“GROWING” COPPER PLATING BATH
Our cyanide copper strike bath builds up copper metal over a period of time. What causes this, and how can we prevent it?
Q. Our cyanide copper strike bath builds up copper metal over a period of time. What causes this, and how can we prevent it? H.W.
A. This type of bath is typically operated at low cathode efficiency. This allows for better coverage, cleaning and activation of the parts. The cathode efficiency is generally in the range of 50–60%. To achieve this type of efficiency the bath will contain a lot of free cyanide. The high concentration of free cyanide in the bath allows the copper anodes to remain unpolarized. The anodes will continually dissolve and as a result the copper concentration in the strike bath will increase.
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