The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Electroless copper plating on steel

Hi, I am working for a company which is about plating chemicals. Can you help me about the formula of electroless copper to plate steels?

Lütfiye Can
- Turkey
September 2, 2008

---

Hi, Lütfiye. Most professionals use the term "electroless" to refer to auto-catalytic processes rather than to immersion plating processes, but from the context it looks like you may be seeking an immersion plating solution. In simplest form these are just copper sulphate ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] plus sulfuric acid at whatever concentrations work best on the parts you are trying to immersion plate.

Plating shops either buy raw chemicals and formulate their own "home-brew" processing solutions, or they buy packaged processes from suppliers who have invested R&D efforts to produce processes that are superior to home-brew. Most shops will do some of each, perhaps making their own acid dips while buying their nickel plating solutions. If you want to market an immersion coppering process, I think you will want to do a good patent search, both to find out what you can't legally do because it's covered by extant patent, and to get hints from expired patents. Good luck!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 4, 2008

I tried 30 gr/lt sulfuric acid 60 gr/lt copper sulphate as an example but the steel oxidized and all of plated copper are peeled. Can you refer me with what to do? Because I failed.. :(

Lütfiye Can
- Turkey
September 5, 2008

---

Hi. The steel should be very clean, and active. Did you electroclean it and then acid dip it?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 5, 2008

Try reducing acid concentration and dilute the mixture with good quality water. Also immersion time is important. It should be minimal, otherwise the acid will tend to attack the base metal through pores in the copper layer. G. Marrufo-Mexico

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
September 8, 2008

Hi, I do not know how to electroclean, can you give me the formula of electroclean? And what must be the time of plating?

Lütfiye Can
ADA - Istanbul, TURKEY
September 11, 2008

---

Electrocleaning is performed in an alkaline cleaning solution which is usually not very different from a soak cleaning solution. You just apply somewhere between 50 and 100 amps/square foot of surface area to generate hydrogen bubbles at the cathode and oxygen bubbles at the anode. There are advantages and disadvantages to making the work cathodic vs. anodic, which are explained in most of the plating books referenced on our suggested books list. The required immersion time depends upon what other cleaning processes precede the electrocleaning, but to just offer you a general feel, let's say 2 minutes.

Can you explain your own and your company's position in the manufacturing chain, and then we can target the answers to your needs? I am getting the feeling that you are asking about formulations because you don't realize that there is a whole industry out there that offers fully developed process solutions for different needs. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 11, 2008