COPPER PLATING SERVICES (COMPANY) PER MIL-C-14550, AMS 2418 & ASTM B734

Advanced Plating Technologies (APT), a Milwaukee, WI company, provides functional and industrial copper plating services to MIL-C-14550, AMS 2418 and ASTM B734. APT provides loose piece barrel, rack and vibratory copper plating services as both a final finish as well as an underplate to finishes such as nickel and tin. Our copper electroplating is used in numerous industries including the ammunition, HVAC, power distribution, heat treatment, electronic and fastener markets.

Advanced Plating Technologies copper plating can be utilized as a final plate or as an underplate to subsequent deposits including tin plating, gold plating, silver plating and nickel plating. APT also provides heavy build copper plating services with our company plating thicknesses up to 0.010” per side. Applications of heavy build copper plating services include the eddy current drives, tungsten and steel projectiles, braze fittings and heat treatment stop-off prior to carburizing or nitriding.

APT offers post-plate triazole inhibits of copper to help retard the formation of copper oxidation. Unlike traditional “bright dips,” our monatomic inhibit minimizes oxidation and enhances subsequent brazing or soldering applications while ensuring low contact resistance of the copper. This system can also be applied to raw copper components as well to enhance the appearance and functionality of copper deposits. In addition, sealed nitrogen packaging can be provided for extended storage of copper deposits without the threat of surface oxidation or discoloration.

Copper is commonly used as an underplating to enhance adhesion of deposits, improve electrical properties, impair migration of alloying elements into the final plated deposit, or to improve corrosion resistance of the overall deposit. As a final deposit, copper plating services are used for enhancing the brazing, thermal or electrical conductivity of substrate materials, as a high-temperature lubricant, as a heat treatment stop-off, or for jacketing of projectiles.

ISO 13485:2016

ITAR Compliant

ISO 9001:2015

Federal Firearms License

ISO 13485:2016

ITAR Compliant

ISO 9001:2015

Federal Firearms License

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Tin Plating of Copper Busbars

Silver Plating of Copper

Copper Plating of Projectiles

Stop Tarnishing of Copper

Copper

CUPRUM

Atomic Number – Qty Protons:	29	*Thermal Conductivity – W/(cmK)**:	4.01
Atomic Weight – g/mole:	107.9	*Electrical Resistivity – nOhmm**:	16.78
Density – g/cm3:	8.96	Hardness – Hv:	369
Melting Point – C°:	1085	*Specific Heat Capacity – J/(gK)**:	0.39

Copper is a ductile, lustrous metal with a pink hue that exhibits high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable but can have considerable strength when alloyed with elements such as beryllium, chromium or tellurium. Most commonly copper is alloyed with zinc to form brass or with tin to form bronze alloys.

Copper is one of the few metals to occur naturally as an uncompounded mineral. Due to this fact, copper’s use can be traced back as far as 10,000 years ago, to some of the oldest civilizations on record. It is theorized that only gold and meteoritic iron have been utilized by civilizations longer than copper.

Copper readily forms compounds with elements such as oxygen, carbon and sulfur. Based upon the oxidation state, available moisture and pH of the environment, the compounds can have distinctive blue or green hues (acidic environments) or a dark brown appearance (alkaline environments). An example of this phenomenon is the green copper patina (hydrated copper sulfate and carbonate) on the Statue of Liberty due to New York City’s acid rain.

Copper

CUPRUM

Atomic Number – Qty Protons:	29	*Thermal Conductivity – W/(cmK)**:	4.01
Atomic Weight – g/mole:	107.9	*Electrical Resistivity – nOhmm**:	16.78
Density – g/cm3:	8.96	Hardness – Hv:	369
Melting Point – C°:	1085	*Specific Heat Capacity – J/(gK)**:	0.39

Copper

CUPRUM

Atomic Number – Qty Protons:	47
*Thermal Conductivity – W/(cmK)**:	4.29
Atomic Weight – g/mole:	107.9
*Electrical Resistivity – nOhmm**:	15.87
Density – g/cm3:	10.5
Hardness – Hv, Hb:	215 Hv, 24.5 Hb
Melting Point – C°:	962
*Specific Heat Capacity – J/(gK)**:	0.24

Copper Plating Services – Copper Plating Properties

Copper is a soft, ductile, lustrous metal with a pink hue that exhibits very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is very soft and malleable but can have considerable strength when alloyed with elements such as beryllium, chromium or tellurium. Most commonly copper is alloyed with zinc to form brass or with tin to form bronze alloys.

Copper readily forms compounds with elements found in the atmosphere including oxygen, carbon and sulfur. Based upon the oxidation state, available moisture and pH of the environment, the compounds formed can have distinctive blue or green hues (acidic environments) as opposed to dark brown appearance (alkaline environments). An evident example of this phenomenon is the green copper patina (hydrated copper sulfate and carbonate) visible on the Statue of Liberty due to the acidic rain of New York City.

For plating applications, copper is commonly used as an underplating to enhance adhesion of deposits, improve electrical properties, impair migration of alloying elements into the final plated deposit, or to improve corrosion resistance of the overall deposit. As a final deposit, copper plating services are used for enhancing the brazing, thermal or electrical conductivity of substrate materials, as a high temperature lubricant, as a heat treatment stop-off, or for jacketing of projectiles. Copper can be plated matte to bright and with a wide range of deposit hardness and ductility.

Copper Plating Services – Advanced Plating Technologies’ Capabilities

Specifications

MIL-C-14550
ASTM B734
AMS 2418
Most Company Specifications

Purity

Up to 99.0% Pure

Finish Type

Matte Deposits
Semi-Bright Deposits
Bright Deposits (Mechanical)

Part Size Limitations

32 Inches x 30 Inches x 12 Inches

Substrates Plated On

Ferrous: All Ferrous Alloys Including Mild Steel, Stainless Steels, Hardened Steels & Tool Steels
Cuprous: All Cuprous Alloys Including Pure Copper, Copper Alloys Including Tellurium & Beryllium, Brass, Nickel-Silver
Aluminum: All Aluminum Alloys Including Wrought, Cast and Proprietary Alloys (MIC-6)
Exotics: Inconel, Pure Nickel (Nickel 200), Cobalt-Chrome (MP35N), Kovar, Monel, Hastalloy, Monel, Lead

Underplates Provided

Bright Electrolytic Nickel
Sulfamate Electrolytic Nickel
Electroless Nickel (High or Medium Phosphorous)
Tin, Lead or Tin/Lead

Heat Treatments

Hydrogen Embrittlement Bakes
Stress Relieving Bakes
High Temp up to 750F

Methods

Barrel
Rack
Wire
Vibratory
Selective Loose Piece Plating
Sheet Product (Chemically Milled/Etched Sheets)
Segmented Strips (Frets)

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Copper Plating Specifications

The two most common copper plating services certified by Advanced Plating Technologies are MIL-C-14550 and ASTM B734. APT also can certify our copper plating services to AMS 2418 as well as most company-specific copper plating specifications. A summary of copper plating services per the MIL and ASTM specs is as follows:

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Copper Plating Services to MIL-C-14550

Type of Copper Plating bath is not specified. Classes of copper plating services as follows:

Class 0 – 0.001-0.005 inches minimum deposit thickness
Class 1 – 0.001 inch minimum deposit thickness
Class 2 – 0.0005 inch minimum deposit thickness
Class 3 – 0.0002 inch minimum deposit thickness
Class 4 – 0.0001 inch minimum deposit thickness

Intended Uses per Section 6.1 of MIL-C-14550

Class 0 – for heat treatment stop-off shield
Class 1 – for carburizing shield, decarburizing shield and printed circuit board plated through holes or as specified on the engineering drawing.
Class 2 – for undercoating for nickel and other metals
Class 3 – to prevent basis metal migration into tin layer to poison solderability
Class 4 – 0.0001 inch same as 0.0002 inch