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- | ELECTROPLATER | + | ==== Knowledge Base: ELECTROPLATER |
+ | {{ : | ||
- | The LPKF Contac S4 Electroplating System provides | + | ** We are no longer guaranteeing quality of the electroplating |
- | Critically, what this means is that copper will plate everywhere that there is copper! This means any copper faces of your substrate will get additional copper on them. Astute readers will remember that the internal layer of your substrate (e.g. FR4) is not conductive, so an “Activator” (a conductive ink) is used to coat the inside of your holes with a conductive substance so that current can pass through the holes, and thereby plate your holes. | + | ** If you need vias: ** If you can get away with it, we recommend sizing |
- | Electroplater: | + | ----- |
- | * Clean with IPA and a TexWipe before beginning processing. | + | |
- | * If you would like to adjust the plating time, ask a PI to put you in touch with an MPI. | + | |
- | * Do not let your substrate sit in the bath (any bath) for very long after the timer runs out. | + | |
- | * If the machine throws an error on startup, it’s likely a bath needs to be topped off. Get a PI to help. | + | |
- | * After bath 3 (activator): | + | |
- | * Swipe a “reasonable” amount off with squeegee (mostly just don’t want it dripping) | + | |
- | * Dry for 20+ mins at 150F. (Higher than this can cause the ink to bake into the copper.) | + | |
- | * When rinsing after drying (after “bath 4”), scrub the copper surface with a sponge to remove as much of the dried activator off the copper as possible. | + | |
- | * Bath 5: | + | |
- | * If the current drops to zero or is very low (<10A reverse): | + | |
- | * First attempt to re-seat the PCB holder (i.e. take PCB holder out and put back onto pegs) and try again. | + | |
- | * If that doesn’t work, you may need to sand down the PCB holder’s pegs that hold the substrate to the holder (i.e. remove the board, rinse it, and then sand down the holder before restarting the acid bath step). | + | |
- | * Don’t forget to screw down the holder into place. | + | |
- | * After final bath, dry for 20+ minutes in the oven. *** Place a towel underneath the board to prevent reactions between the oven shelf and the copper layers *** | + | |
- | What are the different baths? | + | === Table of Contents=== |
+ | - Overview | ||
+ | - Q&A | ||
+ | - Do I have to do this to get vias? This seems very time consuming. | ||
+ | - What's the deal with training? | ||
+ | - What are the different baths? | ||
+ | - Why don't we use bath 4? | ||
+ | - Is tin plating available? | ||
+ | - How much copper is plated? Can I specify this? | ||
+ | - What about RF application? | ||
+ | - Can I electroplate other materials? | ||
+ | - Common Errors | ||
+ | - Device in failed state on startup | ||
+ | - Zero plating current error | ||
- | Why don't we use bath 4? | + | ---- |
+ | === Overview === | ||
+ | The LPKF Contac S4 Electroplating System provides the ability to galvanically electroplate through-holes. Galvanic electroplating is a process by which your substrate sits in an acid bath (in this case, that’s sulfuric acid, H2SO4) along with a slice of the metal that you’re plating (in this case, copper). When a current is driven from the substrate, through the acid, and into the anode, a negative potential appears on the substrate, which draws copper ions from the copper sheets (called anodes) and distribute themselves onto any conductive surface on your substrate. In a gist. Google if you'd like more information on galvanic electroplating. | ||
- | Is tin plating available? | + | Critically, what this means is that //the tool will plate copper everywhere that there is copper!// This means any copper faces of your substrate will get additional copper on them. Astute readers will remember that the internal layer of your substrate (e.g. FR4) is not conductive, so an “Activator” (a conductive ink) is used to coat the inside of your holes with a conductive substance so that current can pass through the holes, and thereby plate your holes. |
- | Electroplater | + | The LPKF Datasheet for the Contac S4: [[https:// |
- | Potential issue: Baths 1 and/or 2 are low. | + | The [Material] Safety Data Sheets (MSDS/SDS): [[https:// |
- | Lift the lids to baths 1 and 2. If they are low, get a PI/ | + | Our standard operating procedures: IN PROGRESS |
+ | ---- | ||
+ | === Q & A === | ||
+ | **Do I have to do this to get vias? This seems very time consuming.** | ||
+ | It is indeed time consuming, but plating is typically avoidable by making vias with a diameter of 40 mil (1 mm). A standard 0.1” header pin can then be pushed through and soldered on both the top and bottom. Boom. | ||
- | Electroplater - Zero plating current error | + | **What' |
- | Potential issue: Too much copper buildup on the PCB holder. | + | We used to lump the electroplater training into the plotter |
- | Put on the chemical safety gear (apron, goggles, gloves, in that order (Figure 30)) and remove the board from bath 5. Using the drip tray, go to the sink and rinse the drip tray, board, holder, | + | |
- | If this does not change it, or you are not comfortable doing this, please get a PI. | + | |
- | Potential issue: Insufficient contact between | + | |
- | Make sure that the tool holder is completely screwed | + | |
- | If the toolholder screws will not tighten further but is not in contact with the rail (i.e. there is a gap between the tool holder and the metal side railings), attempt | + | |
- | If that is unsuccessful in solving the issue, don the chemical safety gear, remove the board+holder from bath 5 and, using the drip tray, move to the sink to rinse the board, holder, gloves, and drip tray. Remove the board from the holder with the allen key. Using a wire brush, sandpaper, or other means, clean out the peg holes in the tool holder. | + | |
- | **How long does electroplating take?**\\ | + | So, here's the situation: |
- | Between | + | |
+ | If you were trained on the plater in a previous life and would like access, great - shoot us an email. We'll see if we can work something out, though likely we'll just ask you to watch the video anyway, since it's only 30 minutes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you have never been trained on the plater but would like to be, also great - see our [[pcb-training|Training]] page for all the details. It's essentially the same process and the plotter/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | **What are the different baths?**\\ | ||
+ | Baths 1 and 2 are different cleaners, called (appropriately) Cleaner 110 and Cleaner 210, respectively. Both are based on sodium metaborate. Bath 3 is Activator 310, a carbon-laced liquid that provides a conductive pathway for the copper plating onto non-conductive surfaces, such as FR4. Bath 4 is a ViaCleaner that isn't used at the Hive (as of Spring 2021). Bath 5 is called Copper Plater 400; it's sulfuric acid (97% strength) and copper sulfate. Don't stick your hand in it. Please. See the [[https:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Why don't we use bath 4?**\\ | ||
+ | Bath 4 is called " | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you'd like cleaner finish, you can try scrubbing the board thoroughly after the curing process before what would be Bath 4. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Is tin plating available? | ||
+ | Theoretically, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **How much copper is plated? Can I specify this?**\\ | ||
+ | The tool estimates a plating rate of approximately 0.14 um/min, which means that their standard 2 hour plating adds an additional 16.8 um of copper. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you have specific requirements for plating | ||
+ | |||
+ | **What about RF application? | ||
+ | For those unaware, RF application has specific trace thickness requirements, | ||
+ | |||
+ | To try and mitigate this issue, we provide a chemically-resistant tape that has been shown to provide some masking capabilities. The tape is a beige color, and should sit underneath the plater. The trick is to apply the tape //before// drilling but //after// the " | ||
+ | |||
+ | ** Can I electroplate other materials? **\\ | ||
+ | If you're asking about other substrates to plate copper onto, then yes, this should be possible. There are a few tricks here: the material you're trying to plate must not react negatively with sulfuric acid, and it must be conductive. The first constraint is primarily a safety thing; we don't want to generate any dangerous fumes accidentally. For the second, if the material is already conductive, then great! If not, you can use the activator (assume constraint #1 still holds) or you can find some other way to conducti-fy it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | If you're interested in plating | ||
+ | |||
+ | Either way, please contact us first! **DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL!!** Doing so could have serious repercussions for you, both from a health perspective and an academic one. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | === Common Errors === | ||
+ | * **" | ||
+ | * //Potential issue:// Baths 1 and/or 2 are low.\\ | ||
+ | * Lift the lids to baths 1 and 2. If they are low, get a PI/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | * **Zero plating current error during plating step (Bath 5)** | ||
+ | * //Potential issue:// Too much copper buildup on the PCB holder.\\ | ||
+ | * Put on the chemical safety gear (apron, goggles, gloves, in that order) and remove the board from bath 5. Using the drip tray, go to the sink and rinse the drip tray, board, holder, and gloves well. Remove the board from the holder with the allen key. Using a fine-grit sandpaper, file, or sanding block, sand off any copper build-up on the posts and on the metal on the underside. Big flakes of copper may come off; this is expected. Once it looks cleaner, seat the empty holder into an empty bath (Bath 4 works well) and screw it down. Get a multimeter. The resistance between either of the posts on the holder and the metal strips with the pegs that run down the line of baths should be less than 1 ohm. If the multimeter confirms the resistance as below 1 ohm, re-attach the substrate to the holder, don the chemical gear again, place it back into Bath 5 and screw it down, and press the play button to continue. | ||
+ | * If the error continues to be triggered, the resistance remains high, or you are not comfortable doing this, please get a PI. | ||
+ | * //Potential issue:// Insufficient contact between the metal pegs in the tool and the metal underside of the tool holder. | ||
+ | * While wearing the chemical safety gear, make sure that the tool holder is completely screwed down onto the pegs. | ||
+ | * If the toolholder screws will not tighten further but is not in contact with the rail (i.e. there is a gap between the tool holder and the metal side railings), attempt to re-seat the holder onto the pegs While wearing the chemical safety gear. | ||
+ | * If that is unsuccessful in solving the issue, while wearing the chemical safety gear, remove the board+holder from Bath 5 and, using the drip tray, move to the sink to rinse the board, holder, gloves, and drip tray. Remove the board from the holder with the allen key. Using a wire brush, sandpaper, or other means, clean out the peg holes in the tool holder. This may require disassembly of the holder entirely. To test the connection, make sure to don the chemical safety gear again before slotting the holder (without the substrate) into Bath 5. Using a multimeter, measure the resistance between the posts on the holder to the metal rails; this should be below 1 ohm. Rinse the holder when you remove it from the Bath while wearing the chemical safety gear. |