Electroplating Chemicals & Services (EC&S), a wholly-owned venture of Lucent Technologies, announced it has developed a new plating finish material for connector contacts that has higher performance, lower cost and better quality control than other plating products on the market. The new material is an alloy of palladium and cobalt (PdCo). Joe Abys, president of EC&S, says that the PallaTech PdCo electroplating material is more durable than palladium nickel (PdNi) or hardened gold, which are commonly used for connector contacts. The new material also helps connector manufacturers to better control thickness, a significant quality improvement. The first customer for the new material is AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, PA, perhaps the largest manufacturer of electrical connectors. "Our tests prove that palladium cobalt offers both performance and processing advantages over palladium/nickel, which has been the cost-effective finish of choice for about 20 years," says Dr. James Sykes, director, AMP Global Technology. "We regard this technology as the next generation of connector contact finishes." Sykes says he expects most AMP customers to switch from PdNi to the PdCo finish as they evaluate its benefits, adding "the new finish offers more performance for about the same dollars." Circle 400.

Unique Technologies Associates, Staten Island, NY, offers a lubricant treatment for ball and roller bearings that's, well, unique. The company replaces the lubricant in bearings with their Cobra Solid Lubricant, then heat-cures the assembly, turning the graphite-based lubrication to a solid state. The raceways and balls are then freed, leaving the lubricant bonded to the bearing's cage. (Typically, the company recommends metal-caged bearings for the process, but will process units with non-metallic cages or full-complement (no-cage) bearings for certain applications.) For many applications, the result is bearings that won't require additional lubricant during their lifetime. They require no additional seals against lubrication dripping or flinging, plus the lubricant acts as an effective seal against dust, dirt and other contaminants. According to the company, the characteristics of the solid lubricant allow it to perform in temperatures ranging from -250 to 650°F, not wash out in steam or chemical washdowns, and stay insoluble in common solvents, acids and alkalis. The lubricant also exhibits very low outgassing in high vacuum applications. UTA services bearings from as small as 1/8 in. ID to up to 14 in. OD units, and does not promote the solid lubricant as a rust inhibitor. The treated bearings are not recommended for high impact applications. Circle 401.