finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

-----

Cyanide Copper & Stannate Tin Process Questions

"Electroplating and Electroless plating of Copper and Its Alloys"
by N. Kanani
copper_plating_kanani2003

on eBay or Amazon
or AbeBooks
(affil link)

"Tin and Tin-alloy Plating"
by J.W. Price
tin_and_alloy_plating1983

Q. We are a capacitor company that has a copper and tin plating solution in-house. I am working to update some of our work instruction literature to assist new employees on how to operate the equipment properly. Currently its a lot of "tribal knowledge" from the person who set it up 10+ years ago. I would like some clarity on proper plating techniques so i can record them for future colleges. I would like to run by the basics of what i have recorded for a sanity check that the baseline process is sound.

Now onto our current process. Tin bath is a 60 gal tank with 7 lbs of Caustic Soda and 48 lbs of Sodium Stannate. The Copper bath is 45 gal tank with 5 lbs Sodium Hydroxide, 8 lbs Copper Cyanide, and 12 lbs Sodium Cyanide. Does this sound like an appropriate mix of chemicals for this type of plating?

We utilize a variable AC to DC transformer that can output 0-9 VDC and up to 100 A. We film the tin anodes prior to plating parts. The parts are put through a vapor de-greaser and rinsed off with DI water prior to going into either bath.

We have voltage and amp readouts but I do not have a real figure to go off of for the "correct" amps or voltage. From what I understand there is a recommended ASF for tin and copper plating. Would someone have that figure handy?

Appreciate any help with my above questions. If I left something out that you need for reference let me know please!

Seth S.
- Tucson, Arizona
October 21, 2024

Readers are welcome to browse this site anonymously,
but its main purpose is worldwide camaraderie through sharing
-- so readers desiring that may not engage anonymous posters.

A. We perform tin plating. Solution: NaOH 1-2 oz/gal, sodium stannate 4-7 oz/gal, temp. 160-180 °F. Plate at 10-40 ASF. Good luck.

Alex Sirota
- Lod, Israel

finishing.com is possible thanks to our supporting advertisers, including:
this text gets replaced with bannerText

No dead threads! If this page isn't already on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will move it there.

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: