There are three requirements for choosing an electroplating power supply:

First of all, it must meet the specifications required by the electroplating process, including the power of the power supply, waveform indicators, adjustable ranges of current and voltage values, etc.

Second is the reliability of the power supply itself, which mainly refers to the rationality and safety of the structure, circuit characteristics and heat dissipation methods, etc.

Third, consider the cost-effectiveness of its price.

Determining the plating variety and the size and power supply of all plating solutions is one of the most important tasks. In practice, there are two methods to determine the electroplating power supply: one is the volume current density method, which is determined based on the capacity of the plating solution; the other is the unit area current density method based on the electroplating area.

The so-called volumetric current density is to adjust the current intensity of the entire plating solution according to the larger current allowed per liter of plating solution, thereby determining the larger power supply and conventional output power to be used. Generally, copper plating is 0.2 ~ 0.3a/L, nickel plating is 0.1 ~ 2.5a/L, bright nickel plating is 0.3 ~ 0.35a/L, acidic zinc plating is 0.5 ~ 0.6a/L, and alkaline zinc plating is higher than 1.2A/L. Chrome plating 2 ~ 3a/L, taking bright nickel plating as an example, the maximum process current of 600L plating solution can reach 0.3A/L×600L=180A, so a 200A power supply can be selected.

The larger current can also be calculated based on the plating area. Take chrome plating as an example. If the plating solution is 600L, the maximum current density at 60°C is 100A/dm2, and the plating tank can plate 10dm2 when fully loaded, then the maximum output current of the required power supply is 100A/dm2×10dm2=1000A, that is, 1000A and 18V should be configured rectified power supply.

After the power of the power supply is determined. It is also necessary to select the waveform, cooling method, volume and anti-corrosion capability of the electroplating power supply according to the needs of the electroplating process and the conditions of the electroplating site, including cost factors.