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Maximum DC Voltage Ripple % for Acid Copper & Nickel Electroplating process.

Dear All,

We are doing ABS plastic Plating.

What is the Maximum % of DC voltage Ripple for Acid Copper electroplating, and for Nickel electroplating ?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Irwan Nusantara
plating shop - Jakarta, Indonesia
February 2, 2011

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Hi, Irwan. Can you put this into context please: are you trying to specify new rectifiers, or to determine whether your rectifiers may be causing problems that you are experiencing? Conventional 3-phase rectifiers operated at full capacity will generate 5% ripple without need for filter chokes; and experience and conventional wisdom is that this will not cause problems in copper or nickel plating.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 2, 2011

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I caution you to not read Ted's reply too quickly. "at full capacity" is a key term. When standard rectifiers are operated below full voltage output the ripple increases unless you have added filter chokes. 5% ripple is generally considered acceptable. You'll want to measure your actual ripple at your operating voltage and determine if you need to make any changes.

Jon Barrows, MSF, EHSSC
Independence, Missouri
February 2, 2011

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A 3 phase power supply will have less than 5% ripple at most power settings except at a very low % of the possible voltage.

Single phase will have a very high ripple at low % of possible output voltage and very little at a high %. Chokes help, but in my foggy memory, they have some limitations.

Many platings are not seriously affected by ripple. Chrome is probably affected more than any other. It could be a small problem in electroforming, but it should not be that much of a problem except for very sophisticated systems.

I tried to run all of my power supplies at 70 to 90% of rated voltage output. It avoids many problems.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
February 3, 2011