How do I plate copper?

A typical process for plating copper on aluminum is: Degrease. Soak clean. Thoroughly rinse. Dip in a 50 percent nitric acid solution. Depending on the aluminum alloy, sodium bifluoride, sulfuric acid or chromic acid may have to be used in conjunction with nitric acid. Thoroughly rinse. Dip in a zincate bath for 1 minute. (Proprietary zincate solutions are best.) Strip the zinc coating using 50 percent nitric acid Rinse thoroughly. Dip in the zincate solution again.* Rinse thoroughly. Apply a copper strike using a cyanide or non-cyanide alkaline strike bath. Rinse thoroughly. Plate in a copper plating bath.

Published 2/1/2002

Copper Plating

Question: I am looking for information on different types of copper plating.

Arthur S. Kushner

Consultant

Question:

I am looking for information on different types of copper plating. Can you give me some direction on where to look?

Answer:

Since your question was sent by e-mail I assume you have access to a computer and the Internet. The first place to look is at the Products Finishing website and do a search under copper plating. You will find listed a number of papers on the subject. One paper in particular, Copper Plating by Dr. Donald Snyder is very complete. Another step by step process can be found here.

An excellent book, Electroplating and Electroless Plating of Copper & its Alloys, edited by N. Kanani is available from ASM International. Another source of information is the Metal Finishing Guidebook and Directory.