What is the largest board that will fit in the tanks provided in the 41600B kit?
What if I want to process a larger board?
Are the ingredients for the chemical kit sold separately?
Why is the capacity of the chemical plating system dependent on the total area of the board being plated, rather then just the total surface area of the insides of the through-holes?
Is it possible to extend the capacity of the chemical system by masking the copper so that only the through-holes are exposed to the solutions?
Do I need to buy a new hardware kit to repeat the process?
Can the electroless copper serve as the hole wall in the finished circuit?
Will this process work on other plastic materials?
I've completed the process and my board has very dark stains on it that appeared as I dried the board. Does this matter? Can I remove them?


Q. What is the largest board that will fit in the tanks provided in the 41600B kit?
A. 5”x3”

Q. What if I want to process a larger board?
A. Then you will have to design your own tank system. Find a tank large enough to fit your board comfortably. If your board is large, you may require more then one Electroless Copper Plating Chemical kit to ensure the board is submerged.

Q. Are the ingredients for the chemical kit sold separately?
A. Yes

Q. Why is the capacity of the chemical plating system dependent on the total area of the board being plated, rather then just the total surface area of the insides of the through-holes?
A. Because the system plates to copper, not just to fiberglass epoxy, so it actually deposits a layer of electroless copper on the entire board, not just inside the through-holes.

Q. Is it possible to extend the capacity of the chemical system by masking the copper so that only the through-holes are exposed to the solutions?
A. No, because the some of these solutions in the system are basic, and bases will strip photosensitive plating resists.

Q. Do I need to buy a new hardware kit to repeat the process?
A. No, one hardware kit can be used repeatedly. Only the chemicals need replacing, once they are spent.

Q. Can the electroless copper serve as the hole wall in the finished circuit?
A. No. The copper deposited by this system is very thin and only intended to serve as a surface to electroplate to.

Q. Will this process work on other plastic materials?
A. MG Chemicals does not guarantee this process will work for any purpose other then through-hole activation; however, customers may want to experiment for other applications. The process does not adhere to epoxy or glass, but it seems to adhere to some substraights because it does plate magnetic stir bars.

Q. I’ve completed the process and my board has very dark stains on it that appeared as I dried the board. Does this matter? Can I remove them?
A. This is not a major issue. Simply clean the board with an abrasive cleaner. A thick hog hair brush like the MG 853 will help too. This staining can be avoided by quickly cleaning your board it comes out of tank 5 with an abrasive cleaner after, before drying it.