Powder for use in dry sensitization for electroless plating

Claim 2

A finely powdered, hydrophobic, thermoplastic material which is useful in the sensitizing of the surface of a substrate on which metal is to be electrolessly deposited, prepared by depositing from 0.1 to 10% by weight of a surfactant and from 0.1 to 10% by weight of a sensitizing tin compound on a thermoplastic powder, said percentages being based the weight of said thermoplastic powder, the powdered material obtained by said process upon melting down on a substrate resulting in a well defined metallization edge subsequent to electroless metallization.

Claim 3

The powder composition of claim 1, wherein said sensitizing tin compound is a tin compound in its +2 valence state.

Claim 4

The powder composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein said powdered thermoplastic material is a styrene acrylic copolymer resin, said sensitizing compound is a hydrolyzed tin compound and said surfactant is a mixture of glycerol monostearate and glycerol distearate.

Claim 5

The powder composition of claim 3, wherein said hydrolyzed tin compound determined as SnCl 2 .2H 2 O constitutes 2 o/o w/w and the mixture of glycerol monostearate and glycerol distearate constitutes 3 o/oo w/w, both with respect to the amount of said thermoplastic material.

Claim 6

The powder composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein the powdered composition fully comprises a finely powdered magnetic material.

Claim 7

A method of manufacturing the powder composition of claim 1, comprising: mixing a finely powdered, thermoplastic material or thermoplastic material prepared by emulsion polymerization into a solution or dispersion of 0.1 to 100 o/oo w/w surfactant with respect to said thermoplastic material; adding from 0.1 to 10 o/oo of a sensitizing tin compound based on the amount of said thermoplastic material compound to said dispersion or solution; depositing the sensitizing tin compound and surfactant on said thermoplastic particles after adjusting the acidity of said solution or dispersion; and subsequently drying the treated thermoplastic material obtained.

Claim 8

The method of claim 6, wherein said drying step is conducted by spray drying the treating thermoplastic material.

Claim 9

A method of dry sensitization of a substrate surface for electroless metal deposition, comprising: defining all or a portion of an image on said substrate surface by means of the thermoplastic material of claim 1; melting down the applied thermoplastic material; and electrolessly metallizing the substrate upon the activated, applied thermoplastic material.

Claim 10

The method of claim 8, wherein the thermoplastic material of claim 1 is applied to the surface of said substrate electrostatically under the influence of charges previously deposited on the substrate.

Claim 11

The method of claim 8, wherein said thermoplastic material of claim 1 is applied magnetostatically to the surface of said substrate under the influence of poles which have previously been built up on the substrate.