Effect of Etching Time and Temperature on Plating Adhesion of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)-Based Material

In this study, the effects of etching time and temperature on the adhesion of plated layers of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) were investigated. The ABS surface micropores, which act as anchors to improve the adhesion of the plated layer, increased in numbers as the etching temperature increased. Adhesion was maximum at the etching time of 9 min at etching temperatures of 60 and 70 °C. For the etching times of 12 and 15 min, micropores on the ABS surface were incompletely filled during electroplating because the pores were both deep and narrow. The adhesion strength was decreased by these unfilled micropores, which further reduced the anchor effect. The ratio of the increased surface area ratio of the ABS to that of the plated surface was maximized at 9 min etching time, at which point the plating adhesion was also maximized.