CN117535771A - Vertical electroplating device and electroplating process thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a vertical electroplating device and an electroplating process thereof, comprising the following steps: plating bath, movable frame, suspension head, follow-up rod and guide rail. The electroplating bath is used for containing electrolyte or electroplating solution; the movable frame is connected with the driving mechanism; the suspension head is fixedly arranged on the movable frame, the size of the suspension head is smaller than that of a through hole arranged at one end of the lead frame, and the suspension head is provided with a contact electrode; the follow-up rod is fixed on the movable frame and is positioned at one side far away from the suspension head; the position of the guide rail is matched with the moving track of the follow-up rod, the guide rail is uniformly provided with convex blocks, and the convex blocks are in a triangular structure. Through the suspension head that has contact electrode to electroplate lead frame vertical setting, can improve electroplating in-process contact electrode's density greatly, and then effectively promote the distribution homogeneity of the electric line of force in the plating bath, guarantee lead frame electroplate processing cladding material thickness's homogeneity.

Description

Vertical electroplating device and electroplating process thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of electroplating, in particular to a vertical electroplating device and an electroplating process thereof.

Background

Electroplating is a process of plating a thin layer of other metals or alloys on the surface of some metals by utilizing the electrolysis principle, and is a process of adhering a metal film on the surface of the metal or other material parts by utilizing the electrolysis, thereby playing roles of preventing oxidation (such as rust) of the metal, improving wear resistance, conductivity, reflectivity, corrosion resistance (such as copper sulfate) and attractive appearance. Electroplating is a process of depositing metal ions onto the surface of an object to form a thin layer having metallic properties. The method is a common surface treatment method and is widely applied to the fields of decoration, corrosion resistance, material performance improvement and the like.

During electroplating, plating metal or other insoluble materials are used as an anode, a workpiece to be plated is used as a cathode, and cations of the plating metal are reduced on the surface of the workpiece to be plated to form a plating layer. In order to eliminate the interference of other cations and make the plating layer uniform and firm, the plating solution containing the metal cations of the plating layer is used as the plating solution so as to keep the concentration of the metal cations of the plating layer unchanged. The purpose of electroplating is to plate a metal coating on a substrate, changing the surface properties or dimensions of the substrate. Electroplating can enhance corrosion resistance of metals (corrosion-resistant metals are mostly adopted as plating metals), increase hardness, prevent abrasion, improve conductivity, smoothness, heat resistance and attractive surface.

In the electroplating process of the lead frame, a horizontal electroplating device is commonly used, and a bearing structure is arranged to drive the lead frame to move and complete electroplating, however, the conventional electroplating device only can set electrode contact points at two ends of an electroplating bath, namely the inlet end and the outlet end of a workpiece, so that the distance between the workpiece and the electrode contact points in the electroplating process is different, the distribution of power lines in electrolyte in the electroplating bath is uneven, and the thickness of a plating layer on the surface of the workpiece is uneven.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problems solved by the invention are as follows:

in the existing electroplating device, the power lines are unevenly distributed in the electrolyte in the electroplating bath, so that uneven thickness of the plating layer on the surface of the workpiece is caused.

The aim of the invention can be achieved by the following technical scheme:

a vertical plating apparatus comprising:

a plating tank for containing an electrolyte or a plating solution;

the movable frame is connected with the driving mechanism;

the suspension head is fixedly arranged on the movable frame, the size of the suspension head is smaller than that of a through hole arranged at one end of the lead frame, and the suspension head is provided with a contact electrode;

the follow-up rod is fixed on the movable frame and is positioned at one side far away from the suspension head;

the position of the guide rail is matched with the moving track of the follow-up rod, the guide rail is uniformly provided with convex blocks, and the convex blocks are of a triangular structure.

As a further scheme of the invention: the one end that hangs the head and keep away from remove the frame sets up the anticreep head, the size of anticreep head is greater than hang the size of head, the size of anticreep head is less than the size of through-hole.

As a further scheme of the invention: the suspension head is of a hollowed-out frame structure.

As a further scheme of the invention: contact protrusions are uniformly distributed on the side face of the suspension head.

As a further scheme of the invention: the longitudinal section of the suspension head is semicircular.

As a further scheme of the invention: the movable frame comprises a transverse support and a vertical support, the vertical support is movably connected with the transverse support, the driving mechanism comprises a transverse moving assembly and a vertical moving assembly, the transverse moving assembly is in driving connection with the transverse support, and the vertical moving assembly is in driving connection with the vertical support.

As a further scheme of the invention: and a voltage sensor is arranged in the electroplating bath and is in communication connection with the controller.

An electroplating process of a vertical electroplating device, comprising the following steps:

preparation: before electroplating, preparing the object to be plated, including cleaning, degreasing, dedusting and derusting;

preparing an electrolyte: selecting a proper electrolyte solution, pouring the electrolyte solution into a plating bath of a vertical plating device, wherein the electrolyte solution contains cations of target plating metal;

and (3) installing a workpiece: fixing the object to be plated on a hanging head of a vertical electroplating device;

applying a current: placing a to-be-plated object into a plating bath, connecting a power supply system, taking a workpiece as a cathode, and introducing current into the electrolyte through an anode;

plating solution operation: the metal ions undergo a reduction reaction in the electrolyte, migrate to the surface of the cathode, and deposit on the surface of the workpiece to form a plating layer;

cleaning and treating: after the electroplating is completed, the workpiece is cleaned and treated to remove the residual electrolyte.

According to the vertical electroplating device and the electroplating process thereof, at least one of the following technical effects is achieved:

through the suspension head that has contact electrode to electroplate lead frame vertical setting, can improve electroplating in-process contact electrode's density greatly, and then effectively promote the distribution homogeneity of the electric line of force in the plating bath, guarantee lead frame electroplate processing cladding material thickness's homogeneity.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The foregoing and/or additional aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and may be better understood from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the side view of the guide rail of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the configuration of the suspension head of the present invention mated with a lead frame;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of the structure of the traverse assembly of the present invention.

In the figure: 1. a moving rack; 2. a driving mechanism; 3. a suspension head; 4. a follower lever; 5. a guide rail; 6. a bump; 7. an anti-head release; 8. a transverse bracket; 9. and (5) erecting a bracket.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that references to orientation descriptions such as upper, lower, front, rear, left, right, etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, are merely for convenience of description of the present invention and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, a number means one or more, a number means two or more, and greater than, less than, exceeding, etc. are understood to not include the present number, and above, below, within, etc. are understood to include the present number. The description of the first and second is for the purpose of distinguishing between technical features only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated or implicitly indicating the precedence of the technical features indicated.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the present invention is a vertical plating apparatus comprising: plating bath, movable frame 1, suspension head 3, follower rod 4, guide rail 5. The electroplating bath is used for containing electrolyte or electroplating solution; the movable frame 1 is connected with a driving mechanism 2; the suspension head 3 is fixedly arranged on the movable frame 1, the size of the suspension head 3 is smaller than that of a through hole arranged at one end of the lead frame, and a contact electrode is arranged on the suspension head 3; the follower rod 4 is fixed on the movable frame 1, and the follower rod 4 is positioned at one side far away from the suspension head 3; the position of the guide rail 5 is matched with the moving track of the follower rod 4, the guide rail 5 is uniformly provided with the convex blocks 6, and the convex blocks 6 are in a triangular structure.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the plating tank is configured to hold an electrolyte or a plating solution; the length of plating bath has five six meters, in current device, and the plating bath is separated into a plurality of length 1.5 meters about little space, influences the continuity of electroplating, in this application, through setting up a plurality of electrode contact points, has guaranteed the homogeneity that the power line distributes, need not to separate the plating bath, has guaranteed the continuity of electroplating, improves electroplating efficiency.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the moving frame 1 is connected to a driving mechanism 2, the moving frame 1 may include a transverse frame 8 and a vertical frame 9, the vertical frame 9 is movably connected to the transverse frame 8, the driving mechanism 2 includes a transverse moving assembly and a vertical moving assembly, the transverse moving assembly is drivingly connected to the transverse frame 8, and the vertical moving assembly is drivingly connected to the vertical frame 9. The vertical moving assembly is used for driving the vertical support 9 to move up and down so as to immerse and separate a workpiece from the electroplating bath, and the vertical moving assembly can adopt a hydraulic cylinder structure or other structures. The transverse moving assembly can adopt a conveying chain or a conveying belt structure, is used for driving the transverse support 8 to move around in a ring shape, and a supporting track structure can be arranged below the conveying chain for supporting.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the driving mechanism 2 is configured to drive the moving frame 1 to move, where the movement includes, but is not limited to, lateral movement and longitudinal movement, and the driving of the driving mechanism 2 is used to enable the moving frame 1 to drive the workpiece thereon to enter and leave the electroplating bath, so as to complete the electroplating action; the suspension head 3 is fixedly arranged on the movable frame 1, the size of the suspension head 3 is smaller than that of a through hole arranged at one end of the lead frame, and a contact electrode is arranged on the suspension head 3; when in use, the lead frame is hung on the hanging head 3, and the lead frame is driven to move by the moving frame 1. Because be provided with contact electrode on the suspension head 3, its and the lead frame between the distance fixed, simultaneously, can be separated by a short distance just set up a set of removal frame 1 that has contact electrode to effectively guarantee the density and the homogeneity of electric power line in the plating bath, and then guarantee the homogeneity of cladding material thickness, the through-hole is located the one end of lead frame (with the connected region of lead wire, the setting region of part is different, does not influence the performance in above-mentioned region), also can be used to as the mounting hole during the use, the thickness quality of the cladding material of through-hole internal diameter does not influence the service condition of whole lead frame.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the follower rod 4 is fixed on the movable frame 1, and the follower rod 4 is located at a side away from the suspension head 3; i.e. the follower rod 4 and the suspension head 3 are respectively positioned at two sides of the movable frame 1. The position of the guide rail 5 is matched with the moving track of the follower rod 4, the guide rail 5 is uniformly provided with the convex blocks 6, and the convex blocks 6 are in a triangular structure. In the process that the moving frame 1 drives the lead frame to move and electroplate, the follower rod 4 is positioned on the guide rail 5, moves along the top surface of the guide rail 5, ascends and climbs along the push block until the highest point when the follower rod 4 moves to the position of the convex block 6, then the follower rod 4 and the moving frame 1 fall down, the lead frame hung on the hanging head 3 also falls down after a certain time due to inertia lag, and during the period, the hanging head 3 is separated from the lead frame temporarily, so that electrolyte is filled at the inner diameter position of the through hole (a gap between the lead frame and the hanging head 3), and a plating layer can be formed at the inner diameter of the through hole. Meanwhile, the process can cause a certain degree of vibration of the lead frame, so that the distribution uniformity of electrolyte and power lines is improved, the uniformity reduction caused by consumption of metal ions on the periphery of the lead frame is avoided, and the influence of a part of gravity on the uniformity of the thickness of a plating layer of the lead frame is counteracted. Furthermore, the suspension head 3 may be a hollow frame structure. To reduce the resistance to its descent. Contact protrusions are uniformly distributed on the side face of the suspension head 3. By arranging the contact protrusions to contact with the inner diameter of the through hole of the lead frame, the contact area is reduced, and the coverage area of the electroplating coating on the inner diameter of the through hole is ensured.

Referring to fig. 1-5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the size of the suspension head 3 is smaller than the size of the through hole, further, the suspension head 3 may be configured as a half-body structure, such as a semi-circular longitudinal section of the suspension head 3, and the top surface of the suspension head 3 may be provided with a bump 6 or a groove for defining the position of the lead frame on the suspension head 3 to some extent. The end that hangs the head 3 and keep away from remove frame 1 sets up anticreep head 7, the size of anticreep head 7 is greater than hang the size of head 3, the size of anticreep head 7 is less than the size of through-hole. The provision of the anti-drop head 7 prevents the lead frame from dropping off due to shake or the like during the movement of the moving frame 1.

The electroplating bath is characterized in that a voltage sensor is arranged in the electroplating bath and is in communication connection with the controller, the voltage sensor detects the condition of the voltage in the electrolyte in the electroplating bath and transmits detection data to the controller, the controller can generate a voltage fluctuation curve according to the data, then judge whether the distribution of the power lines in the electroplating bath is uniform or not according to the fluctuation condition of the voltage, and send out a signal when the distribution of the power lines is non-uniform, so that staff can take countermeasures in time.

The method for detecting whether the power line in the electroplating bath is uniform through the voltage comprises the following steps:

collecting voltage fluctuation data: continuously monitoring and recording the voltage in the electroplating bath by using a proper voltage monitoring instrument or a sensor; such data may include information on instantaneous values, frequencies, waveforms, etc. of the voltages;

analyzing the voltage fluctuation data: analyzing the collected voltage fluctuation data, mainly focusing on the aspects of voltage stability, frequency deviation, waveform distortion and the like; these indicators may reflect the uniformity and stability of the voltage on the power line.

Judging the uniformity of the power line: based on the analysis result of the voltage fluctuation, various indexes are comprehensively considered, and the uniformity of the power line can be primarily judged; for example, conditions such as large frequency deviation, serious waveform distortion, or poor voltage stability may indicate uneven distribution of the power line; a reference value or a reference range can be preset in the control, and the controller can judge whether the voltage meets the process requirement by comparing the range of the data acquired by the voltage sensor with the reference value.

Comparison and verification: comparing and verifying the obtained fluctuation analysis result with the power line design or working requirements; and judging whether the fluctuation data meets the requirements according to the related standards and specifications, and further confirming the uniformity of the power line. The method has the advantages that the method sends out signals under the condition that the distribution of the power lines is uneven, so that workers can timely take measures, and the phenomenon that the plating thickness of a large number of products is uneven and defective products are caused due to the uneven distribution of the power lines for a long time is avoided.

The invention also provides an electroplating process of the vertical electroplating device, which comprises the following steps:

preparation: before electroplating, preparation work needs to be carried out on the object to be plated, including operations such as cleaning, degreasing, dedusting, derusting and the like, so as to ensure smooth surface and good combination with a metal layer;

preparing an electrolyte: selecting proper electrolyte solution, pouring the corresponding electrolyte solution into a groove of a vertical electroplating device, and using different metal salt solutions or alloy solutions according to different requirements; the electrolyte contains cations of corresponding metals so that the cations are reduced into metals to be deposited on the surface of the workpiece after the current passes through the electrolyte;

and (3) installing a workpiece: fixing the object to be plated on a hanging head 3 of the vertical plating device; the articles to be plated are fixed to the cathode of a vertical plating apparatus, the cathode being generally made of steel or other material having good electrical conductivity

Applying a current: placing a to-be-plated object into a plating bath, wherein the plating bath is usually a container, electrolyte is filled in the plating bath, direct current is provided through an external power supply or a current source so as to establish current between a positive anode and a negative cathode, a power supply system is connected, a workpiece is used as a cathode, and current is introduced into the electrolyte through the anode;

plating solution operation: as a result of the passage of the current, the metal ions undergo a reduction reaction in the electrolyte, migrate to the cathode surface, and deposit on the workpiece surface. Thus, a metal plating layer of uniform thickness is formed; the thickness and properties of the desired metal deposit can be controlled according to current density, electrolyte temperature, time, and other parameters.

Control parameters: in the whole process, the parameters such as current density, temperature, plating time and the like need to be carefully controlled. Control of these parameters can affect the quality, uniformity and thickness of the coating.

Cleaning and treating: after the electroplating is completed, the object to be plated needs to be cleaned and treated to remove residual electrolyte and other pollutants and to increase the brightness and quality of the plating layer.

The foregoing describes one embodiment of the present invention in detail, but the description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All such equivalent changes and modifications as come within the scope of the following claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (8)

1. A vertical plating apparatus, comprising:

a plating tank for containing an electrolyte or a plating solution;

the movable frame (1), the said movable frame (1) is connected with driving mechanism (2);

the suspension head (3) is fixedly arranged on the movable frame (1), the size of the suspension head (3) is smaller than that of a through hole arranged at one end of the lead frame, and a contact electrode is arranged on the suspension head (3);

a follower rod (4), wherein the follower rod (4) is fixed on the movable frame (1), and the follower rod (4) is positioned at one side far away from the suspension head (3);

the guide rail (5), the position of guide rail (5) with follow-up lever (4) removal orbit matches, evenly be provided with lug (6) on guide rail (5), lug (6) are triangle-shaped structure.

2. A vertical plating device according to claim 1, characterized in that one end of the suspension head (3) away from the movable frame (1) is provided with an anti-drop head (7), the size of the anti-drop head (7) is larger than the size of the suspension head (3), and the size of the anti-drop head (7) is smaller than the size of the through hole.

3. A vertical plating device according to claim 2, characterized in that the suspension head (3) is of hollow frame construction.

4. A vertical plating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the side surfaces of the suspension head (3) are uniformly provided with contact protrusions.

5. A vertical plating device according to claim 4, characterized in that the suspension head (3) has a semicircular longitudinal section.

6. A vertical plating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the movable frame (1) comprises a transverse frame (8) and a vertical frame (9), the vertical frame (9) is movably connected with the transverse frame (8), the driving mechanism (2) comprises a transverse moving assembly and a vertical moving assembly, the transverse moving assembly is in driving connection with the transverse frame (8), and the vertical moving assembly is in driving connection with the vertical frame (9).

7. The vertical plating apparatus of claim 1, wherein a voltage sensor is disposed within the plating tank, the voltage sensor being communicatively coupled to the controller.

8. A plating process based on the vertical plating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising the steps of:

preparation: before electroplating, preparing the object to be plated, including cleaning, degreasing, dedusting and derusting;

preparing an electrolyte: selecting a proper electrolyte solution, pouring the electrolyte solution into a plating bath of a vertical plating device, wherein the electrolyte solution contains cations of target plating metal;

and (3) installing a workpiece: fixing the object to be plated on a hanging head (3) of the vertical electroplating device;

applying a current: placing a to-be-plated object into a plating bath, connecting a power supply system, taking a workpiece as a cathode, and introducing current into the electrolyte through an anode;

plating solution operation: the metal ions undergo a reduction reaction in the electrolyte, migrate to the surface of the cathode, and deposit on the surface of the workpiece to form a plating layer;

cleaning and treating: after the electroplating is completed, the workpiece is cleaned and treated to remove the residual electrolyte.