PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The objective of this project is to finish the development of Polymer Kompositers electroless silver plating process, identify potential customers and make it commercially available. The process shall be evaluated for space requirements. The evaluation is divided in to 3 parts where electroless silver on Printed Wiring Boards for solderability and environmental protection shall be tested for space applications in one part. The second part shall evaluate the electroless silver on a metallic microwave component, a ku-band diplexer for space applications.
The third part of the project is to evaluate the application on plastics.
Challenges
The key issues in the project are the following:
- Evaluate the Electroless SilveMix as a coating for metallic microwave components for space applications.
- Evaluate the Electroless SilveMix as a coating for printed wiring boards for space applications
- Evaluate the ability to plate plastic parts with with Electroless Silverix.
Plan
The process will be tested for PWB, microwave components and plating of plastics applications. Tests will be performed be industry/test institutes.
Current Status
The Mid Term Review was held in May 2004.
Manufacturing and plating of PWBs and of microwave components has been completed. The components are waiting for tests to start at the test facilities.
The testing and evaluation of the pretreatment process for the plastics application has been completed and the silver-plating of the plastics has started.
Work on the quality assurance of the process is ongoing. A preliminary user manual is ready and the work is focusing on verification of operational data and of the preliminary process for maintenance.
A patent investigation has started and an application for patent is planned.