Control of electroplating process by weak background pulses

This study addresses the influence of weak agitation pulses of electromagnetic origin at 50–2000 kHz on the cyanide-based silvering for rack- and barrel-electroplating processes at industrial-grade production. The morphology of the electroplated layers has been investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The observed experimental results indicate the effect of low-power tensile pulse modulation on the quality of silvering at industrial-grade processing, which can be optimized by frequency regulation. Application of weak agitation pulses is shown to improve the quality of electroplating, including an increase of the process rate, an increase of the cathode efficiency, a decrease of the layers’ thickness along with their higher density and reduced porosity. The positive effects were achieved without affecting other technological parameters of the actual galvanic production. The observed effects are discussed in terms of resonant spatiotemporal modulation of the electrochemical process.