Hole Wall Activation / Through-hole Activation - Conductive Electroplating Ink
Applications of our products have included:
- through-hole plating in printed circuits
- circuit formation on flexible substrates
- printing of interactive children's books
- printing active electronic circuits on clothing
- anti-static coatings for sensitive electronic packages
- electronic shielding for secure electronics
| Hole-wall activation (or through-hole activation) is any process that is used to prepare the walls of holes drilled through copperclad substrates for the electro-deposition of one or more metals. In other words, it is a way to get your circuit board ready for through-hole plating. | |
| Conventional through-hole processing usually relies on 3 or more baths to prepare the hole walls for copper plating. Originally, this plating base was "electroless" copper. Recent advances have replaced the somewhat unstable electroless process with one that deposits a thin layer of colloidal carbon, which, when dried, forms a continuous conductive film connecting the copper foil on both sides of the board with the hole walls. This film is sufficiently conductive to support rapid, reliable electroplating of the walls of all of the through-holes. The only real disadvantage of the process is its dependence on a VERY thin carbon film. Boards that are hand drilled or drilled at low spindle RPMs often have very rough hole-walls. As shown in the photo, the roughness is accurately replicated, and sometimes made worse during conventional hole-wall activation / plating. |  |
| Conductive plating inks offer a single step solution to hole wall activation. Our ink is a low viscosity blend of silver and three forms of carbon in a thermally cured binder. It is formulated to fill in gaps and scratches in hole-walls to provide a smooth, reliable base for electroplating. The binder that we use is specifically designed to form strong adhesive bonds with FR-4, polyamide, and other common PCB substrates. |  |
| Conductive Electroplating Ink Specifications | |
| Conductive ink is a precise blend of powdered silver and three types of carbon in a proprietary polymer resin. The resin is optimized for adhesion to a variety of printed circuit substrate materials. The ratio of silver to carbon has been adjusted to insure smooth, defect-free electro-deposition of copper on the barrels (walls) of all through-holes. Fumed silica is added during formulation as a thixotropic thickening agent to minimize settling and separation during shipping and storage. |  |
| Specifications | Conditions | Value |
| viscosity | pre-shear post-shear |
125 cps approx. 25 cps |
| specific gravity | 1.20 | |
| conductivity | 0.81 mm (.032") dia. x 1.50 mm (.059") through-hole with 0.0005 mm (.0002") thick barrel coating of cured ink |
0.01 to 0.05 Ohms |
| adhesion | ASTM 3359 B Method B crosshatch adhesion test |
5B (excellent) |
| total solids | 28% to 30% wt | |
| shelf life | 20°C 2°C (refrigerated) |
6 months 1 year |
| curing | lab or convection oven | 100°C for 30 min |
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