JP2001192880A - Method for manufacturing parts for optical fiber connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily obtain a highly demanding central deflection accuracy of a hole, to eliminate the variation in sizes, to improve productivity and to drastically reduce the production cost over the entire part. SOLUTION: A holding jig holding a wire is turned while the holding jig is kept rotated in electroforming. Namely, the electroforming is executed while the wire is rotated in the method for manufacturing a ferrule by executing the electroforming using the wire of metal, plastic, etc., as a matrix and subjecting the electroformed ferrule to finishing after removing the wire.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector part, and more particularly, to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector.
By supporting an optical fiber with a diameter of mmφ through a cylindrical tube, the position of the cores at the center of the optical fiber is precisely aligned to achieve the connection, and consists of several parts. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a component generally called a ferrule, which is located at the center thereof and holds an optical fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a ferrule, which is one of the components for an optical fiber connector, has, for example, a shape as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), and is mainly made of zirconia ceramics. ing. FIG. 1A shows a single-core type ferrule 1 having a thickness of about 2 mmφ and a length of 8 mm.
A circular hole 2 having a diameter of about 0.127 mmφ is formed at the center of the column, and a two-core type is shown in FIG. 1 (b).

[0003] On the other hand, the present inventor has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-3753.
No. 72 proposes a metal ferrule made of metal such as nickel by electroforming using one or more wires of metal or plastic as a matrix, removing the wires and machining. are doing.

[0004] In this patent, for example, electroforming is carried out using a schematic device as shown in FIG. 2. However, in detail, in FIG. 2, the electroforming solution 3, the plus electrode 4, and the holding jig 5 are shown in FIG. 2. , Air stirring nozzle 6, spring 7, negative electrode 8,
The line 9 is constituted.

[0005] A positive electrode 4 in which nickel spheres are placed in a cylindrical titanium basket in a heated electroforming liquid 3 mainly containing nickel sulfamate or the like is arranged at four corners around a holding jig 5. A wire 9 such as a stainless steel wire is set around a holding jig 5 having a minus electrode 8 fixed in a state where the wire 9 is pulled by a spring 7. A method of flowing and electroforming has been proposed, but has the following problems.

[0006] Uneven thickness often occurs in the electroformed portion due to variations in the electrical conductivity of the contacts of the plus electrode 4 arranged at the four corners and the like due to the partial clogging of the nickel sphere of the plus electrode 4. This caused the center runout of the hole.

Further, with the occurrence of uneven thickness of the electroformed portion,
Bending often occurs in electroformed products due to internal stress, which caused the center runout of the hole during subsequent machining.

In general, since the center deviation of the hole of the ferrule is required to be extremely strict accuracy of ± several microns,
The occurrence of the center runout of the hole has a serious problem, such as the need for troublesome centering in a later step, or the centering of the hole is too large to allow centering.

Normally, a single rectifier is used to produce current by passing current through about ten holding jigs 5. However, it is inevitable that there will be a difference in the electrical conductivity of each holding jig. The thickness of the electroformed product may vary greatly,
Also, because the electroformed product of the thinnest holding jig must be reduced to a predetermined thickness, there is electroforming time and waste of electroformed metal,
In some cases, the post-process machining is troublesome or troublesome.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above,
One or more wires, such as metal wires, are used as a matrix, and after electroforming, the wires are removed and then machined. The objective is to increase productivity and significantly reduce the cost of manufacturing electroformed ferrules by easily clearing the thickness, reducing variations in thickness, and significantly reducing the post-process machining work. .

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs a method of electroforming while rotating the wire 9 as shown in FIGS.

That is, FIG. 3 is an example of an electroforming apparatus according to the present invention and is a plan view showing a schematic configuration. An electroforming solution 3, a positive electrode 4, a holding jig 5, a negative electrode 8, an electroforming tank 10,
Chain gear drive motor 11, belt 12, holding jig rotation drive motor 13, chain gear 14, chain 1
5, the electroforming liquid 3 is put in the electroforming tank 10,
The mixture is heated, filtered, stirred, and a direct current is applied to the plus electrode 4 and the minus electrode 8 to drive the chain gear drive motor 11.
The rotation of the holding jig 5 is transmitted to the chain gear 14 by the belt 12, the holding jig 5 is rotated by the chain 15, and the holding jig 5 is rotated by the holding jig rotation drive motor 13 and the belt 12.

More specifically, the electroforming liquid 3 differs depending on the material of the target electroformed metal.
For example, nickel or its alloy, iron or its alloy, copper or its alloy, cobalt or its alloy, tungsten alloy,
Nickel sulfamate, nickel chloride, nickel sulfate, ferrous sulfamate, ferrous borofluoride, pyrophosphate, copper sulfate, copper borofluoride, copper fluorosilicate , An aqueous solution mainly containing an aqueous solution such as titanium copper fluoride, copper alkanol sulfonate, cobalt sulfate, sodium tungstate, or silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, boron carbide, zirconium oxide, silicon nitride, alumina, A liquid in which fine powder such as diamond is dispersed is used. Among these, a bath containing nickel sulfamate as a main component is particularly suitable in terms of ease of electroforming, variety of physical properties such as hardness, chemical stability, and ease of welding. Then, the electroforming solution is filtered at high speed with a filter having a filtration accuracy of about 0.1 to 5 μm, and is heated to control the temperature within an appropriate temperature range of about ± 3 ° C., and is sometimes treated with activated carbon to remove organic impurities. Was removed, and a nickel-plated iron corrugated plate was used as an anode, and carbon was used as a cathode.
It is desirable to remove a metal impurity such as copper by applying a current at a low current density of about dm ² .

The positive electrode 4 differs depending on the intended electroformed metal, and is selected from nickel, iron, copper, cobalt and the like, and a plate-like or spherical one is appropriately used. When a spherical material is used, it may be put in a titanium basket and covered with a polyester cloth bag. Although the positive electrode 4 is arranged along the outer wall of the electroforming tank 10, the position of the electrode is not limited to this position. For example, one or more electrodes may be provided near the center of the electroforming tank. It may be provided at a location.

The stirring can be performed by stirring with air, a propeller, an ultrasonic wave, a super-vibration, or the like. However, the stirring and revolving speed of the holding jig can be increased, and the stirring can be omitted by adding a pit preventing agent. It is possible.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing details of the vicinity of the holding jig 5 according to the present invention. The chain gear 14, the chain 15, the holding rod 16, the free rotating portion 17, and the gear 1 are shown.
8, belt 12, electric insulating part 19, negative electrode rod 2
0, a connecting portion 21, a holding jig 5, a spring 7, a wire 9, and a clip 22. The rotation of the chain gear 14 is transmitted to the chain 15, and the holding gear 16 is welded to the chain 15. The holding jig 5 is rotated and the free rotating portion 1 is rotated.
7, the belt 18 rotates by receiving the circumferential movement of the belt 12, and the holding jig 5 rotates by way of the electrical insulating portion 19 and the connecting portion 21. The holding jig 5 is The wire 9 is held in a stretched state, the electroforming liquid level 23 is set to the position as shown in FIG. Casting may be performed.

The rotation speed of the holding jig 5 in the present invention is about 0.2 to 10 rpm, and the rotation speed is 1
A range of about 0 to 500 rpm is appropriate, but is not particularly limited to this number, and those that do not rotate only by rotation are also within the scope of the present invention.

The wire 9 is made of a metal wire such as iron or an alloy thereof, aluminum or an alloy thereof, copper or an alloy thereof, a tungsten alloy, and a thin solder-plated metal wire, and a plastic such as nylon and polyester. Wires and ceramic wires such as glass are appropriately selected and used. Among them, in the case of a plastic or ceramic wire, electroless plating of nickel, silver, or the like is required to impart conductivity to the surface. The wire 9 requires high precision in thickness, roundness and linearity, and may be adjusted by extrusion using a die, or in the case of a metal wire or a plastic wire, by a drawing method or the like.

The electroforming is performed by the above-mentioned apparatus. The electroforming is performed by applying a direct current at a current density of about 4 to 8 A / dm ^{2 for} about 10 to 20 hours, and forming a rod-shaped electroforming at a current density of 1.0 to 1.0 A / dm ^2. ~ 2.
After growing to a thickness of about 5 mmφ, it is taken out of the electroforming tank, washed well with water, and dried.

Depending on the type of the wire 5 to be selected, it is determined whether the wire 9 at the center of the electroformed product is pulled out, extruded, or dissolved by a chemical. However, generally, the wire 9 is hardly dissolved by the chemical and has a high tensile strength. Objects use drawing or extrusion, and those that are readily soluble in chemicals use dissolution. For example, in the case of iron or an alloy thereof, the wire 5 may be subjected to mold release treatment, electroformed into a rod shape, and then pulled out. In the case of the above-described electroless-plated plastic wire, it may be pulled out in the same manner. Among these, stainless steel wire, which is an alloy of iron, is particularly desirable.
It could be pulled out to a length of about 50 to 100 mm in φ.

In the case of the wire 5 made of aluminum or its alloy, copper or its alloy, etc., it is easily dissolved in an acid or alkali aqueous solution. In particular, it is desirable that aluminum or its alloy is easily dissolved in a strong alkaline aqueous solution that hardly affects the electroformed metal. Specifically, about 10 to 30% w / v% of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is used. It can be easily dissolved and removed at about 100 ± 3 ° C. using an alkaline aqueous solution.

In the case of drawing, in the case of drawing, after the line 9 is drawn, finishing may be performed by NC machining, centerless processing, or the like. In the case of melting, after electroforming with a single rod, cutting to an approximate length, melting the wire 9 and confirming that the hole has penetrated, then NC
A method of finishing by machining or the like, or a method of melting the wire 9 after machining may be adopted.

[0023]

According to the method of the present invention, there is provided a ferrule manufacturing method in which one or a plurality of wires 9 such as metal wires are used for a matrix, and after electroforming, the wires are removed and then machined. And
Since the method of electroforming while rotating the wire 9 is employed, the center runout of the hole of the electroformed product is almost eliminated, and the variation in thickness can be reduced.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. A SUS304 wire having a perfect circular cross section of 0.127 mmφ is prepared, and a spring jig 5 is attached to a holding jig 5 for electroforming as shown in FIGS. After being set in a state where it was pulled strongly and washed with water, it was immersed in an aqueous solution of a mixed solution of Nikka Nontack A and B manufactured by Nippon Kagaku Sangyo Co., Ltd. for 10 minutes at room temperature, subjected to mold release treatment, and washed well with water. On the other hand, in an electroforming bath containing nickel sulfamate as a main component, a nickel plate was used as an anode, the electroforming bath was subjected to high-speed filtration with a filtration accuracy of 1 μm, and a bath heated to 50 ± 2 ° C. was prepared. Then, the holding jig 5 is connected to the electroforming device at the connecting portion 21 to set the peripheral rotation speed to 5 rpm and the rotation speed to 100 r.
pm, 4-6 A /
Electroforming was performed for 20 hours at a current density of about dm ² , and 22 rod-shaped nickel electroformed products having an average thickness of about 2.4 mmφ and a length of 250 mm were manufactured. The variation in the thickness of the product was within a range of ± 0.2 mm, and there was no bending. Next, grooves are inserted into the electroformed product at intervals of 40 mm, and the center line is pulled out from the groove portion by drawing,
Next, use an NC automatic processing machine, centerless processing machine, or the like.
It was processed to 00 mm and a length of 8.00 mm to obtain a finished product. The product manufactured in this manner was a product having no problem with no center runout of the hole.

[0025]

The present invention has the following effects by the method described above. One or more wires, such as metal wires, are used for the matrix, and after the electroforming, the method of removing the wires by using the method of electroforming while rotating is adopted. In order not to cause uneven thickness and bending,
The productivity can be improved because the center runout accuracy of the extremely severe hole of ± several microns can be easily cleared, and the variation in thickness can be reduced, and the labor for post-process machining can be significantly reduced. As a result, manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view and a side view of a ferrule according to a conventional method.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electroforming apparatus according to a conventional method.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of the electroforming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic configuration near a holding jig of the rotary electroforming apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ferrule 2 True circular hole 3 Electroforming liquid 4 Positive electrode 5 Holding jig 6 Air stirring nozzle 7 Spring 8 Negative electrode 9 Wire 10 Electroforming tank 11 Chain gear drive motor 12 Belt 13 Holding jig rotation motor 14 Chain Gear 15 Chain 16 Holding rod 17 Free rotating part 18 Gear 19 Electrical insulating part 20 Negative electrode rod 21 Connecting part 22 Clip 23 Electroforming liquid level

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for manufacturing a ferrule in which a wire 9 made of metal, plastic, or the like is used as a matrix, and the wire 9 is removed after electroforming, wherein the wire 9 is electroformed while rotating. Ferrule manufacturing method. 2. The ferrule manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the holding jig 5 is suspended in the electroforming tank 10 to rotate the wire 9 while rotating the wire 9. Method. 3. The method for producing a ferrule according to claim 1, wherein the holding jig 5 is suspended in the electroforming tank 10 to rotate the wire 9 during the rotation of the wire 9.