TECHNlqLLY
BY SUDARSHAN LAL, MECHANICSBURG, PA.
speaxng
Control and Chemical Analysis
of Plating Solutions
Adequate testing resources and consistent analytical
methods are essential to proper troubleshooting of
plating baths and chemistries.
T h e quality of plated dep osits pri-
marily dep ends on fac to rs such
as current density, solution composi-
tion, temperature, effecti ve bath pH,
additives concentration, speed (rpm
for barrel plating or lin e sp eed for
reel to reel), and solution agitation in
the tank. Apart from mechanical fac-
tors, tight control of main ingred ient
and additive concentrations in a
plating bath is extremely important
to achieve successful plating opera-
tions. Plating solu tions must be
maintain ed at the recommended
limits, as suggested by the manufac-
turers. Sometimes, the limits may
not be so rigid, and bath parameters
need to be optim ized by a given job
shop based on the type and layout of
the plating line.
The status of a given bath is
dependent on th e rate of its deple-
tion due to plating operations and
proper repl en ishment. The operator
shou ld monitor bath components
frequently in order to maintain
chemistries within a controlled win-
dow. The depletion of primar y bath
components mainly depends on the
following factors:
1. Drag-out into rinse tanks causing
lo ss of useful chemicals depend-
ing on mode of drain in g.
2. Evaporation rate of plating baths
depending on temperature, air
flow, and mechanical agitation in
the tank.
3. Imbalance in anode and cathode
efficiencies. Soluble anodes may
14 Imetalfinishing I October 2009
increase or decrease metal con-
tent due to cu rrent efficienci es.
The current effi cien cy issues may
be ascribed to side reactions
occurring at the anode and cath -
ode. For insoluble anodes, me tal
replenishments are frequently
required.
4. Depletion of additives due to co-
deposition in electrodeposits and
breakdown products.
5. D rastic pH changes in th e bath,
which may cause precipitat ion or
turbid ity.
6. Impurities introduced due to
tech-grade che m ical additions
and leachin g of impuri ties from
extraneous ob jects that have fall-
en into the tanks.
Wet chemical methods have been
routinely employed in mo ni toring
major bath components. Advanced
automatic ins tru mentation is also
available for analysis of inorganic and
organic speci es. Plating baths are usu-
ally analyzed offline after harvesting
samples from various tanks. Metal
ions are monitored using ato m ic
absorption spectrophotometry (AA),
inductively coupled plasma (Iep), wet
titrations, colorimetry, polarography,
an d ion selective electrodes, depend-
ing on laboratory facilities.
The analytical m ethods for analysis
ofplating solutions should be simple,
d irect, and operato r friendl y. In o rde r
to facilitate th is, a stan dard op erating
procedure should be documented,
and adequate records with tank ID,
date and time of analysis, and any
additions made for replenishment
sho uld be maintained, preferabl y
using commercial software programs
suc h as True Logic or Lab Wizard
Software . Small job shops are urged
to maintain paper copies for each
sh ift, as well as any notes from trou-
bleshooting ope rations. Bulk ingredi-
ents in the baths are easily deter-
mined mostly using titrimetric meth -
ods, which require simple laboratory
equipment. Trace impurities in solu-
tions may be dete rm ined by a certi-
fied laboratory equ ipped with the
desir ed instrume n tation for mic ro-
determinations
SAMPLING
Sampling is an extrem ely important
step, an d the sam ple sh ould be repre-
sentative of a given tank. Tanks
should be identified and their levels
recorded to chec k the decrease in
tank volu m e due to evaporation,
drag-out, or spillage. Ideally, sa m-
pling should be done at 10 different
locations in larger tanks, and a com-
pos ite sample should be pr epared.
The log sheet should have entries
such as :
1. Tank ID
2. Date and time of analysis
3. Analytical method used
4. Results
5. Recommended high and low
lim its
6. Analyst signature
After additions to the tank and
adequate mixing, an analysis sh ould
be performed aga in to check desired
parameters. Normall y, well-e stab -
lish ed plating sh ops have reasonably
good laboratories and ar e well
eq uipped to keep track of th eir
chemistries. Some job shops dep end
on analytical support from ch em ica]
bath suppliers, which are usually
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