cnx_vinyl/docs/equipment/galvanics.md

# Galvanics and Stamper Prep: Equipment Plan

The metal path turns a cut lacquer into press-ready nickel stampers:
silvering, electroforming of father, mother and stampers, passivation
between generations, then punching, back-finishing and coining (stages 4
and 5 in the [process flow](../process-flow.md)). It is Phase 5 item 23 in
the [roadmap](../roadmap.md), with an open case for pulling it forward;
until it runs, bridge stampers come from Stamper Discs. This page holds the
equipment data for it, the way [pressing-line.md](pressing-line.md) does for
the presses.

Sources are vendor datasheets filed with the Making Vinyl Europe 2026
material in October 2026: Pheenix Alpha's electroforming range (four flyers
dated September 2024, in [`pheenix-alpha/`](pheenix-alpha/)) and Sibert's
vinyl stamper prep line (technical specifications dated April 2021, in
[`sibert/`](sibert/)), plus Sibert's 2008 to 2009 optical-disc literature
(below). Every figure here is vendor-published, not quoted, and no document
carries a price. Digital Matrix / Plating Power stays the comparison; its
datasheets are not in the repo yet (see the
[vendor landscape](../suppliers/vendor-landscape.md)).

## Electroforming: the Pheenix Alpha range

Pheenix Alpha, the AD12 press maker, also builds the galvanics line. The
four flyers:

| Unit | What it does | Datasheet figures |
|---|---|---|
| **PASU** Automatic Silvering Unit | Cleaning station plus silver spray unit: the lacquer is cleaned, then silvered by an automatic spray sequence; foot-controlled spray faucet, overspill collection; the silver unit mounts left or right of the cleaning bench | W 2188 × D 715 × H 1835 mm, working height 900 mm; cleaning station up to 120 rpm, spray unit 45 rpm, four nozzles; 100 to 230 VAC single-phase, 10 A; water Ø20 hose, 2 × G3/4"; compressed air G1/2" at 6 bar; exhaust Ø125 mm at 150 m³/h; drain Ø32 mm |
| **PPPU** Pre-Plating Unit | First nickel layer on the silvered master: up to four masters at once, each position controlled on its own with its own cathode movement; integrated dummy plating; PID temperature control | W 1062 × D 1245 × H 1750 mm; 400/480 VAC three-phase, 16 A; tank 385 L, pump 10 m³/h, heater 4.5 kW, 2 × 20" filters; up to 15 VDC and 30 A per position; exhaust Ø63 mm; 500 mm service access behind the tank |
| **PDPU** Dual Plating Unit | Production electroforming: two cells, each with its own rotating cathode shaft and digitally controlled rectifier; titanium anode baskets; adjustable anode-to-cathode distance; options for a flow meter, automatic lid and selective cleaning | W 1070 × D 1350 × H 1800 mm; 400/480 VAC three-phase, 16 A; tank 385 L, 40 L per cell, pump 10 m³/h, heater 4.5 kW, titanium cooling coil; filters 10 µm pre and 2.5 µm fine; 45 rpm; anode baskets 30 kg each; parts up to Ø355 mm; up to 15 VDC and 200 A per cell; cooling water 12 to 20 °C, 5 bar, 10 L/min; exhaust Ø63 mm; 500 mm service access behind the tank |
| **PMPB** Modular Preparation Bench | Passivation, cleaning and drying between generations: removes lacquer residue, anodic passivation and cathodic cleaning for nickel and DMM parts, integrated pump, filtration and temperature control, sink with foot-controlled spray, spin table | W 1588 × D 775 × H 1700 mm, working height 920 mm; spin table up to 120 rpm; 100 to 230 VAC single-phase, 10 A; DI water G3/4"; drain Ø32 mm; exhaust ready |

All four are built in stainless steel and polypropylene, the bench and
plating units with titanium in the wetted parts. The two plating
units are PLC-controlled with a 7" touch screen, user-programmable recipes
and a network connection for remote access; the range advertises alerts for
filter cartridge changes, nickel pellet top-up and anode basket cleaning.

What this changes in the plan:

- **A second turnkey galvanics vendor.** Until now Digital Matrix was the
  only one in the plan ([roadmap](../roadmap.md) item 6, the galvanics block
  in [total investment](../finance/total-investment.md)). The Pheenix range
  covers the same four steps: silvering (PASU against Digital Matrix's
  VLSS), pre-plate (PPPU against VLPP), production electroforming (PDPU
  against the VLFP 2/4/6-cell system) and passivation (PMPB against the
  EC-1000). Pheenix calls itself the only manufacturer of both
  electroforming and pressing systems (vendor claim), so it can quote the
  whole chain from lacquer to pressed record: AD12 and AD12 Manual for the
  presses, this range for the metal. One conversation covers roadmap items
  5 and 6, and the single-vendor risk is the same as for the presses.
- **Lacquer and DMM.** The PMPB passivates and cleans DMM parts as well as
  nickel, and Pheenix describes the range as built for lacquer and DMM
  families, so a DMM lathe (the open Sillitoe question in the
  [vendor landscape](../suppliers/vendor-landscape.md)) would not need
  different galvanics equipment, by the vendor's description.
- **No water treatment in the flyers.** None of the four covers rinse-water
  treatment or metal recovery, the same gap as Digital Matrix. The
  zero-discharge plant stays a separate vendor
  ([sustainability](../sustainability.md)); ask Pheenix which treatment
  partner its customers use.
- **Utilities the galvanics room needs** (from the datasheets):
  - Electrical: two 16 A three-phase units (~11 kVA each at 400 V) and two
    10 A single-phase units (~2.3 kVA each), so **~27 kVA connected** for
    one line by the rated currents (estimate). Actual draw is lower: at
    most 6 kW DC in the PDPU (2 cells × 15 V × 200 A) and 1.8 kW in the
    PPPU (4 × 15 V × 30 A), plus a 4.5 kW heater in each. Thai 400 V / 50
    Hz three-phase fits. Not in the [scale](../scale.md) electrical table
    yet, because galvanics is Phase 5.
  - **DI water** at the PMPB: a deionised (RO plus polishing) water supply
    belongs in the galvanics utility list. The RO skid in the
    [utilities CSV](../finance/utilities-investment.csv) is an option row
    sized for boiler feed, not for this.
  - **Cooling water** at the PDPU: 12 to 20 °C at 5 bar and 10 L/min
    through its titanium coil, either a branch of the process chiller loop
    or a small dedicated chiller. 10 L/min is small next to the press
    moulds' ~220 L/min peak.
  - **Extraction**: Ø63 mm on each plating unit, Ø125 mm at 150 m³/h on the
    silvering unit. The fume-extraction interlock in
    [facility security](../facility-security.md) (no extraction, no
    plating) applies to every one.
  - Compressed air at 6 bar for the PASU; drains Ø32 mm.
- **Space.** One of each unit is ~5.6 m² of footprint (PASU 1.56, PMPB
  1.23, PPPU 1.32, PDPU 1.44 m²), plus 500 mm service access behind the two
  tank units and working space around them: comfortably inside the 80 to
  150 m² the [zone table](../scale.md) holds for clean room, water
  treatment and chemical store. At 1.70 to 1.84 m tall they fit under the
  room-in-room ceilings in the crane zone
  ([crane, workshop and tours](../crane-workshop-tours.md)), and by their
  published dimensions all four pass through a 1.2 m double door, so the
  crane hatch in the clean-room lid is for the water-treatment evaporator
  rather than the plating units (check against crated sizes).
- **Weight.** Not published. Each tank unit holds 385 L of electrolyte,
  roughly half a tonne filled (estimate), plus 60 kg of nickel in the
  PDPU's anode baskets. Ask for empty and filled weights with the quote,
  for the slab design and the crane table.
- **Data.** PLC, recipes, network connection and maintenance alerts are on
  the datasheets; the protocol is not. Per the
  [digital factory](../digital-factory.md) RFQ clauses: read access over
  Modbus TCP or OPC UA with the tag list, remote support through our mesh,
  no vendor cloud. The maintenance alerts are the bath events the
  galvanics record in [traceability](../traceability.md) needs anyway.

### Cycle times and cell count

Pheenix publishes no cycle times. Published practice from other plating
rooms agrees with Faraday's law at the PDPU's 200 A ceiling (1.095 g of
nickel per ampere-hour), and these are the times the
[plant operation page](../plant-operation.html) runs on:

| Step | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Silvering (clean, sensitise, spray, rinse) | ~15 min | estimate; no published figure |
| Pre-plate | 15 to 30 min at 10 to 20 A | ~15 min at 35 °C (flight 13 duplication, Freiburg, in Leuze Verlag's Galvanotechnik report "Of fathers, mothers and sons"); ~20 min at ~20 A (Welcome to 1979, Nashville, on a Digital Matrix line, in Finishing and Coating); 30 min at 10 to 20 A (US patent 4,363,705) |
| Father | ~1 h 15 min | ~0.2 mm and ~200 g at 150 A and 11 V (flight 13); 1¼ h with the current raised from 20 to 200 A (US 4,363,705) |
| Mother | ~1 to 1¼ h | 1¼ h at 200 A (US 4,363,705); "as little as one hour" (Wikipedia, Production of phonograph records) |
| Stamper | ~45 min | a 145 g stamper in 45 min (Wikipedia, same article) |
| Separation, passivation, cleaning and drying (PMPB) | ~10 to 15 min | estimate |
| Back-finish (VSF), centre punch (VSP), coin (VSC) | ~5 to 10, 3 to 5 and 1 to 2 min | estimate; Sibert publishes none |

The count, from this repo's own demand figures:

- At full capacity the [revenue model](../finance/revenue-model.md) assumes
  300 to 600 titles a year across 1.0 to 1.5 million records, so 2,500 to
  3,300 records per title.
- Each title needs, per side, a father, a mother and two to three stampers
  (at 1,000 to 2,000 pressings per stamper): 8 to 10 electroformed parts per
  title, **~2,400 to 6,000 parts a year**, 8 to 20 per working day at 300
  days, before remakes.
- With ~15 minutes of loading, rinsing and unloading on top of 45 to 75
  minutes of deposition, a cell turns a part in ~1 to 1.5 hours: 10 to 16
  parts per cell per two-shift day, **20 to 32 per PDPU**.

So **one PDPU covers full-capacity demand** with headroom for remakes, and
a second PDPU buys redundancy rather than capacity, which is how Pheenix
itself sells it ("more capacity as well as enhanced redundancy"). The
first version of this page assumed 2 to 3 hours per part and concluded
that the high end needed two. One PASU, one PPPU (pre-plate is for the
masters, 2 to 4 a day at full capacity, and the unit takes four at once)
and one PMPB cover the rest. Ask Pheenix for measured cycles at the
plant's thickness before this goes into a budget.

## Stamper prep: the Sibert VS line

Sibert's three vinyl machines, from the 2021 technical specifications:

| Machine | What it does | Specification figures |
|---|---|---|
| **VSP** Vinyl Stamper Punch | Punches the centre hole after optical centring on the groove | Punch and die M2 high-speed steel, Ø25.4 mm standard (other sizes available), ±0.002 mm; turntable Ø360 mm, 6 mm centring travel, ±0.0015 mm rotational accuracy; pneumatic automatic pre-centring, then manual fine centring; optics ×100, graticule 15 divisions at 0.10 mm, viewing diameter Ø90 to 110 mm (centres on the lead-out groove); pneumatic punch cylinder 100 mm bore, 50 mm stroke; 115 to 230 VAC single-phase, 250 VA; air 6 to 8 bar, 4.5 L/s during the punch stroke; 200 kg; spare punch and die on request |
| **VSF** Vinyl Stamper Finisher | Automatic wet back-finishing with automatic stamper cleaning | Turntable Ø365 mm, vacuum plus mechanical quick-release clamping on moulded rubber mats, 150 to 1500 rpm; head pressure 0 to 50 psi, 150 to 1500 rpm, motorised traverse; 5-station quick-change disc head including a cleaning pad; abrasive grades P120 to P2500 (nine grades); closed water loop, 0.6 µm absolute or 5 µm nominal filtration plus a 10 µm bag in the tank; 115 to 230 VAC single-phase, 1200 VA; air 6 to 8 bar, 3.1 L/s; 250 kg |
| **VSC** Vinyl Stamper Coiner | Forms the centre and the edge and sizes the outer diameter in one hydraulic operation, so no trimming | Modular die sets for 7", 10" and 12" with automatic loading, three tool stations in the machine; "quick change tooling to suit all vinyl moulds"; M2 forming tools; locates on a removable ID spigot with two height settings; hydraulic with safety interlocks; 115 to 230 VAC single-phase, 1 kVA; air 6 to 8 bar, 4.5 L/s during forming; 600 kg |

All three are aluminium frames on castors with levelling feet, guarded by
5 mm cast acrylic, and ship with a pressure regulator and filter.

What this changes in the plan:

- **Single-phase power.** All three run on 115 to 230 VAC, 50/60 Hz, ~2.5
  kVA together, so the three-phase question from the
  [Haarlem briefing](../suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md)
  falls away. Each needs 6 to 8 bar compressed air at ½" BSP minimum, so
  the air network has to reach the stamper prep room.
- **Weights 200, 250 and 600 kg**, on castors: pallet-truck moves, not
  crane lifts ([crane table](../crane-workshop-tours.md) updated).
- **Order of operations: finish, punch, coin.** Gotta Groove's
  Electromastering Lab in Cleveland, which runs a Sibert VSF and VSP,
  back-sands first, then centres and punches on the VSP, then trims and
  coins the edge and forms the centre hole for the press type
  (recordplating.com). The VSC locates on the punched hole, which fits the
  same order. The [process flow](../process-flow.md)'s "punch, back-finish,
  coin" names the operations, not their sequence.
- **Centring is manual.** The VSP pre-centres pneumatically, then the
  operator centres the lead-out groove under ×100 optics against the
  graticule. Concentricity depends on the operator, so the stage 5 check
  stays, and it is the measurement most worth automating. Sibert's 2009
  optical-disc punch offered automatic centring with a measured centring
  value, a barcode reader for the stamper card and a LAN connection as
  options; the VS sheets list none of these. Ask whether the VS line takes
  them: the answer decides whether stamper prep stays a manual check-in
  station in the [digital factory](../digital-factory.md).
- **Mould fit.** The standard punch is Ø25.4 mm, other sizes on request,
  and the VSC claims tooling for every vinyl mould. Gotta Groove keeps nine
  centre-hole forming tools to fit the presses its customers run, which
  shows the scale of the question. Which centre hole and
  edge form each mould needs (Newbilt book mould, Pheenix/Toolex, M-Tech)
  has to come from the press vendors, and the tooling sets per mould type
  are a quote line. Whether the VSC duplicates anything a press vendor
  supplies is still open.
- **The finisher's water carries nickel.** The VSF's closed loop collects
  nickel fines and abrasive in its filters and bag. Spent water and filters
  go to the galvanics treatment and hazardous-waste route, never the drain
  ([sustainability](../sustainability.md)). Consumables: abrasive discs in
  up to nine grades, filter cartridges and bags, turntable mats.
- **Service model** (from the 2009 optical-disc literature; confirm for the
  VS line). Sibert services punch-and-die sets at its own works: resharpen,
  check alignment and vacuum, test-punch the customer's own stampers and
  issue a certificate (measured ID, ID-to-data concentricity, roundness,
  surface finish, front and back hardness HV0.3). It advises against local
  resharpening and sets shot-count warnings in the machine. For a plant in
  Thailand that means a spare punch and die in rotation (the VSP lists one
  on request) and a UK freight leg per service. In 2009 Sibert also had a
  Singapore branch; ask whether regional service still exists. The
  certificate's fields are a ready list for the stamper prep record in
  [traceability](../traceability.md).

## Optical-disc reference material

[`sibert/sps-optical-disc-2009/`](sibert/sps-optical-disc-2009/) holds
Sibert's SPS (Stamper Preparation System) literature from 2008 and 2009,
punching and finishing modules with their workflows, maintenance lists and
upgrade options, and the August 2008 Blu-ray stamper characteristics paper
by Sony DADC, Singulus, Sibert and technotrans. These are optical-disc
documents and their limits are not vinyl specifications. What carries over:

- **The structure of a stamper acceptance spec**: thickness, flatness,
  hardness, back roughness before and after finishing, outer diameter,
  centre hole, eccentricity, burr and visual defect counts, each with a
  measurement method. CNX has the instruments
  ([quality automation](../quality-automation.md)) but no written limits
  yet; this paper is the model to write them against.
- **Hardness on the centre slug.** Hardness is measured on the disc punched
  out of the centre, never on the part, and a fresh nickel bath plates soft
  at first, which changes how stampers punch and finish. Taken into
  [quality automation](../quality-automation.md).
- **Back-finish pattern.** Random crossing scratches, uniform over the
  surface, worked best for Blu-ray; concentric scratches were not
  recommended. The SPS finisher reached Ra 0.03 µm. No vinyl figure is on
  file: ask Sibert what the VSF reaches and what vinyl plants specify.
- **Tool wear shows in the hole.** Hole size shrinks by a few microns as
  the punch and die wear, so a shot count per punch-and-die set belongs in
  the genealogy record next to each stamper's concentricity.

The SPS material is directly relevant only if CD replication, the
investor's request in the [project timeline](../project-timeline.md), ever
goes ahead.

## Open questions for the quotes

- **Pheenix Alpha**: price and lead time for one line (PASU, PPPU, PDPU,
  PMPB) and for a second PDPU, quoted alongside the AD12; empty and filled
  weights; measured cycle per part per cell at stamper, mother and father
  thickness; PLC protocol and tag list; DI water quality; which
  water-treatment partner its customers use; reference plants running the
  range.
- **Sibert**: prices and lead time for VSP, VSF and VSC; tooling sets per
  mould type and their cost; automatic centring, barcode and network
  options on the VS line; punch-and-die service from Thailand (UK works or
  a regional partner); the roughness the VSF reaches; what it installed at
  Pheenix in January 2025, and whether Pheenix sells Sibert machines with
  its line.
- **Press vendors** (Newbilt, Pheenix, M-Tech): the stamper centre hole and
  edge form each mould expects, so the punch size and coiner tooling can be
  ordered to match ([pressing line](pressing-line.md)).

## Source documents

- [`pheenix-alpha/`](pheenix-alpha/): PASU, PPPU, PDPU and PMPB flyers
  (September 2024; renamed from their download names). The flyers give
  Pheenix Alpha AB's address as Skepptuna, Märsta, Sweden;
  info@pheenixalpha.com, helpdesk@pheenixalpha.com.
- [`sibert/`](sibert/): VSP, VSF and VSC technical specifications (April
  2021). Sibert Instruments Ltd, Alton, Hampshire, UK;
  sales@sibert.co.uk.
- [`sibert/sps-optical-disc-2009/`](sibert/sps-optical-disc-2009/): SPS
  punching and finishing literature (2008 to 2009), the punch-and-die
  return form, and the Blu-ray stamper characteristics paper (2008).