrate may take place prior to copper plating.
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Laser
Gold Properties
Laser Black Properties
How to Specify
Application Examples
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