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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Low temp. acid copper plating

We have been playing around with room temperature plating for acid copper (no heaters). At what temperature point, (High and low) will we have problems? Can these problems be rectified through current adjustment or other non-thermal means?

Thanks,
Mike Kahn
brass lighting - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2006

Hi there,

I've never ran an acid copper at anything but ambient temperature. You start to run into brightness problems when it gets too hot. Never heard of a hot one...are we talking about the same thing here?

Trent Kaufman
electroplater - Galva, Illinois

Most acid copper solutions I have worked with are run at room temperature. I know it gets cold in Wisconsin and you may have to heat the bath to keep it between 70-80 °F. What exactly do you mean by low temp? Lower than the bath supplier suggests? Obviously there is no benefit to operating at a lower temp as far as plating speed and thickness distribution are concerned. I would say 65-85 °F should be the normal parameter limits, but check with your supplier to make sure. I would not try to compensate with higher current. Your brightener system is designed to work within a given current density range.
Mark Baker
Process Engineer - Syracuse, New York USA

Optimum temp range for most acid copper plating process is between 22-28 °C. Too low temp (below 20 °C) will cause burning on high current density area while too high temp (above 30 °C) will increase brightener consumption and fasten organic by-products build up and affect copper deposit ductility.

David Shiu
- Singapore

No problem. If you can live with low current and long processing times. A lot of copper Electroforming is done at room temp.
Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico

Mike

Room temp has a wide range from 12 °C to 35 °C. Depends, if you are in Delhi or Milwaukee ?

In the US too...RT has a wide window..

Acid Copper processes run about 20 centigrade happily.

The Non Dye types ask for a warmer temperature up to say 35 °C. Or more .. depends on supplier.

THE DYE TYPES ARE HAPPY AT 18 TO 28 °.

Check what US suppliers have on offer and select what suits your current direction for Brightness, throw, Coverage and leveling.
....And Black oxidisability.

If you use Non Dye additives in an acid bath you need follow manufacturers specs. These do have a narrower temperature window.

Dye types work and tolerate lower temperatures better and with Sulfuric and metal set at upper data sheet levels you could obtain lower operating temperature tolerances.

The dye types typically start to go home after 35 °C, and work happily at 16 to 28 °C.

Regards,
asif_nurie
Asif Nurie [deceased] [deceased]
- New Delhi, India
With deep sadness we acknowledge the passing of Asif on Jan 24, 2016

2006

Your supplier should have sent a data sheet with optimum pH and plating temperature, amps per square foot, and additives to maintain a stable solution,etc.
If nothing else if your solution gets too cold, you'll start getting crystals in the solution.
Get onto your supplier for a spec sheet.
If they can't give you one, get a better supplier.
Steve Clark
plating and polishing - Belfast, Maine

adv.
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