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Think
&
Tinker
Ltd.
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SkypeMe at
"thinkntink"
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Think & Tinker, Ltd.
Polymer Based
Conductive Ink
Through-hole Activation Supplies |

Phone (719 488-9640) Fax. (719-481-0464) |
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| Conductive
Ink Think & Tinker has been involved in
the development and formulation of conductive screen printing inks for
over 20 years. Applications of our products have included:
- through-hole plating in printed circuits
- circuit formation on flexible substrates
- printing of interactive children's books
- printing active electronic circuits on
clothing
- anti-static coatings for sensitive electronic
packages
- electronic shielding for secure electronics
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| Hole-wall activation
(or
through-hole activation) is any process that is used to prepare the
walls of holes drilled through copperclad substrates for the
electro-deposition of one or more metals. In other words, it is a
way to get your circuit board ready for through-hole plating.
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| Conventional through-hole processing usually relies
on 3 or more baths to prepare the hole walls for copper plating.
Originally, this plating base was "electroless" copper. Recent advances have replaced the somewhat unstable electroless
process with one that deposits a thin layer of colloidal carbon, which,
when dried, forms a continuous conductive film connecting the copper
foil on both sides of the board with the hole walls. This film is
sufficiently conductive to support rapid, reliable electroplating of the
walls of all of the through-holes. The only real disadvantage of
the process is its dependence on a VERY thin carbon film. Boards
that are hand drilled or drilled at low spindle RPMs often have very
rough hole-walls. As shown in the photo, the roughness is
accurately replicated, and sometimes made worse during conventional
hole-wall activation / plating.
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| In 1984 Think & Tinker patented
a family of conductive plating
inks that offer a
single step solution
to
hole wall activation. Our ink is a low viscosity blend of silver and
three forms of carbon in a thermally cured binder. It is formulated to
fill in gaps and scratches in hole-walls to provide a smooth, reliable
base for electroplating. The binder that we use is specifically
designed to form strong adhesive bonds with FR-4, polyamide, and other
common PCB substrates. For technical details, please click on the
Specifications button below.
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For pricing and ordering information,
click on the ORDER FORM button
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Copyright ©
1994-2003 Think
& Tinker, Ltd.
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