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Application areas of Gold
Gold has become a material of choice
in many modern applications and plays a crucial role in
the development of industrial and economic activity in Europe as well
as in other parts of the
world. Gold, like many other metals, has become an integral part of our
everyday life but is not
always recognized as such. Metals and metal compounds remain one of the
basic material inputs
for industrial production processes and everyday products. Despite
newly developed synthetic
materials, the application and consumption of metals have increased
steadily over the decades
and, in many cases, still increase today.
Gold is a vital material, which ensures the reliability of many
products ranging from dentistry to
aircraft engines. From the earliest times when gold was mainly used in
jewellery, gold’s great
virtues and exceptional properties have made possible a wide range of
uses in many industrial
areas such as electronics, medicine, space exploration, etc.
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Gold
in Electronics
The second place in gold applications is taken by electro-
nics, for which some 150 tons are used each year. Gold is
an excellent conductor of electricity and heat reflector. It
is therefore widely used in electronics and telecommunica-
tions, and is present in everyday objects such as pocket
calculators, mobile phones, or computers and in more
complex equipment like space machinery, aircrafts and
missiles. The most significant uses of gold in electronics
include:
- Gold base finishes on contacts and connectors
- Gold bonding wires in semiconductor devices
- Thick and thin film gold plate applications
- Sputtered gold metallization
- Gold based solder alloys
- Solderable gold based coatings for printed circuit boards
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Gold
in Medicine
The fantastic virtues of gold inspired ancient generations
in their medical reflections. Our ancestors believed that
gold had healing powers. In modern times the magic
metal is at the heart of scientific and medical research.
For the same biological reason for which gold was used
in dentistry, its use seems to be appropriate for a large
number of other direct medical applications. Gold
compounds have already proven their efficiency in some
cancer treatments as well as in the treatment of arthritis,
rheumatism and inflammations. Other medical applica-
tions include gold wires for pacemakers, implants,
patches, ampoules, etc. |
Gold in
Dentistry
Gold in dental use is highly appreciated for its properties of
non-oxidation, non-corrosion, non-
toxicity, non-allergenicity and bio-compatibility. Gold has been used
in this type of application for
about 2700 years and gold’s usage is still widespread in
modern dentistry. Gold is used for inlays,
crowns and bridges and is usually utilized as an alloy with other
precious metals. The quantity used
will depend on the application and gold is never harmful for human
safety. Japan remains the
leading dental gold fabricator, followed by Germany and the United
States. However, demand in
this area is declining, with gold being substituted by cheaper non-gold
alloys and ceramics.
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Gold
in Jewellery
Today, gold’s main market is still the jewellery sector,
which uses about two thousand tons of gold per annum.
Unfortunately mass production methods have progressively
surpassed traditional manual craft skills, leaving a long
tradition and venerated profession behind. To produce colour shades
and improve the metal’s resistance to wear gold alloys are
used. From the deep yellow of pure, gold, colour shades ranging from
green to purple can be produced by alloying. |
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