Rigid quality standards and the ever increasing need to optimize chemical use and improve process efficiency drives many electroplaters to seek a higher level of automation and control as a key to improving their process and increasing profits.
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Maintaining and controlling plating bath chemistry is the key to a consistent quality finish. The electroplater can improve and automate the plating process by measuring and maintaining solution concentrations automatically using real time, measurements.
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Electroplating: Solution Concentration Monitoring and Control Benefits |
- Immediate Detection of Upsets and Imbalance
- Reduced Sampling and Laboratory Analyses
- Improved Chemical and Effluent Management
- Improved Batch-to Batch Quality Control
- Reduced Waste
- Improved Reuse
- Rapid Return on Investment
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This example illustrates a common application where an inline photometric sensor can be installed to optimize the performance and efficiency of the electroplating process.
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| Solution Concentration Control |
An optek AF26 absorption sensor effectively monitors the bath concentration in real time to control the ideal makeup feed and maintain the correct plating chemistry.
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optek AF26 process photometers measure the concentration of metals, suspended solids, undissolved salts and other process constituents in the plating process precisely and reliably. In addition to providing operators with live information and alarms during process upset, this real-time measurement can be integrated to a closed-loop control scheme. In closed-loop control, real time analysis can be used to automatically adjust the bath chemistry during the process cycle.
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optek sensors are designed simple and extremely tough for reliable performance with very little maintenance. optek sensors are impervious to process chemistry and rated for installation in harsh process locations, including hazardous area classifications.
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| Electroplating: Solution Concentration Summary |
The optek AF26 sensor is accurately and effectively used for concentration monitoring of Copper, Nickel, Chromium, Cadmium, and Cobalt. It is also excellent for monitoring total solids.
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By installing optek sensors in strategic locations in the process, the electroplater can greatly improve batch to batch quality, reduce the number of reject parts, improve chemical and effluent management and drastically reduce sampling and lab analysis.
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