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Electroless Copper Plating Questions

2005

I am now in my first planning to do my final project in my college. I am interested in electroless copper or nickel plating. 1st, What I want to know is whether nickel or copper plating that can be plated on non conductor, such as plastics? And 2nd, where can I find the experiment's standard of Electroless plating on non conductors?
Thank you for answers and advices.

Nia Ari Yanita
Metallurgy and material engineering Of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember - Surabaya, Indonesia

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Hello, Nia. Electroless nickel is very commonly applied to metallize ABS parts for decorative copper-nickel-chrome plated automotive parts. Electroless nickel ^^copper is very commonly applied on printed wiring boards, especially for plating the thru-holes to interconnect the layers. I would suggest that you pick a specific application like that, and then you will be able to track down all sorts of info specific to the case in hand. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005

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Actually, electroless copper is usually used to metallize through holes in printed circuit boards. Electroless nickel is sometimes used with immersion gold to preserve solderability (also known as a final finish) on the conductors of printed circuit boards.

James Totter, CEF
- Tallahassee, Florida
2005

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Yes, I meant copper for PTHs; thanks for correcting it, James.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005

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I am a fourth year student at Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland and I have recently started a project on ' the electroless plating of silicon carbide with copper'. I am finding it hard to get information on the process and would greatly appreciate any advice that anyone could give me. I am looking at getting 100% deposition in the most efficient way. I am coating powdered SiC.

Andrew Hepburn
Napier University - Scotland
1999

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February 26, 2009

Hi, Andrew. Something that university researchers may not necessarily know is that plating processes are well developed and are sold as proprietaries. You don't need to spend 10 years of your own time trying to formulate a workable electroless copper bath from raw chemicals -- you just buy it from a plating process supplier. They will give you a technical data sheet for its operation and control, titration procedures for the basic ingredients, and will analyze it for the more complex secret organics for you. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey