Actually the diaphrams are not thicker in the center. They are made from a single copper sheet. The range of thicknesses of the copper sheet has variations from time to time. The range I have found after examining about 30 MPS's over the decades....is between .0038" and .0052". There is no set variation that corresponds to any part # of MPS. The range of thickness has been found in everything from type 3 part numbers to the 039's from 914's.
This thickness variation only affects a couple of things. With a thinner diaphram, there will be a slight sensitivity variation to external atmospheric pressure.....but so slight you can only pick it up with a very fine vacuum gauge. It would make for only a very very slight difference in adjustment of the center screw on any given MPS.
Depending upon the direction of your thought proceses....a thinner diaphram may also either crack sooner.....due to being thinner....or crack less soon due to more ease of flexibility.
In the long run, it would also come down to the individual ductility range of a given grade of copper.
The grade of copper used is something I have not had the capacity to examine. Its very possible that the thickness variation exixts....because differnt grades of copper were used through teh years....and for no other reason.
The center only "feels"thicker....because of the ribs that are embossed into it. From the sections I have taken of broken diaphrams, the thickness is the same from center to edge. These are what give the plate...spring. There are very fine variations at the apex of the curves in the embossings. These are due to compaction of material on the die. Its common in any embossing operation. There are also manufacturing secrets that I just cannot possibly know. I can only speculate. It is possible....that the plate was heated during pressing to alter spring tension in the center....or even to make that spring tension take a particular set so it last longer at a more uniform rate.
There were also several rib patterns of subtle difference. Again, these do not appear to correspond to any particular part number of MPS....or thickness of raw material for that matter. They just used a differnt die.
In the few that I have manufactured, I settled on a plating thickness in the middle of the range that I listed above. I settled on .0045" thicknesss. I have to start with raw copper plate from rolled sheet....with a nominal thickness of between .0048 to .0052". I then attached that plate to a steel machine flat and hand lap it to between .0045 and .0048".
I have made numerous dies. The funny thing is, none have been machined. The level of machine work that needs to be done on a stamping tool like this....and it is a two sided tool...both sides different but perfectly meshed.....can only be done by a tool and die maker. The plant I work in....has its own tool and die shop with this capability. I have been working out a deal with the tool and die manager to see if he can make what I have in steel....when and if we ever get spare time.
Because of the thinness of the copper plate, its easy to emboss. The first tool I made...which only produced two uniform plates before it died....was of plaster and polyester backing. It proved they could work.
The second die was made of all cast polyester with steel plate backing. It worked better, but only in the first week of its life. Polyester tends to keep shrinking when it cures. It distorted.
That brings me to another manufacturing observance. Some diaphrams had 3 to 5 radial lines in them that crossed perpendicular to the eembossedrings of the diaphram. That is very similar to the technique used to make the barometric chambers. These are reliefs that keep teh plate from distorting when teh die is not perfect. They keep the plate flat. I use those now.
My third die....was made ....using JB weld

. I had to make a small chamber from polyester. Then I put a block of wood inside with a 17mm hole cut in it so the plate with its center part would sit flat on the block of wood. I glued it down with hot glue, then sprayed the upper surface with micro powdered urtehnae mold release. Then put a vinyl ring around the perimeter of the diaphram as a casting seal. Then poured in the slightly warmed JB weld, covered the chamber...and vacuumed it down to get air out of the 1/4" of JB weld. Then, release vacuum....and take cover off.....and lay a disc of 1/4" steel plate on top of the JB weld, vacuum it to get the bubble out from under it....and let it cure for three days with vacuum off. I had to repeat this process for teh other side.
There are steel dowl pins in theour holes in thetock diaphram for register of thewo sides.
With the right lubricant, this mold will make quite a few plates before it dies.
The next problem...was how to get accurate center and small holes in the plate to keep from distoring it. I have a lot of die cutting experience. I have no found punches yet that I like the edge affect of and do not distort the plate. Instead, I made cutting burrs to grind the holes in the opper by dipping epoxy covered mandrels in silicone carbide dust and dressing them on a stone. These make sweet holes. This was my last installment in August.
I have some testing to make sure they work close enough to teh same as originals...still to do. Right now, the variation is less than 5%...from stock Bosch. I will be back on this before the month is out.
For now...yes...you colud dolder them, but the heat distortion kills the plate...and makes very a very erreatic adjustment. Silcone...very strong silicone like permatex copper works best. Ray