Mike Barnstead is manager of Decorative & Engineering Coatings for MacDermid, Inc., based in Denver, CO, a manufacturer of specialty chemical processes for the metal and plastic finishing, electronics and graphic arts industries. He can be reached at 203.808.1677 or mbarnstead@macdermid.com.
Acid copper, which has traditionally been used for decorative copper plating, carries the drawback of poor throwing power. As a result, excessive plating times are required to achieve minimal copper thicknesses in low-current-density areas, and too much copper metal is applied in the high-current areas, leading to wasted metal and added costs. One possible solution is the use of pulse plating. Pulse plating provides exceptional deposit distribution, which reduces metal usage, and it lowers the metal concentration in the electrolyte, which reduces the amount of drag-out losses and sludge produced in waste treatment.
