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HOW DO I CARRY OUT MATTE ACID TIN PLATING

We manufacture copper cable terminals, used in the electrical industry. To prevent corrosion of the copper terminal we carry out bright acid tin plating. However certain clients require us to give the terminal a matte finish in order to mitigate the growth of tin whiskers. We have tried to do this with our existing setup by using only additives and no brighteners. The results are satisfactory only at times. We are looking for a permanent solution that gives us a uniform finish (>4 microns) and consistent results.

Chirag.A.Patel
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
2006

Hi Chirag,
Matte tin plating solutions have a much lower concentration of organic additives than bright acid tin. Matte is less than 0.02 as compared to 0.1-0.2 in bright tin. You may want to check that additive concentration. The current density should be lower than BAT as well. Another option would be to purchase a proprietary additive made specifically for matte acid tin plating. Have the supplier dictate the bath make-up, current density, etc. Good Luck!

Mark Baker
process engineer - Malone, New York
2006

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