Advances in the printed wire board industry toward miniaturization, finer traces and HDI technology, smaller through-holes and micro-vias have placed higher demands on board design, manufacturability and quality.  Historically, the industry utilized titanium anode baskets with soluble copper-phosphate balls or anode slabs. Limitations associated with this standard anode technology are seen in low current density plating requirements, over-plating of copper to meet minimum plated board specifications and nodule defects impurities in the plating bath. Today there is an exciting alternative, Industrie De Nora’s DT insoluble MMO (mixed metal oxide) anode technology package.

The all titanium mesh anodes are designed to provide long-life, superior plating uniformity across all board surfaces, and with improved MMO anode throwing power, the ability to produce a near 1:1 through-hole to surface plating ratio. The MMO anodes are supplied with a patented coating formulation addressing specific requirements of PWB acid copper bath chemistries. The company’s anodes are qualified in all commercial acid copper plating bath chemistries, and they have demonstrated equal, if not reduced, impact to the stability of the of the organic additives, when compared to copper-phosphate soluble anode balls or slabs.

Dimensionally stable all titanium-MMO anodes create a safer, reliable, reproducible and faster plating operation for the PWB manufacturer. MMO anodes allow for the elimination of required maintenance for copper-phosphate anode replenishment and eliminate the build-up of copper generated sludge/passivation, thus providing greater operator safety. Immediate improvements in total rack and individual PWB copper uniformity and throwing power are observed on every engineered product, most importantly in advanced technology designs.

Compared to soluble anodes, the De Nora DT MMO plating system offers fewer impurities resulting in the elimination of nodules and provides better tensile/elongation (IPC Class 3A) and copper purity performance.  The adoption of the DT insoluble anode plating system will yield a quality driven and world class manufacturing solution to meet the advancing technology demands for present and future PWB development and fabrication.

To learn more about this technology please plan on attending a technical presentation at IPC Expo 2018 or visit us at booth 427.  The presentation summarizes the significant improvements obtained with a plating line conversion at Calumet Electronics, “Mixed Metal Oxide “MMO” Insoluble Anode System for Enhanced Operational Acid Copper Plating of Printed Wire Boards”.

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