Can you copper plate tungsten?

29 Apr.,2024

 

Copper-Tungsten Plating

Copper-Tungsten Plating

The use of copper-tungsten as a substrate for electroless nickel plating can create a product that maintains numerous advantages over the use of single material elements. Plating on copper-tungsten can also help make it easier to use tungsten for a multitude of other purposes. Copper-tungsten plating is used throughout the world for a wide range of applications including manufacturing, electronics, automotive and aerospace industries.

For more information, please visit Tungsten-Copper Alloy Plate.

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Combining Copper & Tungsten

Copper is a soft, ductile metal that displays excellent thermal properties and high electrical conductivity, which makes it a top choice for manufacturing products. Tungsten is an extremely useful metal that can be used under harsh conditions due to its high melting point, high tensile strength and electrical conductivity. When copper and tungsten are combined to create copper-tungsten substrate the useful benefits of both materials are combined to create material that can be used for many different purposes.

Copper-Tungsten Plating Physical Properties

The electrical and thermal properties of the copper-tungsten substrate vary with different proportions. When the copper is increased the thermal conductivity is increased as well. which allows the copper-tungsten substrate to be used in circuit breakers. Electrical resistivity increases with an increase in the percentage of tungsten present in the composite, ranging from 3.16 at 55% tungsten to 6.1 when the composite contains 90% tungsten. An increase in tungsten leads to an increase in ultimate tensile strength up until the alloy reaches 80% tungsten and 20% copper with an ultimate tensile strength of 663 MPa.

Copper-Tungsten Plating Benefits

Plating on copper-tungsten provides numerous beneficial qualities that make it ideal for a wide range of industrial uses. It also shares many of the same characteristics as other refractory metals. Some of the main benefits include:

  • Excellent thermal properties
  • High electrical conductivity
  • Resistant to acid and corrosion
  • Provides good ductility
  • Excellent denseness to weight ratio

Applicable Uses for Plating on Copper-Tungsten

There are industries throughout the world that rely on copper-tungsten plating for their project requirement needs. Electrodeposition on copper-tungsten allows the two elements to be joined together into a single substrate, which then can be coated with another chosen finish such as nickel. Copper-tungsten nickel plating applications require high-temperature resistance, strength and wear resistance, which makes a copper-tungsten substrate the appropriate choice. Some of the applications related to copper-tungsten plating, include:

  • Tool making
  • Electrical contacts
  • Circuit breakers
  • Semiconductors
  • Heating elements
  • Aerospace components
  • Automotive part manufacturing
  • Electrical discharge machining
  • And more 

Contact ENS Technology for Copper-Tungsten Plating Services Today.

Contact us for more information on plating on copper-tungsten and our other metal plating and finishing services, or request a quote for an in-depth price analysis today.

 

Copper plating of Tungsten (W)

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Activation of tungsten (W) for non-cyanide Copper or Acid copper plating?




Q. Greetings,
My name is Rocco Basilica, process engineer for ODIS, Inc. I would like to plate approx. 1 micron copper onto some refractory metal (tungsten) features (smallest feature about 3 microns) for heat sinking purposes . I would be using standard microelectronic photoresists to mask the features. I would like to use non-cyanide copper plating solution. I understand I need to activate the tungsten before plating. I have some experience in pulse plating Au onto micro features on Au. Does anyone have any experience/suggestions that might help me.
Thank you

Rocco Basilica


process engineer - Storrs, Connecticut, USA

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Tungsten Copper Plates.




A. Hi, Rocco. It is very difficult to plate onto refractory metals because they quickly form very stable oxides on their surfaces. ASM Metals Handbook, Vol. 5, Surface Engineering has a whole chapter on the prep cycles for tungsten and refractory metals. It is possible that you'll need multiple layers of plating such as, for example, starting with a nickel strike. Good luck.

Regards,


Ted Mooney

, P.E.


Striving to live Aloha


finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey





A. When electroplating looks difficult one could look for PVD. Copper coating is easy with cathodic arc as well as sputtering. Masking material and technique may need some attention.

H.R. Prabhakara

- Consultant


Bangalore Plasmatek - Bangalore Karnataka India





Q. Hi all,
we need to electroplate tungsten part with a deposition of copper.
We already have acid copper plating bath, in order to do copper electroforming deposition on mechanical parts of copper.
What do we need in order to do a deposition of copper on parts of tungsten?
Regards
Alfredo

Alfredo de Roberto


- GUIDONIA MONTECELIO - ROME - ITALY





ASM Metals Handbook Vol. 5: "Surface Engineering"

on AbeBooks

or Amazon

(affil links)


A. You have to activate Tungsten in Potassium ferric cyanide solution. The solution should be at 55 °C.
After this you have to Dip in Potassium Hydroxide solution 10%
After that you have to Dip in 10% HCl
Rinse in water
You can plate copper now or nickel.
For silver you have to plate copper first and then silver.
For more details please refer ASM handbook Surface finishing.

Sadashivarao Jeswanth


CTO - Vapi Gujarat, India





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