Should the width of anode basket be similar to the plating cathode

I work with a sulfamic acid tank to produce shim for hologram embossing, the anode basket is 6.25" wide and the shim plates are usually 6.25" wide. But sometimes I have to make wider shims plates up to 12". Do I need to change the anode bag to a wider one?

The principle to be concerned with is that plating thickness is more or less proportional to current density. If uniform thickness is not important, then anode to cathode relationship is unimportant. If absolutely uniform thickness is critical you need to use shaped anodes or shields (plastic sheets designed to block current flow), and you may need electrochemical modeling software, available from ElSyCa or L-Chem, to work out the dimensions.

Without a sketch of the tank and anode arrangement it's hard to answer your question, but my feeling is it will work with the 6.25" wide basket.

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

Of course if you want uniform thickness of deposit.