EP1899507A2

EP1899507A2 - Device for treatment of surfaces and planar objects

Info

Publication number: EP1899507A2
Application number: EP06754450A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Werner Andreas Maurer
Original assignee: Gebrueder Schmid GmbH and Co
Current assignee: Gebrueder Schmid GmbH and Co
Priority date: 2005-06-22
Filing date: 2006-06-20
Publication date: 2008-03-19
Also published as: CN101203632A; WO2006136362A2; JP2008544086A; DE102005030546A1; AT10276U1; KR20080039841A; WO2006136362A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a galvanising device (11) for circuit boards (16) with contact wheels (28) for electrical contacting provided at the boundary region (19). The contact wheels (28) only contact the underside (17) of the circuit board (16) in the boundary region (19). On the upper side (18) of the circuit board (16) only transport wheels (20) and counter-pressure wheels (31) to guarantee the electrical contact are provided. By the means of the exclusively underneath arrangement of contact wheels (28), copper shards or similar arising on coating the circuit board can easily fall away and be removed.

Description

Description Facility for the treatment of flat and flat objects

Field of application and state of the art

The invention relates to a device for the treatment of objects, in particular an electroplating device for printed circuit boards. These can pass through a treatment chamber on a passageway, for which means of transport are provided by a treatment medium, such as an electrolyte solution. Furthermore, contacting means for electrical contacting and power supply from a power supply to the objects are provided.

Task and solution

The invention has for its object to provide a device mentioned above, with the problems of the prior art can be avoided and in particular with less effort reliable contact and power supply to the objects to be treated can be ensured.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1. Advantageous and preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of further claims and are explained in more detail below. The wording of the claims is incorporated herein by express reference.

For the transport of the objects through the treatment chamber transport means are provided. With these objects run continuously or gradually through the treatment chamber. In the treatment chamber is a treatment medium, for example , ,

an electrolytic solution in a galvanizer. Furthermore, contact means for the electrical contacting of the objects are provided and there is a power supply from a corresponding power supply. The articles have two surfaces, for example a bottom and a top. According to the invention, the contacting means for the electrical contacting are provided on one side of the objects only on one surface, that is to say either only on the upper side or only on the lower side. There, the contact means abut the objects and establish the electrical contact and thus ensure the power supply. It is thus provided, for example, that on a left or a right side of the objects the contacting means are provided only on one surface or not on both sides opposite each other, in particular only on the underside.

Thus, according to the invention, in departure from the known state of the art, no double-sided electrical contacting is provided on the objects, but only a kind of one-sided electrical contacting. In the context of the invention has been shown that even with such a one-sided contacting, for example, in a galvanizer for printed circuit boards satisfactory results can be achieved. A power supply to the other surface of the objects takes place through existing on the circuit boards holes, vias or the like.

With the invention can be saved on the one hand mechanical effort in the Kontaktiermitteln, since only half the number of contacting is needed. Furthermore, the machine running times can be increased because fewer problems with the contacting can occur and thus less maintenance is necessary. The contacting means are advantageously designed revolving or rotating. Particularly advantageous they are wheel or roller-like. Embodiments of such contacting means are known, for example, from DE 103 23 660 A1 and EP 819 781 A1, to which reference is hereby expressly made.

For example, it may be provided that contacting means are provided in the passage direction on the left side and on the right side of the objects, but only on one surface of the objects. Preferably, they are arranged on the same surface of the objects or lie against it. Particularly preferably, the contacting means bear against a surface of the objects in such a way that precipitation, such as, for example, metal flakes, can be released and dropped by gravity in the case of an electroplating apparatus with metal coating which forms on this surface or on the contacting means. If the objects are transported essentially horizontally, an arrangement of the contacting means on the underside of the articles offers itself here.

Furthermore, it is advantageous for a good electrical contacting and power supply, when viewed in the direction of passage, a plurality of contacting means is provided and bears against the objects. For this purpose, for example, rows of successive contact wheels or the like may be provided.

For a good electrical contact can be advantageously provided that on the other surface of the objects, in particular exactly opposite, counter-pressure means are arranged. As a result, a good and steady contact of the contacting is guaranteed to the objects. These counter-pressure means are advantageously also rad- or roller-like as well as the contacting. By the , ,

Rad- or roller-type training, it is above all also possible that contact means and counter-pressure means do not grind on the surface of the objects along, but roll it. This prevents mechanical damage or the like. reliable. For this purpose, contacting means and counter-pressure means advantageously rotate at the same speed or at the same circumferential speed, so that a clean rolling takes place on the objects. Furthermore, the contacting means and / or the counterpressure means can be driven, in particular in coupling with the transport means. Alternatively, they can at least partially form or replace the means of transport or at least the task of the drive via means of transport, such as non-driven transport rollers or rollers.

The contacting means may be made of metal, preferably copper, as well as the contact surfaces coming into contact with the objects. The counter-pressure means may consist of non-conductive material. In particular, they are made of plastic or at least coated on their surface with plastic. Thus they are not electrically active. As a result, for example, no metal deposits on a metal coating with an electroplating device.

These and other features will become apparent from the claims and from the description and drawings, wherein the individual features each alone or more in the form of sub-combinations in an embodiment of the invention and in other fields be realized and advantageous and protectable Represent embodiments for which protection is claimed here. The subdivision of the application into individual sections as well as intermediate headings does not restrict the general validity of the statements made thereunder. Detailed description of an embodiment

In the single drawing figure 1 is shown schematically an electroplating device 11 with a treatment chamber 13, in which an electrolyte 14 is up to an upper liquid level. This electroplating device 11 corresponds to a conventional electroplating device, as described and illustrated, for example, in EP 819 781 A1, to which reference is hereby expressly made.

In the treatment chamber 13 or in the electrolyte 14 is a flat circuit board 16 with a bottom 17 and a top 18. It can be seen that the circuit board 16 is transported lying, with direction in the plane of drawing. Furthermore, it has a right edge region 19. Due to the truncated representation of the left edge region of the circuit board 16 is not shown. Essentially, however, the entire figure 1 is to be understood that on the left side, not shown, the mirror image training can be present on the right side.

The printed circuit board 16 rests on lower transport wheels 20, which are driven by a lower transport shaft 21 for transporting the printed circuit board through the treatment chamber 13. At the upper side 18 of the printed circuit board 16 are upper transport wheels 20 on an upper transport shaft 22. The transport shafts are each provided with a lower drive 24 and an upper drive 26 and thereby move the circuit board 16 through the treatment chamber 13.

At the lower transport shaft 21 is also a contact wheel 28, which has slightly protruding contact segments 29 in the central region. Contact wheel 28 and contact segments 29 advantageously consist essentially of copper. In particular, they can be designed , ,

as described in DE 103 23 660 A1 and / or EP 819 781, to which reference is expressly made in this regard. The contact wheel 28 and the contact segments 29 are located on the underside 17 of the circuit board 16, in the right edge region 19th

Opposite the contact wheel 28, at the top 18 of the circuit board 16, is a counter-pressure wheel 31 having a slightly raised central tread 32. Similar to an opposing contact wheel in the prior art, the counter pressure wheel 31 provides good contact wheel 28 engagement with the circuit board However, the counterpressure wheel 31 is for example made of plastic or is in any case not electrically conductive and does not serve to supply power to the circuit board 16. Thus, at least in this edge region 19 of the circuit board 16, the lower contact wheel 28 is the only one Contacting the printed circuit board 16. In particular 16 contact wheels similar to the contact wheel 28 are provided along the entire right side of the circuit board 16 exclusively on the underside 17 of the circuit board. At a left side of the printed circuit board 16, not shown, 17 similar further contact wheels may also be provided on the bottom.

For electrical contacting, the lower contact wheel 28 is connected to an electrical connection 25 to a lower voltage source 34 and an upper voltage source 35. These voltage sources 34 and 35 are further connected to their positive pole with anodes 37, which are provided above and below the circuit board 16, advantageously numerous and as transverse rods or the like .. About contact wheel 28 and the anodes 37 via the electrolyte 14 of For a galvanization necessary power generated on the surfaces of the circuit board 16. , ,

As explained above, a direct electrical contact with the underside 17 of the printed circuit board 16 is generated by the contact wheel 28 during operation of the electroplating device 11 in all cases. As a result, for example, a copper coating in any case, starting with the bottom 17 of the circuit board 16. About existing on the circuit board 16 holes, openings or the like. A copper layer and thus an electrical contact to the top 18 of the circuit board 16 is formed. Thus, this top 18 is also electrically contacted and also coated with copper.

Thus, it is thus apparent that an electrical contact via the contact wheel 28 to the underside 17 of the circuit board 16 is sufficient for their double-sided electroplating or coating, that is also for the not directly contacted top 18. Insofern can compared to known electroplating on half of the contacting, in particular, the contact means lying on top of the printed circuit board are dispensed with.

Furthermore, a contact wheel can be made simpler if the aforementioned copper bauble is easily removable. In particular, then a training of copper or copper surfaces. Otherwise usual expensive platinum coatings can be omitted, which can reduce the production costs and above all the production costs.

Another advantage of the invention is that, for example, in the case of an aforementioned copper coating, so-called copper flakes, which precipitate out of the electrolyte, accumulate on the contact wheel or a corresponding contacting agent. In a voltage applied to the bottom of a circuit board contact wheel, however, this bauble can be easily solved and removed by simply falling down. at , ,

an overhead contact wheel of a known electroplating device is often the problem that such a flicker just can not fall down and thus accumulate in large quantities or may be pressed by an overhead contact wheel or overhead transport wheels on the circuit board or soiling or Damage caused. This existing especially with overhead contact wheels problems can be avoided with the invention. Previous solutions with a flushing of such copper baubles are considerably more expensive and can be saved.

Claims

, .Patentansprüche

1. A device for the treatment of flat and flat objects on a passage path (20) through a treatment chamber (13), in particular electroplating device (11) for printed circuit boards (16), with transport means (20, 21, 22) for the transport of the objects through the Treatment chamber having a treatment medium such as an electrolyte solution (14), and with contacting means (28, 29) for electrical contacting and power supply from a power supply (34, 35) to the objects, characterized in that only on one of the two surfaces (17 , 18) or sides of the objects (16) Kontaktiermittel are arranged and abut there against the objects and contact them electrically.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the contacting means (28, 29) are formed circumferentially or rotationally, wherein they are preferably wheel or roller-like.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that contacting means (28, 29) on the left side and on the right side (19) of the articles (16) are provided in the direction of passage, preferably wherein the contacting means on both sides the surface are respectively provided only on the upper side (18) or respectively only on the lower side (17), in particular only on the underside.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of contacting means (28, 29) is arranged one behind the other, preferably along a large part of the length of the treatment chamber (13).

, ,

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contacting means (28, 29) opposite one another on the respective other flat side of the objects (16), in particular exactly opposite, counter-pressure means (31, 32) are arranged, preferably the counter-pressure means are also formed wheel or roller-like.

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the counter-pressure means (31, 32) consist of electrically non-conductive material, in particular of plastic.

7. Device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that both the contacting means (28, 29) and the counter-pressure means (31, 32) are driven at the same peripheral speed.

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contacting means (28) consist of copper and on the objects (16) adjacent contact surfaces (29) of the contacting also consist of copper.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the objects (16) lying on the conveyor track (20) are transported and contacted.