Metallization on FDM Parts Using the Chemical Deposition Technique

Metallization of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) parts has been studied on flat part surfaces. These parts are fabricated on an FDM (fused deposition modeling machine) using the layer-wise deposition principle using ABS as a part material. Electroless copper deposition on ABS parts was performed using two different surface preparation processes, namely ABS parts prepared using chromic acid for etching and ABS parts prepared using a solution mixture of sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide (H2SO4/H2O2) for etching. After surface preparations using these routes, copper (Cu) is deposited electrolessly using four different acidic baths. The acidic baths used are 5 wt% CuSO4 (copper sulfate) with 15 wt% of individual acids, namely HF (hydrofluoric acid), H2SO4 (sulphuric acid), H3PO4 (phosphoric acid) and CH3COOH (acetic acid). Cu deposition under different acidic baths used for both the routes is presented and compared based on their electrical performance, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The result shows that chromic acid etched samples show better electrical performance and Cu deposition in comparison to samples etched via H2SO4/H2O2.