Letter 4030

Measurement of copper thickness on plastic 

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I'm looking for a supplier of instruments that can measure the thickness of copper plated onto plastic connectors. Typical size range is 15 mm to 50 mm inside dia. Copper thickness range is 0.5 to 25.0 microns. Thank you

David Benson
- Swindon, England

Hey David,

The thickness of the copper and the physical size of your part present no problems for the standard methods: X-ray fluorescence, beta backscatter, or eddy current. But, I noticed you said inside dia. and for the most part the probes for these methods need to have an open pathway (straight line or be perpendicular to the surface) to your part. You might have to be destructive and open the part up to get a good reading. Sometimes you can process a sample along with the parts and compare the sample thickness to the parts and control your thickness indirectly. Regards,

Fred Mueller, CEF
- Royersford, PA