Process for manufacturing colored gold artifacts

• Grant number: 04/14290-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: June 01, 2005
• End date: July 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Transformation Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Edval Goncalves de Araujo
• Grantee: Edval Goncalves de Araujo
• Associated research grant(s): 11/51055-4 - Manufacturing colored gold wedding rings, AP.PIPE3

Abstract

After obtaining colored gold powder by high energy milling in a project supported by PIPE, the company seeks to carry out in this project research into a new way of producing jewelry in Brazil.What is proposed here is the development of the technology of conformation of colored gold powders by compactation and subsequent sinterization. The technological innovation is present in the application of powder metallurgy techniques in jewelry, thus allowing the configuration of complex pieces, which could not be achieved with casting techniques. In addition, the finishing of the jewels occurs with a fewer number of stages compared to conventional techniques. The first phase of this project will research the production of pieces of red (solid solution), purple (intermetallic) and blue (surface treatment) gold alloys. For each colored gold alloy, the following processing parameters will be analyzed: condition for the re-cooking of the powder; temperature and time of sinterization and thermic treatment of the pieces; condition of surface finish. In the second phase, the results obtained should serve as a basis for the production of pieces in the other colors developed: green, white, black, gray, pink, yellow and their tonalities. (AU)