CN111247272A

CN111247272A - Surface treatment device

Info

Publication number: CN111247272A
Application number: CN201880067802.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 石井胜己; 渡边重幸
Original assignee: Almex PE Inc
Current assignee: Almex PE Inc
Priority date: 2017-10-20
Filing date: 2018-10-10
Publication date: 2020-06-05
Also published as: JP6737527B2; JPWO2019078063A1; PH12020550794A1; KR20200073239A; TW201923158A; WO2019078063A1; TWI682076B; JP2020169393A

Abstract

A surface treatment device (1) comprises: a treatment tank (3-1) for containing a treatment liquid; at least one anode (20) disposed within the treatment tank; at least one cathode track (40-1); intermittent transfer devices (70, 72) that intermittently transfer a plurality of jigs (30) from a plurality of stop positions in the processing bath as a start point and/or an end point, the plurality of jigs (30) holding a plurality of workpieces (2) immersed in the processing liquid so that the workpieces (2) respectively hang down, and being in contact with at least one cathode rail to set the workpieces as cathodes; a plurality of nozzles (60), at least one of the nozzles (60) being disposed between the workpiece and at least one of the anodes, the workpieces being stopped at a plurality of stop positions, respectively, in the processing tank in a plan view, the plurality of nozzles (60) ejecting the processing liquid toward the plurality of workpieces; and a moving mechanism that moves the plurality of nozzles in a horizontal direction parallel to each of the plurality of workpieces, respectively.

Description

Surface treatment device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus and the like that intermittently convey a workpiece.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a plating apparatus that intermittently transfers a workpiece into a plating tank containing a plating solution, and supplies a current between an anode and the workpiece (cathode) at each stop position to plate the workpiece. In this apparatus, a work is intermittently conveyed using an endless intermittent conveying apparatus (a sprocket and a chain) which intermittently conveys the work to a plating tank and other pre-treatment tanks and/or post-treatment tanks disposed upstream and/or downstream of the plating tank.

In particular, in this plating apparatus, the amount of current supplied to the workpiece at each stop processing position in the plating tank is integrated, and when the integrated value reaches the required amount of current for the workpiece, the control device drives the lifting device to move the hook supporting and conveying the workpiece upward of the plating tank, thereby releasing the energization of the workpiece. Thus, for example, the amount of current supplied to a plurality of kinds of workpieces can be individually adjusted, and the thickness of the plating film can be individually adjusted for each workpiece.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 2727250

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

As an electrolytic plating apparatus, there is known an electrolytic plating apparatus in which a nozzle for ejecting a plating liquid toward a work is fixedly disposed in a plating tank. In the plating apparatus of patent document 1, a nozzle is not used, and a problem in the case where the nozzle is disposed in an intermittently transported plating tank is not recognized.

Further, the plating apparatus of patent document 1 uses a circulating type intermittent transfer apparatus (a sprocket and a chain) for intermittently transferring the work to the plating tank and other treatment layers, and a lifting mechanism for individually lifting and lowering a jig (a hook) for each work, and therefore the scale of the apparatus is increased. Further, since the throughput is affected by the entire length of the plating tank in both the intermittent conveyance and the continuous conveyance, it is necessary to prepare plating apparatuses of various specifications having different entire lengths of the plating tanks. In this case, the entire apparatus including the circulating intermittent conveyance apparatus must be redesigned.

An object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to provide an intermittent conveyance type surface treatment apparatus capable of ensuring in-plane uniformity of a workpiece to be treated even when a nozzle is used in combination, the nozzle ejecting a treatment liquid toward the workpiece intermittently stopped being treated in a treatment tank.

It is an object of at least one other aspect of the present invention to provide an intermittent conveyance type surface treatment apparatus that can connect treatment tank units having a common structure and can perform current control and intermittent conveyance of a workpiece over the entire length of a treatment tank.

Means for solving the problems

(1) One embodiment of the present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus including:

a treatment tank for containing a treatment liquid;

at least one anode disposed within the treatment tank;

at least one cathode track;

an intermittent transfer device that intermittently transfers a plurality of jigs, which hold a plurality of workpieces immersed in the processing liquid so as to hang down, respectively, from a plurality of stop positions in the processing bath as a start point and/or an end point, and which contact the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of workpieces as cathodes;

a plurality of nozzles, at least one of which is disposed between the workpiece and the at least one anode, the nozzles being stopped at each of the plurality of stop positions in the processing bath in a plan view, the nozzles ejecting the processing liquid to the workpiece; and

and a moving mechanism for moving the plurality of nozzles in a scanning manner with respect to the corresponding workpiece that is intermittently stopped.

According to one aspect of the present invention, at least one nozzle provided corresponding to a stop position of a workpiece can be moved in a scanning manner with respect to the intermittently stopped workpiece. Thus, the region which becomes a shadow of the nozzle located between the workpiece and the anode in a plan view and blocks the electric field between the anode and the cathode moves in accordance with the scanning movement of the nozzle. Therefore, the region in which the electric field is blocked by the nozzle is not fixed, and the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece to be processed is improved.

(2) In one aspect (1) of the present invention, the moving mechanism may move the plurality of nozzles as follows: the plurality of nozzles cyclically scan at least once over a length range corresponding to at least a horizontal width of each of the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions. Thus, in-plane uniformity of the processed workpiece is improved. It is particularly preferred that the cyclic scanning is carried out at least once from the initial position of the nozzle and back to the initial position. This is because the shadow of the nozzle is substantially uniform in the workpiece surface.

(3) In one aspect (1) or (2) of the present invention, the plurality of nozzles may include at least 2 nozzles, the at least 2 nozzles may be disposed at respective positions facing the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions, and the at least 2 nozzles may include a plurality of outlets for the processing liquid at respective different positions in a vertical direction. By moving the at least 2 nozzles relative to the workpiece in a scanning manner, the unevenness that the processing liquid is not directly sprayed is reduced, and the in-plane uniformity of the processed workpiece is improved.

(4) In one aspect (1) to (3) of the present invention, the processing bath may include a plurality of divided processing baths coupled to each other, 2 adjacent divided processing baths may communicate with each other through an opening through which the plurality of workpieces pass, the one anode, the at least one cathode rail, the at least one nozzle, the intermittent transfer device, and the moving mechanism may be disposed for each of the plurality of divided processing baths, and the at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail disposed in each of the plurality of divided processing baths may be connected to at least one rectifier. Thus, the intermittent conveyance type surface treatment apparatus having the treatment tank having a length suitable for the user's needs can be easily constructed by adjusting the number of divided treatment tanks without redesigning the entire apparatus.

(5) Another aspect of the present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus in which a plurality of treatment units are connected together,

the plurality of processing units respectively have:

a divided treatment tank for containing a treatment liquid;

at least one anode disposed in the divided treatment tank;

at least one cathode track;

an intermittent transfer device that intermittently transfers a plurality of jigs, each of which holds a plurality of workpieces immersed in the processing liquid and which is brought into contact with the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of workpieces as cathodes, from a plurality of stop positions in the divided processing bath as a start point and/or an end point; and

at least one rectifier connected with the at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail,

the adjacent 2 divided processing tanks communicate with each other via an opening through which the plurality of workpieces pass.

According to another aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of processing units independently includes a divided processing bath, one anode, at least one cathode rail, an intermittent transfer device, and at least one rectifier. Therefore, the intermittent conveyance type surface treatment apparatus having the treatment tank having a length suitable for the user's needs can be easily constructed by adjusting the number of the treatment units without redesigning the entire apparatus.

(6) In another aspect (5) of the present invention, the intermittent feeder may include a pusher driven to advance and retreat, the pusher may include a plurality of pushing pieces, the plurality of pushing pieces may push the plurality of pushed pieces of the plurality of jigs to advance the plurality of workpieces when the pusher advances, and the plurality of pushing pieces may be disengaged from the plurality of pushed pieces to return to an initial position when the pusher retreats. In this way, the plurality of jigs are intermittently conveyed by simultaneously moving one step by the pusher within the divided processing tanks or between the adjacent divided processing tanks.

(7) In another aspect (5) of the present invention, the intermittent feeder may include a pusher that is driven to advance and retreat and driven to move up and down, the pusher may include a plurality of pushing pieces, the plurality of pushing pieces may include a recess, the plurality of pushed pieces provided to the plurality of jigs may be disposed in the recess by one of the lifting and lowering operations of the pusher, the plurality of pushed pieces may be separated from the recess by the other of the lifting and lowering operations of the pusher, the plurality of pushing pieces may push the plurality of pushed pieces to advance the plurality of workpieces when the pusher advances, and the pusher may stop the plurality of workpieces when the pusher stops advancing and return to an initial position when the plurality of pushed pieces are separated from the recess when the pusher retreats. In this way, the plurality of jigs are intermittently conveyed by simultaneously moving one step by the pusher within the divided processing tanks or between the adjacent divided processing tanks. In particular, the plurality of grippers can be stopped at predetermined positions by the engagement of the recess and the pushed piece, and thus, higher-speed intermittent conveyance can be performed.

(8) In one aspect (4) and the other aspects (5) to (7) of the present invention, the at least one rectifier may include a plurality of rectifiers corresponding to the number of the plurality of stop positions, the at least one cathode rail may include a plurality of conductive portions that are electrically insulated from the plurality of conductive portions, the plurality of conductive portions being in contact with the plurality of jigs that have stopped at the plurality of stop positions, respectively, and the plurality of conductive portions may be connected to the plurality of rectifiers, respectively. In this way, the cathode sides of the plurality of works are insulated and connected to the plurality of rectifiers, respectively, so that the currents flowing through the plurality of works can be individually controlled.

(9) In another aspect (8) of the present invention, the at least one anode may include a plurality of anodes corresponding to the plurality of stop positions, and the plurality of anodes may be connected to the plurality of rectifiers, respectively. In this way, with respect to each of the plurality of workpieces, the cathode and the anode are insulated, so that completely separate power supply can be realized for each workpiece.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a plating section in an intermittent feed type plating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a processing unit of the plating apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the workpiece stopped in one processing unit and the anode.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a conveying jig that conveys a workpiece.

Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the connection of the anode, the conductive part on the cathode rail, and the rectifier.

Fig. 6 (a) and (B) are a front view and a cross-sectional view of the cathode rail.

Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the supplied power portion of the conveying jig switches the conductive portion of the cathode rail between the cells.

Fig. 8 is a plane showing the nozzle reciprocating horizontal scanning movement within the unit.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement pitch of the ejection ports of the nozzle.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the intermittent conveyance device disposed in each processing unit.

Fig. 11 (a) and (B) are diagrams showing another example of the intermittent conveyance device disposed in each processing unit.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a modification of the conveyance jig suitable for the intermittent conveyance system.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a modification of the transport jig to which a cleaning function of the cathode rail is added.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The present embodiment described below is not intended to unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims, and all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are not necessarily essential as means for solving the present invention.

1. Multiple processing units

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an intermittent feed type plating apparatus (broadly, a surface treatment apparatus) according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a plating section of a plating apparatus 1 for plating a work 2 such as a circuit board is configured by connecting a plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n (n is an integer of 2 or more). The plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n may have substantially the same structure. In each of the plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n, at least one (for example, 4 in fig. 1) of the works 2 can be intermittently stopped. Fig. 1 shows a workpiece 2 of a maximum size, and the plating apparatus 1 has versatility to be able to process workpieces 2 of this maximum size or less.

The workpiece 2 is intermittently conveyed in the a direction sequentially from the current stop position toward the next stop position by an intermittent conveyance device described later. In the present embodiment, one workpiece 2 is stopped at, for example, 4 places in each processing unit. A carry-in unit 4 for carrying in the workpiece 2 by descending in the B direction may be connected to the upstream side of the most upstream processing unit 3-1. When the workpiece 2 in the processing unit 3-1 is intermittently conveyed, the workpiece 2 in the carry-in unit 4 is also intermittently conveyed and moved to the processing unit 3-1. A carry-out unit 5 may be connected to the downstream side of the most downstream processing unit 3-n, and the carry-out unit 5 may raise the workpiece 2 horizontally moved from the processing unit 3-n in the C direction and carry out the workpiece. The workpiece 2 in the carry-out unit 5 is carried out upward before the workpiece 2 in the processing unit 3-n is intermittently conveyed. However, the carry-in unit 4 and/or the carry-out unit 5 may be omitted. In this case, the workpiece 2 is lowered to the most upstream stop position of the processing unit 3-1, and the workpiece 2 at the most downstream stop position of the processing unit 3-n is raised and carried out.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a processing unit 3-1 having a structure common to the processing units 3-2 to 3-n. The processing unit 3-1 has a divided processing bath 6 for containing a plating liquid (broadly, a processing liquid). The work 2 is immersed in the plating liquid in the divided treatment tanks 6. The divided processing bath 6 is a substantially box body having an upper opening, and

openings

6A and 6B are provided in upstream and downstream partitions, respectively, to allow the horizontal movement of the workpiece 2 between the divided processing bath and an adjacent unit (processing unit, loading unit, or unloading unit).

In the present embodiment, at least one anode 20 is provided on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the workpiece 2 at a plurality of, for example, 4 stop positions within the processing unit 3-1. In the present embodiment, there are provided: an anode 20A opposed to the front surface of each of the one workpieces 2 at each of the stop positions; and an anode 20B opposed to the back surface of the workpiece 2. Each of the anodes 20(20A, 20B) may include a plurality of divided anodes that are electrically connected to each other. In the present embodiment, the anode segment 20a1(20B1) on the upstream side and the anode segment 20a2(20B2) on the downstream side are divided. The anode 20 may include divided anodes divided into 3 or more, but can be regarded as one anode because of conduction between them.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the anodes 20a1, 20a2(20B1, 20B2) arranged in the process unit 3-1 and the workpiece 2. As shown in fig. 3, the workpiece 2 is held by the conveying jig 30. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the anodes 20(20A, 20B) are disposed at positions facing the workpieces 2 located at the 4 stop positions, respectively. In short, as shown in fig. 2, it is sufficient if a uniform electric field can be formed between the workpiece 2 set as a cathode and the anode 20. The shape of the anode 20 is not limited, and the anode shown in fig. 2 and 3 has a rectangular outline, but may have a circular outline in a plan view. The anode may be an insoluble anode or a soluble anode.

In the present embodiment, a shielding plate 23 for dividing one processing unit 3-1 into 4 units 11-1 to 11-4 may be provided. In each of the cells 11-1 to 11-4, anodes 20(20A1, 20A2, 20B1, 20B2) are arranged on both sides of the workpiece 2 in a plan view. The shield plate 23 is provided to block the influence of an electric field between adjacent cells (an anode-cathode electric field shown by an arrow in fig. 2). An opening 23A through which the workpiece 2 passes is formed in the shield plate 23.

2. Conveying clamp

Fig. 4 shows an example of the conveyance jig 30. The conveying jig 30 has a horizontal arm portion 300, a vertical arm portion 310, a workpiece holding portion 320, a guided portion 330, a supplied power portion 340, and a pushed piece 350. The horizontal arm portion 300 extends in a direction B perpendicular to the intermittent conveying direction a. The vertical arm portion 310 is held in a drooping manner to the horizontal arm portion 300. The workpiece holding portion 320 is fixed to the vertical arm portion 310. The workpiece holding portion 320 includes: an upper frame 321; and a lower frame 322 supported by the upper frame 321 so as to be able to be raised and lowered, for example. The upper frame 321 is provided with a plurality of clamps 323 for clamping the upper portion of the workpiece 2. The lower frame 322 is provided with a plurality of clamps 324 for clamping the lower portion of the workpiece 2. A downward tension is imparted to the workpiece 2 by the lower clamp 324. However, when the workpiece 2 is thick or when power is not supplied from the lower portion of the workpiece 2, the lower frame 322 and the clamp 324 may be omitted.

The guided portion 330 is disposed along the processing units 3-2 to 3-n, and is guided by a guide rail (not shown) divided for each of the processing units 3-2 to 3-n, for example, to linearly guide the conveying jig 30. The guided portion 330 may include: a roller 331 that is in rolling contact with the top surface of the guide rail; and rollers 332 that roll in contact with both side surfaces of the guide rail (only rollers that roll in contact with one side surface are illustrated in fig. 4).

The fed portion 340 is in contact with the cathode rail described in fig. 5 and 6, and the workpiece 2 is set as a cathode by the horizontal arm portion 300, the vertical arm portion 310, and the workpiece holding portion 320 of the conveying jig 30. The fed portion 340 includes 2

contacts

342, 343, and the 2

contacts

342, 343 are supported on the upstream side and the downstream side of the support arm 341 extending in the intermittent conveying direction a. The

contacts

342 and 343 are supported by the support arm 341 via a parallel link mechanism, and are urged by a spring to be pressed against the cathode rail. The 2

contacts

342, 343 are electrically connected to at least one of the clamping

elements

323, 324, whereby the workpiece 2 is set as a cathode.

The pushed piece 350 is fixed to the vertical arm portion 310, for example, and the pushed piece 350 is vertically arranged at a position directly above the workpiece holding portion 320. The pushed piece 350 is pushed in the direction C shown in the figure by an intermittent conveyance device described later, and transmits an intermittent conveyance force to the conveyance jig 30. The conveyance jig 30 shown in fig. 4 is provided with the engaged portion 360 used in the continuous conveyance, and the conveyance jig 30 can be used for both the intermittent conveyance and the continuous conveyance.

3. Cathode rail and rectifier

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n (only 2 processing units are shown in FIG. 5) has at least one cathode rail 40. A plurality of cathode rails 40 may be arranged parallel to the conveyance direction a. In this case, the plurality of cathode rails 40 may be connected to the same rectifier, or may be connected to different rectifiers, and the current value may be controlled independently for each power feeding portion. In the present embodiment, 1 cathode rail 40 is provided. The 1 cathode rail 40 preferably has a plurality of divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n (only 2 divided cathode rails 40-1 and 40-2 are shown in fig. 5) divided for each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, and the plurality of divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n are connected continuously in the transport direction a. As shown in fig. 5 and 6a, the divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n are spaced apart by a space (non-conductive portion) 42 on the insulating rail 41, and have 4 conductive portions 43 one for each unit in which the workpiece 2 is stopped. The 4 conductive portions 43 are electrically connected to the power-supplied portion 340(2 contacts 342, 343) of the conveyance jig 30 shown in fig. 4 that holds and stops the workpiece 2 at 4 stop positions of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n, respectively. FIG. 5 shows the liquid level L of the plating liquid contained in each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n, and the work 2 is immersed in the plating liquid. As shown in fig. 6B,

partition walls

44 and 44 are provided at both ends of the cathode rail 40 in the width direction, so that a non-oily conductive fluid (e.g., water) 45 can be held on the conductive portion 43. Thus, the conductive fluid 45 can more reliably ensure the electrical contact between the power-supplied portion 340(2 contacts 342, 343) and the conductive portion 43. However, since the conductivity of water is much lower than that of the conductive portion 43 which is a metal, the insulation between the adjacent

conductive portions

43, 43 can be maintained. As shown in fig. 6 (B), the bolts 46 for fixing the conductive portion 43 to the insulating rail 41 can be disposed on both sides of the traveling path of the power-supplied portion 340. This eliminates the need to provide a counterbore of the bolt in the conductive portion 34, thereby eliminating a factor that becomes electric resistance.

The processing units 3-1 to 3-n each have a total of 4 rectifiers 50 (only one rectifier 50 is shown in fig. 5) for each of the units where the workpiece 2 is stopped. The positive terminal 51 of each of the 4 rectifiers 50 is connected to the anode 20(20a1, 20a2, 20B1, 20B2) disposed in each cell. The negative terminal 52 of each of the 4 rectifiers 50 is connected to the conductive part 43 corresponding to the cell of each of the divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n.

4. Current control when workpiece is stopped

The currents flowing into the 4 workpieces 2 at the 4 stop positions (cells) of each processing cell 3-1 to 3-n are independently controlled by 1 rectifier 50 provided for each cell. Further, since the cathodes are insulated from each other and the anodes are also insulated from each other between the cells, the workpieces 2 can be separated in an insulated manner, and the power supply control of the workpieces 2 can be performed individually by the rectifiers 50. Moreover, by separating the electric field by the shielding plate 23 between the cells, the influence between the cells is eliminated, and separate power supply to each workpiece 2 is ensured. This can improve the plating quality of the workpiece 2.

In contrast to the conventional continuous conveyance system, the intermittent conveyance system of the present embodiment always changes the positional relationship between the continuously conveyed workpiece (cathode) and the fixed anode, and the stopped workpiece (cathode) 2 of the present embodiment can be directly opposed to the anode 20. Thus, when the work 2 is stopped, the positional relationship between the cathode and the anode is fixed, and the works are subjected to the same plating conditions, and therefore, improvement in plating quality can be expected. In particular, since the fluctuation of the contact resistance disappears when the workpiece 2 is stopped, the current can be accurately controlled. Further, there are counterbores for fixing bolts and the like in the middle of a long cathode rail for continuous conveyance, and the resistance value of the cathode rail differs from place to place and does not become uniform. Therefore, although the current flowing through the workpiece differs depending on the position of the workpiece during continuous conveyance, such a problem can be solved in intermittent conveyance. Further, the present embodiment does not have the following situation as in the case of continuous conveyance: the plating quality is adversely affected depending on the continuous conveying speed of the work.

However, it may be: it is not necessary to implement the complete separate power supply as described above to intermittently convey the workpiece 2. That is, one or both of the cathode and the anode may be shared (common cathode and/or common anode) in 4 units 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n.

5. Current control in intermittent conveyance of workpiece

While the workpiece 2 is intermittently conveyed between the units, current is also supplied to the workpiece 2 through the rectifier 50. Here, in the intermittent conveyance, at least one of the 2

contacts

342, 343 of the conveyance jig 30 shown in fig. 4 is in contact with the conductive portion 43 on the cathode track. That is, even if the contact 342 on the conveyance upstream side contacts the insulating rail 41 at the position of the spacer 42, the contact 343 on the conveyance downstream side contacts the conductive portion 43. Likewise, even if the contact 343 on the conveyance downstream side comes into contact with the insulating rail 41 at the position of the spacer 42, the contact 342 on the conveyance upstream side comes into contact with the conductive portion 43 of the next cell. In these processes, the contact 343 on the conveyance downstream side is, for example, in contact with the conductive portion 43 of the unit 11-1, and the contact 342 on the conveyance upstream side is in contact with the conductive portion 43 of the unit 11-2. In this case, current is supplied to the workpiece 2 from 2 rectifiers 50 corresponding to the cell 11-1 and the cell 11-2. The state (transition state) in the process of moving between the units is schematically shown in fig. 7. Fig. 7 schematically shows the power-supplied portion 340 of the conveyance jig 30 shown in fig. 4, and the power-supplied portion 340 is in contact with the conductive portion 43 of the upstream-side unit and the conductive portion 43 of the downstream-side unit. Here, if the output of the rectifier 50 when the workpiece 2 is stopped is maintained and the workpiece 2 is intermittently conveyed, there is a concern that a current of 2 times will transiently flow through the workpiece 2 being converted, which is connected to 2 rectifiers 50. In particular, the slower the intermittent conveyance speed, the greater the influence of the transient current.

In the present embodiment, any of the following 2 pieces of current control is adopted in the intermittent conveyance of the workpiece 2. In the case where the intermittent conveyance speed is relatively slow, in order to reduce or prevent the above-described transient current, the output (e.g., 100%) of the rectifier 50 at the time of stopping the workpiece 2 is incremented (restored to 100%) after being decremented (e.g., to 50%). When the intermittent feed speed is relatively high, the period during which the transient current flows is extremely short and therefore negligible. Thus, in this case, the control may not be: the output of the rectifier 50 is different between when the workpiece 2 is stopped and when the workpiece 2 is intermittently conveyed. For example, assuming that the width of the workpiece 200 in the conveying direction is 800mm, the intermittent conveying speed is 12m/min, and the width of the power-supplied portion 430 schematically shown in fig. 7 in the conveying direction is 60mm, the intermittent conveying time is 5sec, and the time required for the power-supplied portion 430 to switch the conductive portion 43 between the cells (the time during which the transient current can flow) is only 0.3 sec.

6. Moving scan of nozzle

In 4 units 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, as shown in fig. 8, at least 1 nozzle 60 can be further provided between each surface (front surface and back surface) of the workpiece 2 located at the stop position in plan view and the anode 20. Since the nozzles 60 block the electric field formed between the workpiece (cathode) 2 and the anode 20, it is preferable to reduce the number of the nozzles 60 even when a plurality of the nozzles are provided. As shown in fig. 9, the nozzle 60 has a plurality of discharge ports 60A for discharging the plating liquid. The pitch P in the vertical direction of the discharge ports 60A of the nozzle 60 shown in fig. 9 is smaller than the pitch (for example, 7.5mm) used in the conventional continuous transport system, and can be set to be not less than the outer diameter of the discharge ports 60A but not more than 5 mm. This is to increase the supply amount of the plating liquid per unit time. Further, the pitch P is also preferably made small in order to uniformly supply the plating liquid to the chips or the fine patterns having a small size. In fig. 9, the nozzles 60 on the front and back surfaces of the workpiece 2 are arranged to face each other with the workpiece 2 interposed therebetween, but may be provided at positions other than the facing positions. When the workpieces 2 are arranged to face each other, the deformation of the workpieces 2 due to the hydraulic pressure can be eliminated, and when the workpieces 2 are not arranged to face each other, the plating liquid can be easily supplied to the through-holes of the workpieces 2. In addition, although the continuous transfer system is also provided with nozzles, the number thereof is as large as several tens of nozzles in one processing unit.

In the continuous work conveying method, a plurality of nozzles are fixed, but in the present embodiment employing the intermittent conveying method, at least 1 nozzle 60 is horizontally moved in a scanning manner, for example, in the direction of arrow a1 and the direction of a2 (both parallel to the intermittent conveying direction a) in each of 4 units 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n. As a result, as shown in fig. 9, the plating liquid can be uniformly discharged to the entire surface of the workpiece 2. The moving speed of the nozzle 60 can be higher than the moving speed (for example, 0.8m/min) of the workpiece 2 in the continuous conveyance system. Thus, the amount of plating liquid supplied per unit time can be increased. In addition, in the continuous conveyance system, when the workpiece speed is increased, the total length of the processing tank is increased, and the apparatus is increased in size.

Although the reciprocating mechanism of the nozzle 60 is not shown, a known reciprocating linear mechanism (for example, a gear-rack mechanism driven by a reversible motor, a piston-crank mechanism, or the like) may be used. The reciprocating mechanism can move 2 nozzles 60 in the following manner: the scanning is repeated at least once in a cycle within a length range corresponding to at least the horizontal width of the workpiece 2 stopped in each cell. In this way, the in-plane uniformity of the processed workpiece 2 is improved. It is particularly preferred that the initial position of the nozzle 60 be cyclically scanned at least once and returned to the initial position. This is because the shadow of the nozzle 60 is substantially uniform in the workpiece surface. The nozzle 60 may continuously perform the reciprocating scanning movement during the start-up of the apparatus, or may stop the reciprocating scanning movement during the intermittent conveyance of the workpiece 2.

According to the present embodiment, at least one (for example, 2) nozzle pipes 60 can be moved by scanning with respect to the workpiece 2 in accordance with the stop position of the workpiece 2 with respect to the workpiece 2 which is intermittently stopped. As a result, the region that becomes a shadow of the nozzle 60 and blocks the electric field between the anode and the cathode moves with the movement of the nozzle 60, wherein the nozzle 60 is positioned between the workpiece 2 and the anode 20 in a plan view. Therefore, the region where the electric field is blocked by the nozzle 60 is not fixed, and the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece 2 to be processed is improved. In addition, the scanning movement direction of the nozzle 60 is not limited to the horizontal direction. For example, the nozzle 60 may be horizontally disposed and moved in a scanning manner along the vertical direction, and the scanning direction may be any of the horizontal and vertical directions.

The nozzle 60 can wind and discharge the plating liquid near the discharge port 60A in the divided treatment vessel by a known structure. This makes it possible to discharge the plating liquid rich in metal ions near the anode 20 toward the workpiece 2, thereby improving the yield.

The scanning movement of the nozzle 60 can be widely applied to the surface treatment apparatus of the intermittent conveyance system, and is not necessarily limited to the structure of the above-described embodiment, that is, the connection structure of the plurality of treatment units, the cathode division structure, the anode division structure, the structure having an intermittent conveyance mechanism by a pusher, which will be described later, and the like.

7. Intermittent conveying device for each processing unit

In the present embodiment, it is preferable to provide an intermittent conveyance device for each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n. This is because, even if the number n of processing units is changed, there is no need to redesign the intermittent conveying device. If convenience is not required, a circulating type intermittent conveyance device may be used as in patent document 1, or one intermittent conveyance device may be used in common for each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n. The intermittent conveyance device described below is not necessarily limited to the case where: a plurality of processing units are connected to form a plating tank.

As the intermittent conveyance device provided for each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n, the intermittent conveyance device shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 can be used. The intermittent carrying device shown in fig. 10 is constituted by a pusher 70, and the pusher 70 is driven to advance and retreat in forward and reverse directions a1 and a2 parallel to the intermittent carrying direction a by, for example, an air cylinder. The pusher 70 has pushing pieces 71 at 4 places. The 4 pushing pieces 71 can push the pushed pieces 350 of the 4 conveying jigs 30 (refer to fig. 4). In fig. 10, 4 push pieces 71 are urged in the clockwise circumferential direction D.

When the pusher 70 advances in the direction a1, the 4 pushing pieces 71 push the pushed pieces 350 of the 4 conveying jigs 30 to intermittently convey the 4 workpieces 2. When the pusher 70 retreats in the direction a2, if the pushing piece 71 comes into contact with the pushed piece 350, the pushing piece 71 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow D against the urging force in the arrow D direction, and the pushing piece 71 returns to the original position without being hindered by the pushed piece 350. Thus, 4 workpieces 2 in each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n are intermittently conveyed by moving one step at a time by the pusher 70. Thus, 3 workpieces 2 other than the most upstream position in the processing unit move one step in the same processing unit, and the workpiece 2 located at the most upstream position in the processing unit of the same stage or the preceding stage moves to the most downstream position in the processing unit of the subsequent stage. In this way, the 4 workpieces 2 held by the 4 conveying jigs 30 are intermittently conveyed with the 4 stop positions in the processing unit as the start point and/or the end point.

Since the intermittent conveying device shown in fig. 11 merely pushes the conveying jig 30, the stop position of the conveying jig 30 cannot be controlled. The intermittent conveying device can be used in such a case: the intermittent conveyance speed is relatively slow, and there is no case where the inertia force by which the conveyance jig 30 continues to advance even after the pushing by the pusher 70 is stopped is generated. Alternatively, the intermittent conveying device can also be adopted in the following cases: at least one of the

guide rollers

331 and 332 of the conveying jig 30 is provided with a brake mechanism described in international patent application PCT/JP2018/020119 filed by the applicant of the present application.

The intermittent conveyance device shown in fig. 11 (a) and (B) includes a pusher 72, and the pusher 72 has 4 pusher pieces 73 and performs forward and backward driving (driving in the directions of a1 and a 2) and up-and-down driving (driving in the direction of arrow E). The 4 pushing pieces 73 include, for example, upwardly open recesses 73A into which the pushed pieces 350 of the conveying jig 30 are fitted. As shown in fig. 11 (a), when the pusher 72 is raised, the pushed piece 350 of the transport jig 30 is fitted into the 4 recesses 73A. Thereafter, as shown in fig. 11 (B), when the pusher 72 is advanced in the direction a1, the 4 conveyance jigs 30 are intermittently conveyed one step at a time. When the advance of the pusher 72 is completed, the stop position of the pushed piece 350 is uniquely determined by the recess 73A. Thereafter, the pusher 72 descends and retreats again to return to the original position. In particular, the engagement between the concave portion 73A and the pushed piece 350 can stop the plurality of conveying jigs 30 at predetermined positions, and thus, the intermittent conveyance can be performed at a higher speed.

Further, although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, it should be easily understood by those skilled in the art that: many modifications can be made without substantially departing from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, in the specification or the drawings, a term described at least once together with a different term having a broader meaning or a same meaning can be replaced with a different term in any part of the specification or the drawings. All combinations of the embodiment and the modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 12 shows a modification in which the work holding portion 320 in the transport jig 30 shown in fig. 8 is changed to a work holding portion 320A. In fig. 12, a virtual processed portion 80 is provided in a hatched four-sided frame region surrounding the workpiece 2. The dummy processed portion 80 is a region to be surface-treated (plated) together with the workpiece 2. The dummy processing target portion 80 is connected to a power supply portion 81 shown in fig. 12. The power feeding portion 81 is electrically connected to the power-supplied portion 340 shown in fig. 4, and the virtual processing-target portion 80 is set as a cathode in the same manner as the workpiece 2.

Since the peripheral edge of the workpiece 2 is located inside the virtual processed portion 80, the peripheral edge of the workpiece 2 does not become an edge. This prevents the electric field from concentrating on the periphery of the workpiece 2, and thus prevents a thick film portion called a so-called dog bone from being generated. If the resistance of the dummy processed portion 80 is substantially the same as the resistance in the surface of the workpiece 2, the uniformity in the surface of the workpiece 2 can be improved. The plating apparatus 1 has a stripping tank in a step subsequent to the plating section, and after the plating, the conveying jig 30 is put into the stripping tank to strip the plating layer. At this time, since the plating layer formed on the dummy processed portion 80 is also peeled off, the transport jig 30 can be repeatedly reused.

Fig. 13 shows a conveying jig 30A, and this conveying jig 30A is a modification in which a function of cleaning the cathode rail 40 is added to the supplied power portion 340 in the conveying jig 30 shown in fig. 8. In fig. 13, the support arm 341 supports at least one rail cleaning portion 344 that is in contact with the cathode rail 40 to clean the cathode rail 40, in addition to the

contacts

342, 343. The rail cleaning part 344 shown in fig. 13 includes at least one or both of the following two components: a polishing tool such as a scraper 344A for polishing the conductive portion 43 of the cathode rail 40 to remove a deposited layer (e.g., an oxide film on the conductive portion); and a brush 344B for removing the grinding powder or dirt. The brush 344B can be disposed downstream of the scraper 344A. The cleaning portions 344(344A, 344B) are crimped to the cathode rail 40 by the same structure as the

contacts

342, 344.

By using the conveying jig 30A having the cleaning portion 344 shown in fig. 13 as at least one of the plurality of conveying jigs that are cyclically used in the plating apparatus 1, it is possible to clean the cathode rail 40 while operating the plating apparatus 1, thereby preventing a failure in energization. This can suppress a problem such as an increase in the resistance value of the conductive portion 43 of the cathode rail 40, and reduce the frequency of maintenance performed at a frequency of once per week in the related art.

The conveyance jig 39A shown in fig. 13 is not limited to the intermittent conveyance type surface treatment device described above, and may be used in a continuous conveyance type surface treatment device having a cathode track on which the conductive part 34 is continuously provided.

Description of the reference symbols

1: a surface treatment device; 2: a workpiece; 3-1 to 3-n: a treatment tank (divided treatment tank); 20(20a1, 20a2, 20B1, 20B 2): an anode; 30. 30A: conveying the clamp; 40. 40-1, 40-2: cathode rails (split cathode rails); 41: an insulated rail; 42: a space (non-conductive portion); 43: a conductive portion; 50: a rectifier; 51: a positive terminal; 52: a negative terminal; 60: a nozzle; 60A: an ejection port; 70. 72: a pusher (intermittent conveyance device); 71. 73: a push sheet; 73A: a recess.

Claims

1. A surface treatment device is characterized in that,

the surface treatment device comprises:

a treatment tank for containing a treatment liquid;

at least one anode disposed within the treatment tank;

at least one cathode track;

a plurality of nozzles in which at least one of the nozzles is disposed between the workpiece and the at least one anode, the at least one of the nozzles being stopped at each of the plurality of stop positions, in a plan view, and the plurality of nozzles ejecting the processing liquid to the plurality of workpieces; and

2. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1,

the moving mechanism moves the plurality of nozzles in the following manner: the plurality of nozzles cyclically scan at least once over a length range corresponding to at least a horizontal width of each of the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions.

3. Surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the plurality of nozzles include at least 2 nozzles, the at least 2 nozzles being arranged at respective positions opposed to the plurality of workpieces stopped at the plurality of stop positions, respectively,

the at least 2 nozzles include a plurality of outlets for the treatment liquid at different positions in the vertical direction.

4. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the processing tank includes a plurality of divided processing tanks connected to each other, and adjacent 2 divided processing tanks are communicated with each other through an opening through which the plurality of workpieces pass,

the one anode, the at least one cathode rail, the at least one nozzle, the intermittent feeder, and the moving mechanism are provided for each of the plurality of divided treatment tanks,

the at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail respectively disposed in the plurality of divided treatment tanks are connected to at least one rectifier.

5. A surface treatment device in which a plurality of treatment units are linked together, characterized in that,

the plurality of processing units respectively have:

a divided treatment tank for containing a treatment liquid;

at least one anode disposed in the divided treatment tank;

at least one cathode track;

6. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5,

the intermittent conveying device comprises a propeller driven to advance and retreat, the propeller is provided with a plurality of pushing pieces,

when the pusher advances, the plurality of pushing pieces push the plurality of pushed pieces of the plurality of jigs to advance the plurality of workpieces, and when the pusher retreats, the engagement between the plurality of pushing pieces and the plurality of pushed pieces is released and the plurality of pushed pieces are returned to the initial position.

7. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5,

the intermittent conveying device comprises a propeller driven by advance and retreat and driven by lifting, the propeller is provided with a plurality of pushing pieces,

the plurality of pushing pieces include a recess, a plurality of pushed pieces provided to the plurality of jigs are arranged in the recess by one of the lifting operations of the pusher, and the plurality of pushed pieces are separated from the recess by the other of the lifting operations of the pusher,

when the pusher advances, the plurality of pushing pieces push the plurality of pushed pieces to advance the plurality of workpieces, and when the pusher stops advancing, the pusher stops the plurality of workpieces and returns to the initial position when the plurality of pushed pieces retreat from the recess.

8. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7,

the at least one commutator comprises a plurality of commutators corresponding in number to the plurality of stop positions,

the at least one cathode rail includes a plurality of conductive portions that are respectively in contact with the plurality of clips stopped at the plurality of stop positions, respectively, and that are electrically insulated, the plurality of conductive portions being respectively connected with the plurality of rectifiers.

9. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 8,

the at least one anode includes a plurality of anodes corresponding to the number of the plurality of stop positions, and the plurality of anodes are respectively connected to the plurality of rectifiers.