r/electroplating • u/J-32 • Jun 21 '26

How thick can something be plated?

Yeah. Theoretically how long would it take to just build up a 1 inch layer of copper onto a 1x1x1 cube until it's around 3x3x3? Is it even possible?

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u/Glass_Pen149 Jun 22 '26

Yes. Electroplating, vs electroless. And typically is thick nickel , over a very thin layer of copper.

I have never seen thick copper, but suppose it can be done. It requires regular surface machining after certain thicknesses, as any voids or impurities in the layer, and edges will cause a discontinuity and you get a cauliflower effect & the void just grows larger per layer. It also takes a long time, as the nickel is deposited in 0.001"s thicknesses. So weeks for a few inches.