Hi Dennis,

A few other things to look at.....
1. You mention it is a treated bath so I'll assume you are talking about a
Carbon Treated (or polished) solution. After the treatment, since there are
very little additives in it now, the brightener additions typically get
consumed at a much higher rate until the bath has the time to build up the film
on the anodes. I like to saturate the bath with brightener (around 1 ml/l) and
allow the dummy plating to bring the brightener level down. This will aid in
rebuilding the film on the anodes (providing we're talking about acid copper).
Dosing rates should also be increased as stated earlier the bath will consume
more brightener.
2. I have had problems in the past with the brightener level being too low.
This condition will strip the film from the anodes. It will also cause stress
in the plating. Try running a stainless steel mandrel through the copper and
see if it starts to roll up on the edges. Be advised before trying this, the
copper may fall off into the tank while plating thus causing more headaches
trying to get it out. May want to consider doing it off-line. Do you check the
physical properties of the plated foil? Are any trends noticeable?

Dennis Rice wrote:-
>WE HAVING BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH OUR ANODES LOSING SMUT. COULD SOMEONE
>GIVE ME THE CAUSES WHY THIS COULD HAPPEN WITH A TREATED BATH AND NEW
>ANODES AFTER DUMMY PLATING. THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM.




Eugene Watkins
Raytheon TI Systems
Austin, Texas
Tel:    (512)250-7024
Fax:    (512)250-7967
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]

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