Common Problems and Solutions of PCB Copper Sulfate Electroplating Process (1)

Copper electroplating is the most widely used pre-plating layer in order to improve the adhesion of the coating. The copper coating is an important protective decorative coating component of the copper/nickel/chromium system. The flexible copper coating with low porosity is useful for improving the adhesion and corrosion resistance between the coatings, playing an important role. Copper plating is also used for partial anti-carburization, printed board hole metallization, and as the surface layer of the printing roller. The colored copper layer after chemical treatment is coated with organic film and can also be used for decoration. In this article, we will introduce the common problems encountered in the PCB process of electroplating copper technology and their solutions.

Common Problems of Copper Sulfate Electroplating

Copper sulfate electroplating occupies an extremely important position in PCB electroplating. The quality of acid copper electroplating directly affects the quality of the electroplated copper layer and related mechanical properties and has a certain impact on subsequent processing. Therefore, how to control the quality of acid copper electroplating is an important part of PCB electroplating. It is also one of the difficult processes for many large factories to control the process. The common problems of acid copper electroplating mainly include the following: 1. Rough electroplating, 2. Electroplating (board surface) copper particles, 3. Electroplating pits, 4. Board surface whitening or uneven color. In response to the above problems, some conclusions were made, and some brief analysis solutions and preventive measures were carried out.

1. Rough Electroplating

Generally, the board angle is rough, most of which is caused by the high electroplating current. You can lower the current and check the current display with a card meter for abnormalities. It usually does not appear that the whole board is rough, but the author has encountered it once at the customer’s place. It was later discovered that the temperature in winter was low and the content of the brightener was insufficient; and sometimes some reworked faded boards were not cleanly treated and similar conditions occurred.