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Looking for PCB thru-hole plating service — Parallax Forums

Looking for PCB thru-hole plating service

BeanBean Posts: 8,129
edited 2011-10-15 05:25 in General Discussion
At my work we have a LPKF to make PCB in-house.

We have an electro-plater for copper plating the thru-holes, but because of EPA regulations and the cost of chemical disposal that process must be shut-down (way too expensive now).

So I need to find a service that will do the plating for us. In other words we will drill the holes then send it to them for thru-hole plating and they will send it back to us.

Does anyone know of any companies that provide this service ?
I have asked a local PCB mfg, but they want almost as much as it would cost to just have them make the board for us.

We are looking to pay about $100 to plate a 8"x12" panel.

Thanks,
Bean

Comments

  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-10-14 06:12
    I think that you are going to have problems finding such a service. Have you asked LPKF?
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-10-14 08:27
    Wouldn't it be just as quick and maybe less expensive to have the boards fabbed in their entirety by an outside source?

    Then you could sell the LPKF.

    -Phil
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2011-10-14 09:31
    Phil,
    We need boards next day without paying a fortune.
    We do alot of same-day boards that don't require plating so we would want to keep the LPKF either way.
    It's amazing to me that nobody offers this service. I mean a hobbiest can do everything to make PCB except the plating. You would think someone would do it ???

    Bean
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-10-14 10:23
    Bare, non-soldermasked, non-silkscreened boards do not cost a fortune from the proto fabs and can be had in a day or two. A through-hole plating service would take at least as long and cost just as much. For example, one piece of a 12" x 9" board from Advanced Circuits with a one-day turn is about $120, plus shipping. And if you end up producing the board with them, they deduct the proto charge from the production order.

    -Phil
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-10-14 10:35
    I can get non-solder-mask/silk screen boards made quite cheaply in 24 hours:

    http://www.pcbtrain.co.uk/schematic/pcbtrain-express/

    I've used the service a couple of times, and was very satisfied.
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,726
    edited 2011-10-14 12:09
    LPKF advertise 3 options
    I'm intrigued by their "chemical free" one

    The mechanical tubes approach may work if not too many holes need plating though, But 0.8mm would be a big via.
  • jrjr.jrjr. Posts: 45
    edited 2011-10-14 23:45
    Bean,

    The typical PCB process is subtractive from a drilled panel that is
    either plated up with resist in reverse, or overlaid with photosensitive film (SMOBC)
    and then exposed through phototools after the drilling on a raw panel.

    That means you would have to re-target the holes after a PANEL plate.

    Anything else as a process would be additive to the already drilled
    and in your case (ROUTED) panel.

    The rough routing areas you create would adsorb the catalyst better than
    the drilled holes and therefore plate the spaces you have already routed.

    No one would want to be responsible for the drill smear you probably
    leave behind in the holes anyway that would cause voids.

    Let alone the dust you are creating by routing, no respectable PCB plater would allow your
    'contaminated' boards anywhere near their process line.

    If they would allow this, you probably wouldn't want to use them....they'd be making auto bumpers.

    You can fill the vias with conductive epoxy, it's probably the only current (via)able choice.
    (I expect to see conductive inkjet spitters within a few years that might do this,
    but then it's back to re-registration issues on where the holes are located)

    I have used raw samtec dip pins that I fixtured vertical and soldered on both sides on quick builds.
    <Some> machine pin sockets may allow enough area under the plastic header to be soldered as well.
    That leaves the holes at 0.030, a reasonable size for dips.

    There is always bared wire wrap wire to make the connection by hand as well.
    Forget the barrels (eyelets) , you can't have the barrels driving the design rules.
    You will spend ten times the labor on fitting them and soldering vs a quick wiring job with bared WW wire.

    If someone made solid rivets rather than barrels at 0.035 and mushroomed one side, it would be an easier job to fab.
    If you use the raw samtec dip pins, you automatically have a plug test point as well.
    They used to sell them as a belted length, 50 or so on a mylar tape belt, maybe they still do.

    jr


    more in depth : Printed Circuits Handbook, Coombs (plan on spending a month reading)
  • Erik FriesenErik Friesen Posts: 1,071
    edited 2011-10-15 05:25
    Somebody wrote: »
    I mean a hobbiest can do everything to make --
    Someone

    Oh my, its hobbyist.

    Unless, I am the hobbiest person around. ;-)
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