Metal finishers helping each other -- No cost, No registration, No damn popups
(we earn from 'affiliate link' purchases, making the site possible)

Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

  The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing 1989-2025

Thread 49/95

Pulse plating of printed circuit boards

Q. I am looking for information concerning pulse plating of printed circuit board. In particular, what are the pulse time / polarity requirements for the reduction in uneven deposition of copper ("dogbone" effect)? Do I need equipment that can just pulse the current or does it need to reverse as well, Can anyone point me to a good tutorial on this topic?

Ron Jackson
- Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000
publicly reply to Ron Jackson

A. Dear Ron,

You need Pulse reversal units with three times the reverse polarity, i.e., 200 amps forward current with 600 amps reverse current. Timings should be left adjustable with much longer forward times and about 1 ms reverse. Check out Dynatronix for more info.

Regards,

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

2000
publicly reply to Khozem Vahaanwala

"Theory and Practice of Pulse Plating"

on AbeBooks

or eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hey Ron,

Yes, you'll need pulse reverse for PC copper plating. A good place to start is at Dynatronix; they have a paper online about "Pulse Periodic Reverse Copper Plating of High Aspect Ratio Holes" by K.J. Whitlaw, ShipleyRonal.

Regards,

Fred Mueller, CEF
- Royersford, Pennsylvania
2000
publicly reply to Fred Mueller, CEF

(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: