An effect of dummy cathode on thickness uniformity in electroforming process

This study examines the solution for one of the most difficult problems of electroforming process “thickness deviation”. As an effective solution, an auxiliary electrode (dummy cathode) is considered. Generally, the thickness of an edge plating area is almost twice the center area or greater. An auxiliary electrode (intentionally attached dummy cathode) has helped to achieve more uniform thickness of the electroformed-nickel layer by preventing excessive electric charge. In addition, computer-aided analysis was performed to determine the optimal condition of electroforming process and to confirm the experimental result.