What are the arguments for a thicker vs. thinner cathode?
Most important, there is no difference in the quality of the coating itself. However, it is simply a matter of economics. When cathodes are produced, the total cost of made up of two parts: a) “fabrication” and b) value of the metal itself. Cost elements under “fabrication” include the cost to create the highest purity and also the cost of rolling the metal into a foil of the required thickness and then cutting out the metal discs in the desired diameter. The interesting part of this, and the one that is least understood by end users, is that the fabrication costs are independent of foil thickness! The cost to cut discs out of a thicker foil are the same as the costs to do the cutting from a thicker foil. When it comes to the cost of rolling the metal into a foil, the cost is more or less the same, whether the foil it thicker or thinner. Hence, when one purchases foils that are thinner (e. g. 3 mils), per dollar spent, less is for the precious metal than when the foil is thicker (e.g.
