JP2012026018A - Surface treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface treatment apparatus improving smoothness in moving a transportation hanger.SOLUTION: A guide rail includes a first rail part, a second rail part, and movable rail parts 14, 17. The first rail part is in a shape of a straight line arranged along an array of a part of a plurality of processing parts, and the second rail part is in a shape of a straight line arranged along an array of the rest of the plurality of processing parts. The movable rail parts 14, 17 have a linear shape and can take a first position adjacent to a downstream side end in a carrying direction R of the first rail part to be in line with the first rail part, and a second position adjacent to an upstream side end in the carrying direction R of the second rail part to be in line with the second rail part. The movable rail parts 14, 17 are moved by a rotation carrying mechanism 23 along an arc orbit around a rotary shaft between the first position and the second position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus for performing a surface treatment such as electroplating on an object to be treated.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a surface treatment apparatus for performing electroplating on an object to be processed such as a printed board is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The surface treatment apparatus includes a plurality of treatment tanks for performing various treatments such as pretreatment, plating treatment, and washing on the treatment object, a plurality of conveyance hangers for holding the treatment object, and each conveyance hanger. Are provided with a plurality of rails for sequentially guiding the container to the plurality of treatment tanks, and a transport mechanism for transporting the transport hanger along each rail.

  Usually, the surface treatment apparatus has a structure in which the plurality of rails are continuously arranged in an annular shape so that each transportation hanger makes one turn and returns to the start position in order to repeatedly use the plurality of transportation hangers. It has. Further, in order to save space in the region where the plurality of rails and the plurality of treatment tanks are disposed, the rails are formed in two linear shapes extending substantially parallel to each other so as to have an elongated ring shape in a plan view. A region and a pair of arc-shaped regions connecting the two linear regions at both ends of these regions are provided (FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1).

  The transport hanger includes, for example, a plurality of clampers that hold an object to be processed, and a traveling unit main body that engages with the rail. Since this transport hanger needs to travel stably without wobbling when moving along the rail or when the rail is raised or lowered, the clearance between the engaging portion of the traveling portion main body and the rail is designed to be somewhat small. ing.

Japanese Patent No. 3753953

  However, in the surface treatment apparatus in which the linear rail and the arc-shaped rail are mixed as described above, when the transport hanger travels along the arc-shaped rail, when traveling along the linear rail, In comparison, there is a difference in the engagement state of the engagement portion between the traveling unit main body and the rail. That is, when the transport hanger travels on the arc-shaped rail, the portion that rubs against the traveling body tends to be larger than when the transport hanger travels on the linear rail. May decrease.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a surface treatment apparatus capable of improving the smoothness of a transport hanger during movement.

  The surface treatment apparatus of the present invention is for performing a surface treatment on an object to be treated. In order to perform a plurality of processes in a stepwise manner on the object to be processed, the surface treatment apparatus follows a plurality of processing units arranged in the order of the plurality of processes and the arrangement of the plurality of processing units. A guide rail disposed, a transport hanger capable of holding the object to be processed and movable in the transport direction along the array of the plurality of processing units in a state of being engaged with the guide rail, A transport mechanism for moving the transport hanger in the transport direction. The guide rail is arranged along a linear first rail portion arranged along a partial arrangement of the plurality of processing units and another partial arrangement of the plurality of processing units. A linear second rail portion, and a linear shape, and linearly aligned with the first rail portion adjacent to the downstream end of the first rail portion in the transport direction. A movable rail portion that can take a second position adjacent to the first position and an end portion of the second rail portion on the upstream side in the transport direction and linearly aligned with the second rail portion. The conveyance mechanism includes a rotation conveyance mechanism for moving the movable rail portion along an arc orbit around a rotation axis between the first position and the second position.

  In this configuration, the rotational conveyance mechanism can move the movable rail portion along the circular arc track between the first position and the second position. The movable rail portion has a linear shape, and is arranged in a straight line with the first rail portion adjacent to the downstream end of the first rail portion at the first position, and at the second position. Are arranged in a straight line adjacent to the upstream end of the second rail portion. Therefore, the transport hanger is a linear rail (that is, the first rail portion, the movable rail portion, and the like) until it moves from the downstream end portion of the first rail portion to the upstream end portion of the second rail portion. It can move along the second rail part). As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of friction as when the transport hanger travels along the arc-shaped guide rail in the conventional surface treatment apparatus, thereby improving the smoothness during movement of the transport hanger. it can.

  Further, the surface treatment apparatus fixes the transport hanger to the movable rail portion when moving the movable rail portion along the circular arc track, and the transport hanger is moved from the movable rail portion to the first rail. It is preferable to further include a hanger fixing mechanism that releases the fixing when moving to the two-rail portion.

  When the movable rail portion moves along the circular arc track, a centrifugal force or the like acts on the conveyance hanger, so that the conveyance hanger may be shaken, but in this configuration, the movement along the circular arc track Sometimes, the transport hanger can be stably moved by fixing the transport hanger to the movable rail portion by the hanger fixing mechanism. In addition, after the movement, the fixation can be released in order to move the transport hanger from the movable rail portion to the second rail portion.

  The surface treatment apparatus may further include a sensor capable of detecting the position of the movable rail portion in order to stop the movable rail portion moving along the arcuate track at a predetermined stop position. preferable.

  In this configuration, since the sensor is provided, the position accuracy for stopping the movable rail portion at the stop position can be improved.

  Further, the sensor detects a stop sensor for detecting the stop position of the movable rail portion, and detects that the movable rail portion has reached a predetermined position on the upstream side of the stop position. And a deceleration sensor for decelerating the moving speed of the part.

  In this configuration, before the movable rail portion is stopped at the stop position, it is detected by the deceleration sensor that the movable rail portion has reached the predetermined position upstream of the stop position, and the movable rail portion Before the stop position is reached, the moving speed of the movable rail portion can be reduced in advance. Thereby, the position accuracy which stops the said movable rail part in the said stop position can further be improved.

  The transport mechanism further includes an intermittent transport mechanism for moving the transport hanger along the guide rail at predetermined pitches, and the intermittent transport mechanism is arranged in parallel with the guide rail, A side-by-side member extending substantially parallel to the guide rail, a pusher arranged on the side-by-side member for each pitch and fixed to the side-by-side member and capable of contacting the transport hanger, and one end of the side-by-side member It is preferable to have an arm fixed to the member and a motor having a rotation shaft to which the other end of the arm is fixed.

  In this configuration, the transport hanger can be accurately moved for each pitch along the guide rail in conjunction with the driving of the motor.

  The surface treatment apparatus preferably further includes a rail shock mechanism for applying a shock to the guide rail at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of processing units.

  In this configuration, as one of the plurality of processes, for example, when a process such as a water washing process or a draining process is performed, a shock is applied to the guide rail by the rail shock mechanism, and the transport hanger is passed through the guide rail. Can give vibration. Thereby, the processing effect of a water washing process or a draining process can be heightened.

  The surface treatment apparatus further includes a holding unit cleaning mechanism for cleaning a holding unit provided in the transport hanger to hold the workpiece, and the holding unit includes a pair of clamp levers and one A support shaft that rotatably connects the clamp lever to the other, and a biasing member that biases the pair of clamp levers in a direction in which the pair of clamp levers are in a closed state. And a pressing mechanism that is provided at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of processing units and is capable of pressing the one clamp lever in a direction in which the pair of clamp levers are opened. Is preferred.

  In this configuration, the holding unit can be opened by the pressing mechanism, so that the effect of cleaning the holding unit can be enhanced as compared with the case of cleaning in the closed state.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the smoothness during movement of the transport hanger.

1 is a side view showing a schematic structure of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a side view which shows the hanger for conveyance in the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is a VIA-VIA line sectional view of Drawing 3. (B) is the schematic of the cross section of the VIB-VIB line of (A), and has shown the positional relationship of a rail and a guide wheel. It is a side view which shows the intermittent conveyance mechanism in the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the VIII-VIII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. (A) is a top view which shows the structure of the movable rail part of the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and its periphery. (B) is the IXB-IXB sectional view taken on the line of (A). (C) is the top view to which the part enclosed with the circle of the dashed-two dotted line of (A) was expanded. (A) is the XA-XA sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 9 (B). FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. (A) is the XI-XI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. (B) is the XIB-XIB sectional view taken on the line of (A). It is the XII-XII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the movable rail part of the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its surrounding structure. It is a top view which shows the structure of the movable rail part of the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and its periphery. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the rail and guide wheel in the surface treatment apparatus as a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, a surface treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
(Overall structure of surface treatment equipment)
The surface treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used, for example, for electroplating. The electroplating apparatus 100 as the surface treatment apparatus sequentially conveys the transport hanger 21 from the position (a) to the position (z) in alphabetical order, and performs a plurality of operations and processes described later at each position. The electroplating can be continuously applied to the workpiece (workpiece) W.

  The electroplating apparatus 100 is a state in which a plurality of processing units 1 to 11 arranged in an annular shape, a guide rail including a plurality of rails arranged along the arrangement of these processing units 1 to 11, and a workpiece W are held. And a plurality of transport hangers 21 guided by the guide rail, and a transport mechanism for moving the transport hangers 21 along the guide rail. Each of these components is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The plurality of processing units 1 to 11 include a loader 1, processing tanks 2 to 7, an unloader 8, processing tanks 9 and 10, and an air blower 11.

  In the electroplating apparatus 100, the guide rails are continuously arranged in an annular shape so that each transport hanger 21 rotates once and returns to the start position. A plurality of processing tanks are arranged along the guide rails below the guide rails.

  In FIG. 2, positions (a) to (z) indicate positions for each pitch where the transport hanger 21 is disposed. Each workpiece W is attached to the transport hanger 21 by the loader 1 disposed at the position (a), and is predetermined in each processing tank described later disposed at each position from the position (b) to the position (s). After the above processing is performed, the unloader 8 disposed at the position (t) is detached from the transport hanger 21.

(Treatment tank)
The plurality of treatment tanks include a flush tank 2 at position (b), a pretreatment tank 3 at positions (c) to (f), a flush tank 4 at position (g), and positions (h) to (p). Plating tank 5, washing tank 6 at position (q), draining tank 7 at positions (r) to (s), peeling tank 9 at positions (u) to (w), and washing at position (x) And a tank 10. An air blower 11 is disposed at the position (z).

  A pretreatment liquid for pretreating the workpiece W is stored in the pretreatment tank 3. A plating solution for plating the workpiece W is stored in the plating tank 5. A stripping solution for stripping foreign matter such as plating attached to the transport hanger 21 is stored in the stripping tank 9.

  Washing water is stored in the washing tanks 2, 4, 6, and 10, respectively. In the water rinsing tank 2, foreign matters attached to the surfaces of the transport hanger 21 and the workpiece W are removed. In the washing tank 4, the pretreatment liquid adhering to the surfaces of the transport hanger 21 and the workpiece W is washed. In the water rinsing tank 6, the surface treatment liquid (plating liquid in the present embodiment) adhering to the surfaces of the transport hanger 21 and the workpiece W is washed. In the rinsing tank 10, the stripping solution adhering to the surface of the transport hanger 21 is washed.

  In the draining tank 7, the water adhering to the surfaces of the transport hanger 21 and the workpiece W washed in the washing tank 6 is removed. In this case, the water can be efficiently removed by spraying air on the surfaces of the transport hanger 21 and the workpiece W in the draining tank 7, for example. The air blower 11 blows air to the transport hanger 21 that has been washed in the water washing tank 10 to remove water adhering to the surface of the transport hanger 21.

(Guide rail)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the guide rail includes a first rail portion including a plurality of rails arranged in series along the A row and a second rail including a plurality of rails arranged in series along the B row. , A movable rail portion 14 including four rails 214 arranged along the arcuate track, and a movable rail unit 17 including four rails 217 arranged along the arcuate track.

  The first rail portion and the second rail portion are arranged to face each other substantially in parallel at a predetermined interval, and each extend linearly. The first rail portion is disposed along the positions (a) to (f) and the positions (u) to (z). The second rail portion is disposed along the positions (h) to (s).

  The first rail portion includes a peeling tank fixing rail 18, a peeling tank lifting rail 19, a load side fixing rail 20, a load side lifting rail 12, and a pretreatment tank fixing rail 13, which are in the transport direction R. Are arranged linearly in this order. The second rail portion includes a plating tank fixing rail 15 and an unloading lifting / lowering rail 16, and these are linearly arranged in this order along the transport direction R. Each rail extends in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The pretreatment tank fixing rail 13, the plating tank fixing rail 15, the peeling tank fixing rail 18, and the load side fixing rail 20 are fixed rails fixed at a position below a predetermined height. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1, only the fixed rail is depicted in FIG. 4.

  For example, the lower position where the pretreatment tank fixing rail 13 is arranged is such that the work W held on the transport hanger 21 can be immersed in the pretreatment liquid in the pretreatment tank 3 as shown in FIG. It is adjusted to the height. Similarly, the lower positions where the other fixed rails 15, 18, and 20 are arranged are adjusted to a height at which the work W or the transport hanger 21 can perform a predetermined process in each processing tank in each process. Yes. In this embodiment, all the fixed rails have substantially the same height.

  The load-side lift rail 12, the movable rail portion 14, the unload-side lift rail 16, the movable rail portion 17, and the peeling tank lift rail 19 are lift rails that can be lifted and lowered by a lift mechanism 31 described later. These elevating rails move up and down between the lower position and an upper position of a predetermined height.

  For example, the load side elevating rail 12 is substantially the same height as the pretreatment tank fixing rail 13 and the load side fixing rail 20 adjacent to each other in the transport direction R and the opposite direction at the lower position, and these are substantially in series. line up. Thereby, the load elevating rail 12 can deliver the transport hanger 21 between the fixed rails 13 and 20.

  On the other hand, at the upper position of the load side elevating rail 12, the lower end portion of the work W is higher than the upper end portion of the washing tub 2, and the transport hanger 21 is transported in the transport direction R as shown in FIG. The workpiece W is adjusted to such a height that it does not come into contact with the partition wall of the rinsing tank 2. Similarly, the upper positions of the other lifting rails 214, 217, 16, and 19 are adjusted to a height that does not come into contact with the corresponding processing tank during transportation. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower and upper positions of all the lifting rails are set to substantially the same height, and the lifting rails are integrally lifted and lowered by a lifting mechanism 31 described later.

  Each rail has a rectangular cross section whose height (vertical dimension) is longer than thickness (horizontal dimension) (see, for example, rail 15 in FIG. 6A), and as shown in FIG. It is a plate-shaped member extended in this. Each fixed rail is supported by a frame (not shown). Each lifting rail is supported by a lifting frame described later. Details of the movable rail portions 14 and 17 will be described later.

(Transport hanger)
5 is a side view showing the transport hanger 21, FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIA-VIA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIB-VIB in FIG. It is sectional drawing. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, 6B, the transport hanger 21 includes a traveling unit 107 that travels along each rail, a rectangular workpiece holding frame 109 that holds the workpiece W, A suspension member 108 that connects the workpiece holding frame 109 and the traveling unit 107 is included. Hereinafter, the transfer hanger 21 will be described by taking the state where it is suspended from the plating tank fixing rail 15 as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a chain belt 39 is juxtaposed along the plating tank fixing rail 15 inside the plating tank fixing rail 15 in the second rail portion of row B. The chain belt 39 is circularly wound around a pair of drive sprockets (not shown) and can be moved around by driving a motor (not shown). Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, a power supply rail 104 connected to the cathode side of a DC power supply (not shown) is provided in parallel along the plating tank fixing rail 15 outside the plating tank fixing rail 15. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the traveling unit 107 is supported by a traveling unit main body 113 slidably mounted on the upper end surface of the rail 15 and the upper end of the traveling unit main body 113. A sprocket gear 114 and a pair of upper guide wheels 115 aligned in the transport direction R are rotatably supported on the upper end portion of the traveling unit main body 113, and are rotatably supported on the lower end portion of the traveling unit main body 113, and the transport direction. A pair of lower guide wheels 116 arranged in a line R and a current collecting sliding contact 117 that contacts the power supply rail 104 from above are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the sprocket gear 114 is rotatably supported by a protruding portion 113a protruding from the upper portion of the traveling portion main body 113 via a support shaft 114a. The sprocket gear 114 is engaged with the chain belt 39 and provided with a one-way clutch capable of rotating only in the direction of arrow R1, and the rotation in the direction of arrow R2 is locked. That is, when the chain belt 39 moves in the direction of the arrow R (the conveyance direction R of the conveyance hanger 21), the rotation of the sprocket gear 114 is locked, so that the conveyance hanger 21 moves in the direction of the arrow R together with the chain belt 39. . On the other hand, when the transport hanger 21 is sent from the position (h) to the position (i) by the first positioning transport mechanism 24 and when it is sent from the position (o) to the position (p) by the take-in transport mechanism 26, the sprocket Since the gear 114 idles in the direction of the arrow R1, the transport hanger 21 is not interlocked with the chain belt 39.

  The current-collecting sliding contact 117 is supported so as to be rotatable around the rotation support shaft 118 and is urged downward around the rotation support shaft 118 by a spring 119 so that a constant pressure is applied to the upper surface of the power supply rail 104. In contact.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the rail 15 and the power supply rail 104 are arranged in parallel to each other and supported by a track base 105 having a C-shaped cross section via support members 103a and 103b, respectively. The track base 105 is supported by a frame (not shown).

  Chain guides 105a are respectively provided on the upper surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the track base 105, and the upper and lower portions of the chain belt 39 are respectively guided by the chain guides 105a. The sprocket gear 114 is engaged with the upper chain belt 39.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the upper guide wheel 115 is in contact with the upper end of the rail 15 from the inside of the rail 15. The lower guide wheel 116 is in contact with the lower end of the rail 15 from the outside of the rail 15. Thus, when the transport hanger 21 is transported in the transport direction R, the upper guide wheel 115 and the lower guide wheel 116 are in contact with the rail 15 while rotating, so that the transport hanger 21 is stably supported. And smoothly transported.

  The chain belt 39, the motor for rotating the chain belt 39, and the sprocket gear 114 constitute a plating tank side transport mechanism 25 in a transport mechanism described later (FIG. 3).

  The suspension member 108 extends outward in a substantially horizontal manner from the traveling unit main body 113 and has a front end portion bent and extends downward. A rotating support shaft 118 for the sliding contact 117 is supported on the sliding contact support plate 121 provided on the lower surface on the proximal end side of the suspension member 108. The upper end of the work holding frame 109 is connected to the lower end of the suspension member 108 that extends downward.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the work holding frame 109 is substantially parallel to the upper horizontal beam 131 at a position spaced apart from the upper horizontal beam 131 extending in the conveying direction R substantially horizontally. It has a vertically long rectangular shape including an extending lower horizontal bar 132 and a pair of vertical bars 133 and 133 that connect ends of the horizontal bars 131 and 132.

  The upper horizontal rail 131 and the pair of vertical rails 133 and 133 are formed of conductive metal (for example, copper, stainless steel, etc.). The lower horizontal bar 132 is made of a non-conductive material (for example, hard vinyl chloride resin (CVPC)).

  The upper side rail 131 is provided with three upper clampers (holding portions) 140 that hold the upper end portion of the workpiece W and supply power to the workpiece W at both end portions and the central portion thereof so as to protrude downward. . Each upper clamper 140 is electrically connected to the power supply sliding contact 117 via the upper horizontal rail 131.

  A pair of lower clampers (holding portions) 141 that hold the lower end portion of the work W and feed power are provided at both ends of the lower horizontal rail 132 so as to protrude upward. Each lower clamper 141 is electrically connected to the vertical rail 133 via a power feeding plate 149.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the upper clamper 140 has a pair of clamp levers 140a, a support shaft 140b that rotatably connects one clamp lever 140a to the other, and a pair of clamp levers 140a closed. And a spring 140c that urges the pair of clamp levers 140a in the direction of the state (clamped state). The inner clamp lever 140a is fixed to the upper horizontal rail 131. The outer clamp lever 140a rotates around the support shaft 140b when its upper end is pushed inward. Thereby, the lower end part of a pair of clamp lever 140a opens. The lower clamper 141 has the same configuration as that of the upper clamper 140 except that the vertical direction is opposite to that of the upper clamper 140, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

(Frame structure)
Next, in the electroplating apparatus 100, the structure of the flame | frame used as the foundation which supports the raising / lowering rail mentioned above and the conveyance mechanism mentioned later is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the electroplating apparatus 100 has a pair of guide columns 84 and guide columns 85. The guide pillars 84 and 85 are disposed between the first rail portion in the A row and the second rail portion in the B row. The guide column 84 is provided at a position on the movable rail portion 14 side, and the guide column 85 is provided at a position on the movable rail portion 17 side. These guide pillars 84 and 85 are steel pipes having a rectangular cross section, their lower ends are fixed to the ground, and extend upward in the vertical direction.

  An upper horizontal frame 90 extending between the upper end of the guide column 84 and the upper end of the guide column 85 is fixed. In addition, below the upper horizontal frame 90, a guide column 84 and a lifting frame that can move up and down along the guide column 85 are disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the elevating frame includes a lower horizontal frame 78a extending substantially horizontally along the first rail portion at a position on the first rail portion side, and the second rail at a position on the second rail portion side. And a lower horizontal frame 78b extending substantially horizontally along the portion. The lower horizontal frame 78a and the lower horizontal frame 78b are arranged substantially parallel to each other so as to face each other in the horizontal direction. The guide column 84 is sandwiched between the ends of the washing tub 4 and the guides are guided at the end of the unloader 8. It is arranged at a position sandwiching the column 85.

  A pair of extending portions 781 projecting substantially horizontally toward the rail 13 are fixed to the side surfaces of the lower horizontal frame 78a in the vicinity of the end on the washing tub 4 side. A pair of extending portions 782 projecting substantially horizontally toward the rail 19 are fixed to the side surface of the lower horizontal frame 78a near the end on the unloader 8 side. A pair of extending portions 783 protruding substantially horizontally toward the rail 12 are fixed to the side surface of the lower horizontal frame 78a between the extending portions 781 and 782.

  A pair of extending portions 784 that protrude substantially horizontally to the rail 15 side are fixed to the side surface of the lower horizontal frame 78b in the vicinity of the end portion on the flush tank 4 side. A pair of extending portions 785 projecting substantially horizontally toward the rail 16 are fixed to the side surfaces of the lower horizontal frame 78b near the end on the unloader 8 side.

  A frame 73 extending in the transport direction R along the rail 19 is fixed to the distal ends of the pair of extending portions 782. The rail 19 is fixed to and supported by the frame 73. A frame 81 extending in the transport direction R along the rail 12 is fixed to the distal ends of the pair of extending portions 783. The rail 12 is fixed to and supported by the frame 81. A frame 74 extending in the transport direction R along the rail 16 is fixed to the distal ends of the pair of extending portions 785. The rail 16 is fixed to and supported by the frame 74.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9A, one end of the frame 93a is fixed to the upper surface of the extending portion 782. The frame 93a extends from the one end portion to the unloader 8 side substantially in parallel with the lower horizontal frame 78a, bends to the second rail portion side at a position closer to the unloader 8 than the guide column 85, and is located in front of the rail 16. The bent portion is bent toward the extending portion 785 at the position, and the other end is fixed to the upper surface of the extending portion 785. As shown in FIG. 9B, a frame 93b having substantially the same shape as the frame 93a is disposed below the frame 93a. One end of the frame 93b is fixed to the lower surface of the extending portion 782, and the other end is fixed to the lower surface of the extending portion 785. The frames 93a and 93b are channel steel as shown in FIG.

  A pair of frames 94a extending to the unloader 8 side and arranged at a predetermined interval are fixed to the side surface of the frame 93a on the unloader 8 side. Between these frames 94a, an upper plate 96a bridged between them is fixed to each frame 94a. A pair of frames 94b extending to the unloader 8 side and arranged at a predetermined interval are fixed to the side surface of the frame 93b on the unloader 8 side. Between these frames 94b, a lower plate 96b is fixed to each frame 94b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the frame 91 a is fixed to the upper surface of the extending portion 781. The frame 91a extends from the one end portion to the flush tank 4 side substantially parallel to the lower horizontal frame 78a, bends to the second rail portion side at a position on the flush tank 4 side from the guide column 84, and is closer to the rail 15 than the rail 15. The bent portion is bent toward the extended portion 784 at the position, and the other end is fixed to the upper surface of the extended portion 784. Below the frame 91a, an unillustrated frame 91b having the same shape as the frame 91a is disposed. One end of the frame 91b is fixed to the lower surface of the extending portion 781, and the other end is fixed to the lower surface of the extending portion 784. The frames 91a and 91b are channel steel.

  A pair of frames 92a are fixed to the side surface of the frame 91a on the washing tub 4 side, extending to the rinsing tub 4 side and arranged at a predetermined interval. Between these frames 92a, an upper plate 96a is fixed to each frame 92a. A pair of unillustrated frames 92b extending to the washing tank 4 side and disposed at a predetermined interval are fixed to the side surface of the frame 91b on the washing tank 4 side. An unillustrated lower plate 96b spanned between these frames 92b is fixed to each frame 92b.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the guide column 85 is provided with a frame 86a so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the outer periphery of the guide column 85 excluding the portion on the unloader 8 side. As shown in FIG. 9B, a frame 86b having substantially the same shape as the frame 86a is disposed below the frame 86a. These frames 86a and 86b have a concave portion recessed toward the washing tub 4 and have a U-shape in plan view. The frame 86a is fixed to the upper surface of the end portion on the unloader 8 side of the lower horizontal frames 78a and 78b, and the frame 86b is fixed to the lower surface of the end portion on the unloader 8 side of the lower horizontal frames 78a and 78b. Yes.

  Three rollers 86c that contact the outer peripheral portion are attached to the recesses of the frames 86a and 86b at positions facing the outer peripheral portion of the guide column 85 (FIG. 9A). The guide column 84 is provided with a pair of frames 83 a and 83 b so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the outer periphery of the guide column 84 excluding a portion on the washing tank 4 side. These frames 83a and 83b have substantially the same structure as the above-mentioned frames 86a and 86b, and have three unillustrated rollers in their recesses.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, bearings 97a and 97b are fixed to the upper surfaces of the upper plate 96a and the lower plate 96b, respectively. These bearings 97a and 97b support the rotation shaft 95 in a rotatable manner. The rotating shaft 95 extends upward from the bearing 97 b and has a tip connected to the motor 98. The motor 98 is fixed to the upper surface of the frame 94a. When the motor 98 is driven, the rotation shaft 95 is rotated.

  On the side surface of the rotation shaft 95, four arms 99 extending radially in four directions are fixed at positions between the frame 94a and the frame 94b in the height direction. Each arm 99 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the adjacent arm 99 in plan view. A track base 105 is joined to the tip of each arm 99 with a bolt. A movable rail portion 17 is supported on the track base 105 via a support member 103a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the upper horizontal frame 90 is provided with motors 61 in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the guide column 85 and in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the guide column 84. For example, one end of a wire (not shown) is fixed to the rotation shaft of one motor 61, and the other end of the wire is fixed to the frame 86a. For example, one end of a wire (not shown) is fixed to the rotation shaft of the other motor 61, and the other end of the wire is fixed to the frame 83a. When both motors 61 are driven, the wire is wound up or pulled out. As a result, the frames 83a and 86a and other frames such as the frames 78a and 78b connected to them move up and down.

  The motor 61, the guide pillars 84 and 85, the frames 86a, 86b, 83a and 83b, and the wire constitute an elevating mechanism 31 of a transport mechanism which will be described later, and include a rotating shaft 95, bearings 97a and 97b, and a motor 98. The arm 99 constitutes a rotation conveyance mechanism 23 for moving the movable rail portions 14 and 17 along an arcuate path around the rotation axis 95.

(Transport mechanism)
The transport mechanism includes a load-side intermittent transport mechanism 22, the aforementioned rotational transport mechanism 23, a first positioning transport mechanism 24, the aforementioned plating tank-side transport mechanism 25, an intake transport mechanism 26, an unload-side intermittent transport mechanism 27, The second positioning and conveying mechanism 29 and the above-described lifting mechanism 31 are included.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the load-side intermittent transfer mechanism 22 moves the transport hanger 21 engaged with the pretreatment tank fixed rail 13 and the load-side fixed rail 20 fixed at the lower position one pitch at a time. Transport to R side.

  FIG. 7 is a side view showing the load-side intermittent transfer mechanism 22, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 7, illustration of a processing tank etc. is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the load-side intermittent transfer mechanism 22 supports a beam 221 as a side-by-side member, a guide rail 222, a pusher 223, a motor 224, a crank arm 225, and these members. A frame 227 and the like are included.

  The frame 227 includes a first frame 227a and a second frame 227b disposed on the inner side (right side in FIG. 8) than the first frame 227a. These frames 227a and 227b are fixed to the ground. The first frame 227a is disposed, for example, in the vicinity of the load side fixed rail 20, and supports the motor 224 and the crank arm 225. The second frame 227b is disposed, for example, at two locations in the vicinity of the end portion on the transport direction R side in the pretreatment tank fixed rail 13 and in the vicinity of the end portion on the opposite side of the transport direction R in the load side fixed rail 20.

  These second frames 227b support both ends of the guide rail 222, respectively. Specifically, a rail fixing frame 227c is joined to the upper end of each second frame 227b. One end of the guide rail 222 is fixed to one rail fixing frame 227c, and the other end of the guide rail 222 is fixed to the other rail fixing frame 227c.

  The guide rails 222 are disposed at two positions, a position corresponding to the pretreatment tank fixing rail 13 and a position corresponding to the load side fixing rail 20. It extends almost in parallel. Each guide rail 222 has a plurality of unillustrated rollers arranged along the upper surface thereof.

  The beam 221 is a quadrangular columnar rod-shaped member that extends over both the guide rails 222 and extends along the transport direction R in a state of being placed on the plurality of rollers of each guide rail 222. The beam 221 is movable on the plurality of rollers of the guide rail 222 in the transport direction R and the opposite direction.

  An upper end portion of the bracket 226 is fixed to a side surface on the inner side (right side in FIG. 8) of the beam 221. A lower end portion of the bracket 226 is connected to a distal end portion of a fourth arm 225d described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of support members 229 are fixed to the upper surface of the beam 221. A plurality of pusher support members 228 are fixed to each support member 229 in a state where a plurality of pusher support members 228 are arranged along the transport direction R at a predetermined interval. The predetermined interval corresponds to one pitch (distance between the return position P1 and the feed position P2) described later.

  As shown in FIG. 8, each pusher support member 228 extends outward from the side surface of the support member 229. The outer end portion of each pusher support member 228 extends to the vicinity of the upper side of the load-side fixed rail 20, and the pusher 223 is fixed to the side portion on the transport direction R side.

  Each pusher 223 has an upper end fixed to the pusher support member 228, extends in an oblique direction between the transport direction R and the lower side, and has a contact portion 223a at the lower end. The abutting portion 223 a of each pusher 223 can abut on the pusher abutting portion 113 b of the protruding portion 113 a in the traveling portion main body 113 of the transport hanger 21. The pusher contact portion 113b is a side surface of the protruding portion 113a on the side opposite to the transport direction R (FIGS. 5 and 7).

  The motor 224 is disposed below the rail 20, is placed on the upper part of the first frame 227a, and is fixed to the first frame 227a with a bolt or the like. A rotation shaft (not shown) of the motor 224 is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction R.

  The crank arm 225 includes a first arm 225a, a second arm 225b, a third arm 225c, and a fourth arm 225d. The base end of the first arm 225 a is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 224. The base end of the second arm 225b is rotatably connected to the tip of the first arm 225a. The base end portion of the third arm 225c is rotatably connected to the upper portion of the first frame 227a. The base end of the fourth arm 225d is rotatably connected to the tip of the third arm 225c, and the tip of the fourth arm 225d is rotatably connected to the lower end of the bracket 226.

  A distal end portion of the second arm 225b is rotatably connected to a portion between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion of the third arm 225c. Each of the arms 225a to 225d extends in a direction substantially parallel to a vertical plane including the transport direction R. A connecting shaft that connects the arms is oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction R.

  In the load-side intermittent transport mechanism 22 shown in FIG. 7, the operation when the bracket 226 is moved from the return position P1 to the feed position P2 and the beam 221 to which the bracket 226 is fixed is moved in the transport direction R is as follows. Street.

  When the motor 224 is driven and the rotation shaft rotates by a predetermined angle, the first arm 225a rotates by the same angle in the same direction. With this operation, the second arm 225b is pulled toward the motor 224 side. When the second arm 225b is drawn, the third arm 225c rotates from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 7 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line around the base end, and the fourth arm 225d is transported. The bracket 226 is horizontally moved to the feed position P2 by being pulled toward the direction R side.

  At this time, the plurality of pushers 223 move horizontally in the transport direction R by one pitch (the length from the return position P1 to the feed position P2) together with the beam 221 to which the bracket 226 is fixed. Each pusher 223 horizontally moves the corresponding transport hanger 21 in the transport direction R when moving in the transport direction R.

  The retracted position P3 illustrated in FIG. 7 is a position where the pusher 223 is retracted so as not to contact the lifting rail 12 when the load-side lifting rail 12 is lifted.

  The rotation angle of the motor 224 is controlled by a control unit (not shown). Thereby, the beam 221 can be stopped at any one of the three positions of the return position P1, the feed position P2, and the retracted position P3. In the load-side intermittent conveyance mechanism 22 of the present embodiment, since the motor 224 is installed near the ground, maintenance of each member such as the motor 224 and the crank arm 225 connected thereto is easy.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first positioning transport mechanism 24, the intake transport mechanism 26, and the second positioning transport mechanism 29 include one or a plurality of claws 33, a plate-like member 32 to which the claws 33 are fixed, Each has a transport mechanism main body 34 that moves the plate member 32 in the transport direction R and in the opposite direction. The transport mechanism main body 34 is moved by a motor (not shown). When the plate member 32 moves in the transport direction R, each claw 33 engages with the transport hanger 21 and pulls the transport hanger 21 in the transport direction R. On the other hand, when the plate-like member 32 moves in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction R, it does not engage with the conveyance hanger 21 and does not interlock with the conveyance hanger 21.

  The first positioning transport mechanism 24 is transported to the position (h) of the upstream end portion of the plating tank 5 by the load side rotational transport mechanism 23, and is transported to the plating tank 5 by the lifting mechanism 31 described later. (Not shown in FIGS. 2 to 4) is moved to the position (i) of the plating tank fixing rail 15, and the distance between the position of the plating tank 5 and the transport hanger 21 is set to a predetermined value. adjust.

  As described above, the plating tank-side transport mechanism 25 transports the transport hanger 21 transferred to the plating tank fixing rail 15 by the first positioning transport mechanism 24 in the transport direction R.

  The intake transport mechanism 26 is disposed above the downstream end of the plating tank 5. The take-in transport mechanism 26 transfers the transport hanger 21 transported to the position (o) by the plating tank transport mechanism 25 to the position (p) of the unloading lifting rail 16 disposed at the lower position. .

  1 and 2 show a state where the elevating rail is in the upper position. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the unload-side intermittent transport mechanism 27 includes a first beam 59a, a second beam 59b, a plurality of pushers 16, a pair of first guide rails 80a, a pair of second guide rails 80b, A drive rod 67, a swing rod 66, a first transmission rod 68a, a second transmission rod 68b, a cam 62, a motor 58, and the like are included.

  A pair of 1st guide rail 80a is each extended along these rails above the rail 19, the rail 20, and the rail 12 of the 1st rail parts of A row. These first guide rails 80a are arranged substantially parallel to each other at a predetermined interval so that the first beam 59a can be supported from both sides in the width direction. The upstream end of each first guide rail 80 a is located above the upstream end of the rail 19. The downstream end portion of each first guide rail 80 a is located above the downstream end portion of the rail 12. Each first guide rail 80a is supported by the upper horizontal frame 90 via a support member (not shown).

  The first beam 59a is slidably supported by the pair of first guide rails 80a on both sides in the width direction. The first beam 59a is shorter than the first guide rail 80a in the longitudinal direction by about one pitch. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 2, the upstream end of the first beam 59a is in the vicinity of the position (w), and the downstream end of the first beam 59a is in the vicinity of the position (c).

  The pair of second guide rails 80b extend along the rails above the unloading lift rails 16, respectively. These second guide rails 80b have the same structure as the first guide rail 80a, and can support the second beam 59b from both sides in the width direction. The upstream end of each second guide rail 80 b is located above the upstream end of the rail 16. The downstream end portion of each second guide rail 80 b is located above the movable rail portion 17. Each second guide rail 80b is supported by the upper horizontal frame 90 via a support member (not shown).

  The second beam 59b is slidably supported by the pair of second guide rails 80b at both sides in the width direction. The second beam 59b is shorter than the second guide rail 80b by about one pitch in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 2, the upstream end of the second beam 59b is in the vicinity of the position (p), and the downstream end of the second beam 59b is in the vicinity of the position (r).

  A plurality of pushers 16 are arranged on the lower surface of the first beam 59a with an interval of one pitch, and are fixed to the lower surface. Similarly, a plurality of pushers 16 are arranged on the lower surface of the second beam 59b with an interval of one pitch, and are fixed to the lower surface. Each pusher 16 has substantially the same structure as the pusher 223 shown in FIG.

  A first transmission rod 68a is disposed above the first beam 59a, and one end of the first transmission rod 68a is fixed to the first beam 59a by a shaft 607 so as to be rotatable with respect to the first beam 59a. Has been. A second transmission rod 68b is disposed above the second beam 59b, and one end of the second transmission rod 68b is connected to the second beam 59b by a shaft 608 so as to be rotatable with respect to the second beam 59b. Has been.

  One end of the swing bar 66 is disposed at the position on the first beam 59a side, and the other end is disposed at a position on the second beam 59b side. The one end of the swinging rod 66 is pivotally connected to the other end of the first transmission rod 68a by a shaft 604, and the other end is pivotable to the other end of the second transmission rod 68b by a shaft 606. It is connected.

  The motor 58 is placed on the upper surface of the upper horizontal frame 90. A shaft 601 extending downward is fixed to a rotation shaft (not shown) of the motor 58. A cam 62 is disposed below the shaft 601 and is fixed to a portion on one end side of the cam 62. One end of a drive rod 67 is rotatably connected to the cam 62 by a shaft 602 on the other end side of the cam 62. The other end of the drive rod 67 is rotatably connected to the swing rod 66 by a shaft 603 at a position on the other end side of the swing rod 66 (position between the shaft 605 and the shaft 606). .

  When the motor 58 is rotated by a predetermined angle, the cam 62 fixed to the shaft 601 is accordingly rotated about the shaft 601 by the same angle as the predetermined angle. For example, when the cam 62 rotates in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) from the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the drive rod 67 moves to the unloader 8 side and pushes the swing rod 66 to the unloader 8 side. The pushed swinging bar 66 rotates in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) about the shaft 605 connected to the upper horizontal frame 90, and accordingly, the first transmission bar 68a and the first transmission bar 68a are connected to this. The first beam 59a thus moved moves to the flush tank 4 side by a distance of 1 pitch, and the second transmission rod 68b and the second beam 59b connected thereto move to the unloader 8 side by a distance of 1 pitch. By moving the first beam 59a and the second beam 59b by one pitch, the pushers 16 fixed to the first beam 59a and the second beam 59b convey the corresponding conveyance hanger 21 by one pitch.

(Rail shock mechanism)
The electroplating apparatus 100 includes a rail shock mechanism 301. The rail shock mechanism 301 is disposed, for example, at a position (b), a position (d), a position (r), a position (z), etc., and by giving a shock to the rail, a water washing effect, a pretreatment effect, This is to enhance the draining effect. Hereinafter, the rail shock mechanism 301 provided at the position (d) will be described as an example. Since the rail shock mechanism 301 provided at another position has the same structure, the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the rail shock mechanism 301 includes a bracket 303, a cylinder 305, a rod 304, a shock applying rail 312, a pair of rail portions 306, and a pair of guide portions 302. And.

  The bracket 303 is fixed to the lower part of the frame 81 described above. The cylinder 305 has a cylindrical shape whose axial direction is in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the outer side surface of the bracket 303. The rod 304 is disposed inside the cylinder 305 and can be moved in the vertical direction with respect to the cylinder 305 by a motor (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the shock applying rail 312 is connected to the upper end of the rod 304. The shock applying rail 312 is arranged so as to connect the rail 13 and the rail 13 in a state independent of the rails 13 and 13 arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction R and the opposite direction. The shock imparting rail 312 has substantially the same thickness as the rails 13 on both sides, and is arranged in series with these rails 13 in plan view. On the upper surface of the shock applying rail 312, the traveling unit main body 113 of the transport hanger 21 is placed in the same manner as the other rails.

  The pair of rail portions 306 extend in the vertical direction, are provided at a position on the transport direction R side with respect to the cylinder 305 and a position on the opposite side thereof, and are respectively fixed to the inner side surfaces of the shock applying rail 312. Each guide portion 302 is engaged with the corresponding rail portion 306 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the outer side surface of the frame 81.

  FIG. 11A shows a state where the shock applying rail 312 is lifted upward by the rod 304. The control unit repeats the control that the rod 304 is lifted upward by the motor and then the rod 304 returns to the lower fixed position once or a plurality of times. As a result, the shock applying rail 312 can move up and down to give a shock to the transport hanger 21. Thereby, since a shock is transmitted also to the workpiece | work W immersed in the water in the washing tank 2 in a position (b), the dust etc. which adhered to the workpiece | work W can be dropped from the workpiece | work W, and the washing effect can be improved.

  Further, when the rail shock mechanism 301 is disposed at the position (d), the position (r), and the position (z), the following effects are obtained. That is, at the position (d), air in a through hole provided in a work W (for example, a printed board) immersed in a pretreatment liquid in the pretreatment tank 3 is discharged, and the pretreatment is also performed in the through hole. The effect of spreading the liquid can be enhanced. Further, at the position (r), water droplets adhering to the workpiece W can be dropped and the next unloading operation can be performed smoothly. Furthermore, at the position (z), it is possible to prevent water droplets attached to the transport hanger 21 from being dropped and the workpieces W from being contaminated by the water droplets adhering to the workpiece W in the subsequent loading operation.

(Flushing mechanism after peeling)
As shown in FIG. 12, the plating apparatus 100 includes a post-peeling water washing mechanism 401 as a holding part washing mechanism. This post-peeling water washing mechanism 401 is provided at the position (x), and is for enhancing the water washing effect of the clamper 140 of the transport hanger 21 in the water washing tank 10. The post-peeling rinsing mechanism 401 includes an outer pressing mechanism (pressing mechanism) that presses the clamper 140 from the outside and an inner pressing mechanism that presses the upper horizontal rail 131 from the inner side.

  The outer pressing mechanism includes a frame 410 disposed at a position outside the washing tub 10, a cylinder 402 fixed to the upper portion of the frame 410, and the inside of the cylinder 402 on the upper side rail 131 side or the opposite side thereof. A movable rod 403, a support member 404 having a through-hole through which the rod 403 passes, fixed to the upper part of the frame 410, a bracket 405 fixed to the tip of the rod 403, and a lower end of the bracket 405 A clamper opening plate 406 is fixed to the upper portion of the clamper 140 and opposed to the clamper 140 in the horizontal direction.

  The inner pressing mechanism moves to the frame 409 arranged at a position inside the washing tub 10, the cylinder 407 fixed to the upper portion of the frame 409, and the cylinder 407 to the upper side rail 131 side or the opposite side thereof. A possible rod 408, a through-hole through which the rod 408 passes, a support member 412 fixed to the upper edge of the washing tub 10, and a side surface on the inner side of the upper horizontal rail 131 fixed to the tip of the rod 408 And a hanger support plate 411 facing in the horizontal direction.

  When the transport hanger 21 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 31 and the lower end of the clamper 140 of the transport hanger 21 is immersed in water, the control unit drives a motor (not shown) to move the rod 408 to the upper side rail 131. The front end of the hanger support plate 411 is controlled to be brought into contact with the inner side surface of the upper horizontal rail 131. On the other hand, the control unit drives a motor (not shown) to push the rod 403 toward the upper side rail 131 and controls the upper portion of the outer clamp lever 140a of the clamper 140 to be pushed by the clamper release plate 406. . As a result, the outer clamp lever 140a rotates about the support shaft 140b, so that the lower ends of the pair of clamp levers 140a are opened. Thus, by opening the lower end portion of the clamper 140, it is possible to enhance the effect of cleaning the stripping solution adhering to the clamp portion at the lower end portion. In addition, in order to acquire the further washing | cleaning effect, air bubbling etc. can be used together in the washing tank 10, or the temperature of water can also be made high.

(Movable rail and rotating transport mechanism)
Next, the structure of the movable rail portions 14 and 17 and the operation of the movable rail portions 14 and 17 by the rotation conveyance mechanism 23 will be specifically described. In addition, the movable rail part 14 located in the flush tank 4 side and the movable rail part 17 located in the unloader 8 side are the same structures. Therefore, in the following, description will be given mainly by taking the movable rail portion 17 as an example, and the description of the same configuration as the movable rail portion 17 in the configuration of the movable rail portion 14 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the movable rail portion 17 includes four rails 217 arranged along an arcuate track. These rails 217 are respectively supported by the track bases 105 fixed to the respective ends of the four arms 99 radially extending from the rotation shaft 95 in a substantially horizontal direction via support members 103a. Each rail 217 has a linear shape.

  Each rail 217 has a first position aligned in a straight line with the rail 16 adjacent to the downstream end of the rail 16 in the transport direction R in the second rail portion of the B row, An upstream end of the first rail portion in the transport direction R, that is, a second position aligned with the rail 18 adjacent to the upstream end of the rail 18 can be taken. The rotation transport mechanism 23 can move each rail 217 along an arc track around the rotation axis 95 between the first position and the second position.

  Similarly, each rail 214 in the movable rail portion 14 located on the washing tub 4 side is adjacent to the downstream end portion in the transport direction R in the first rail portion in the A row, that is, the downstream end portion of the rail 13. The first position aligned linearly with the rail 13 and the upstream end of the second rail portion in the B row in the transport direction R, that is, adjacent to the upstream end of the rail 15, are aligned linearly with the rail 15. Two positions can be taken. The rotation conveyance mechanism 23 located on the washing tank 4 side can move each rail 214 along the circular arc track around the rotation axis 95 between the first position and the second position.

  Thus, since the electroplating apparatus 100 of this embodiment is a structure which rotates the movable rail part 14 and the movable rail part 17 around the axis | shaft of the rotating shaft 95, respectively, all the rails which comprise a guide rail are linearly arranged. The guide rail can be formed in an annular shape.

  Each rail 217 has a rectangular cross section whose height (vertical dimension) is longer than thickness (horizontal dimension), and the thickness and height are substantially the same as those of the other rails (see FIG. 9 (B)). Each rail 217 is designed such that the horizontal dimension is slightly larger than the traveling portion 107 of the transport hanger 21 and can stably support the transport hanger 21 (FIG. 9A).

  Further, both end portions of each rail 217 in the horizontal direction have inclined surfaces 17 a inclined with respect to the extending direction of the corresponding arm 99. The horizontal dimension of each rail 217 is larger on the inner side (rotating shaft 95 side) than on the outer side. Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, which is an enlarged view of a portion T surrounded by a two-dot chain line circle in FIG. 9A, the B rows of rails 16 in a position connected in series with the rails 217 are rails. An end surface adjacent to the inclined surface 17a of 217 has an inclined surface 16a substantially parallel to the inclined surface 17a of the rail 217. Similarly, the A-line rails 18 located in series with the rails 217 have inclined surfaces 18a substantially parallel to the inclined surfaces 17a of the rails 217 at the ends adjacent to the inclined surfaces 17a of the rails 217. .

  Compared with the case where the end portion of each rail 217 has an end surface parallel to the extending direction of the arm 99, the end portion of each rail 217 is the rail when the rail 217 rotates around the rotation shaft 95. It can suppress contacting with the edge part of 16 and the edge part of the rail 18. FIG. Thereby, the distance between the inclined surface 17a of the rail 217 and the inclined surface 16a and the inclined surface 18a adjacent to the inclined surface 17a can be reduced. Therefore, when the transfer hanger 21 is transferred from the rail 16 to the rail 217, The operation when changing to becomes smoother.

  In this embodiment, since the four rails 217 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the transport hanger 21 is transported by one pitch each time the rotation shaft 95 rotates horizontally by a predetermined angle (90 °). Can do. Specifically, the transport hanger 21 suspended from the rail 217 at the position (s) is transported to the position (t) when the rotation shaft 95 rotates horizontally by the predetermined angle, and at the same time, the position (t ), The transport hanger 21 suspended from the rail 217 is transported to the position (u).

  The rail 217 at the position (s) is released from the continuous state in series with the rail 16 and moved to the position (t) by the rotation operation for one pitch described above. At the same time, the rail 217T in the standby state, which is located upstream of the position (t) in the rotation direction, moves to the position (s) and continues in series with the rail 16 by the rotation operation for one pitch. It becomes a state. Further, at the same time, the rail 217 at the position (t) moves to the position (u) and continues in series with the rail 18 by the rotation operation for one pitch. As described above, in the present embodiment, the continuous state and the release thereof can be switched simultaneously and sequentially by a horizontal rotation operation for one pitch, so that there is an effect of shortening the conveyance time.

  Each transport hanger 21 is suspended from each rail 217 in the same manner as described with reference to FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B) taking the state suspended from the plating tank fixing rail 15 as an example. It is supported by the rail 217.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the rotation conveyance mechanism 23 has a hanger fixing mechanism 231. The hanger fixing mechanism 231 stably transports the transport hanger 21 by fixing the transport hanger 21 to the rail 217 when the rail 217 rotates while the transport hanger 21 is suspended. Is to do.

  The hanger fixing mechanism 231 includes a cylinder 232 fixed to the side surface of the arm 99, a rod 234 extending substantially horizontally from the cylinder 232 toward the rail 217, and a pressing plate 233 fixed to the tip of the rod 234. .

  The rod 234 can move back and forth in a horizontal direction substantially parallel to the arm 99 along the cylinder 232 by driving a motor (not shown), for example. Therefore, the holding plate 233 moves back and forth as the rod 234 moves back and forth. The front end portion of the pressing plate 233 has a substantially V shape in plan view. The two inner surfaces of the V-shaped recess come into contact with one upper guide wheel 115 of the transport hanger 21 when the pressing plate 233 moves forward.

  Therefore, after the transfer hanger 21 is transferred from the rail 16 to the rail 217, the holding plate 233 is advanced to bring the V-shaped concave portion into contact with the upper guide wheel 115. It is fixed with respect to the rail 217. On the other hand, when the transfer hanger 21 is transferred from the rail 217 to the rail 18, the holding plate 233 is moved backward to release the fixing of the transfer hanger 21.

  In this embodiment, the case where the presser plate 233 contacts the upper guide wheel 115 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the presser plate 233 contacts the sprocket gear 114, the protruding portion 113, and the like. A fixed structure may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the rotation transport mechanism 23 has a sensor 241. The sensor 241 is used to ensure the continuity with other adjacent rails by stopping each rail 217 at an accurate position when the movable rail portion 17 is rotated. The sensor 241 ensures the continuity between the rail 217 and the rail 16 and the continuity between the rail 217 and the rail 18, and can smoothly transport the transport hanger 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the sensor 241 includes a deceleration sensor 242 and a stop sensor 243. The deceleration sensor 242 and the stop sensor 243 are fixed to the upper surface of the frame 93b via a bracket 245. A dog (detection unit) 244 is fixed to the lower surface of the arm 99. The distance (radius) of the dog 244 from the rotation shaft 95 is substantially the same as the distance (radius) of the upper ends of the deceleration sensor 242 and the stop sensor 243 from the rotation shaft 95. The stop sensor 243 is disposed at a position facing the dog 244 in the vertical direction when each rail 217 is at a predetermined stop position (position shown in FIG. 9A).

  The deceleration sensor 242 is disposed at a position slightly upstream in the rotation direction R from the stop sensor 243. Accordingly, when the transporting hanger 21 is transported by one pitch by horizontally rotating the rotation shaft 95 by a predetermined angle (90 °), the dogs are first opened slightly before the rails 217 reach the next stop position. 244 reaches above the deceleration sensor 242. At this time, the deceleration sensor 242 detects that the dog 244 has reached the upper side, and the control unit (not shown) receiving this detection signal decelerates the rotational speed of the rotational shaft 95 to a predetermined value. Thus, the motor 98 is controlled.

  When the rotation shaft 95 further rotates in the rotation direction R at the reduced speed, the dog 244 reaches above the stop sensor 243. At this time, the stop sensor 243 detects that the dog 244 has reached the upper side, and the control unit that has received this detection signal controls the motor 98 to stop the rotation of the rotating shaft 95. Thereby, each rail 217 can be accurately stopped at a predetermined stop position.

(Operation)
Next, operation | movement of the electroplating apparatus 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated. In the electroplating apparatus 100, the following operations (1) to (7) are sequentially executed, and when the operation (7) is completed, the operations (1) to (7) are sequentially executed again from the operation (1). Is repeated.

  (1) The elevating rail is disposed at a lower position by the elevating mechanism 31.

  (2) At the same time as the loader 1 attaches the work W to the transport hanger 21 at the position (a), the unloader 8 removes the surface-treated work W from the transport hanger 21 at the position (t).

  (3) When the elevating mechanism 31 operates, the elevating rail rises to the upper position and is arranged in the state shown in FIG.

  (4) By operating both the rotation conveyance mechanisms 23, each movable rail part 14 and 17 rotates 90 degrees horizontally around the rotation axis 95. FIG. Thereby, the transport hangers 21 at the positions (f) and (g) are sent to the positions (g) and (h), respectively, and the transport hangers 21 at the positions (s) and (t) are respectively positioned at the positions (t) and (h). Sent to (u).

  (5) By operating the unload-side intermittent transport mechanism 27, the pushers 16 attached to the lower surface of the first beam 59a are transported hangers at positions (w), (x), (a), and (b). 21 is sent to positions (x), (y), (b), (c), and the pushers 16 attached to the lower surface of the second beam 59b are moved to positions (p), (q), (r). The transport hanger 21 is sent to the positions (q), (r), and (s).

  (6) When the elevating mechanism 31 is operated, the elevating rail is lowered to the lower position.

  (7) When the load-side intermittent transport mechanism 22 operates, the intermittent transport mechanism 22 moves the transport hanger 21 at the positions (y), (z), (c), (d), and (e) to the position ( z), (a), (d), (e), and (f). Almost simultaneously with this operation, the first positioning and conveying mechanism 24 is operated to feed the conveying hanger 21 at the position (h) to the position (i), and the take-in conveying mechanism 26 is operated to operate the position (o). The transport hanger 21 is sent to the position (p), and the second positioning transport mechanism 29 is operated to send the transport hanger 21 at the positions (u) and (v) to the positions (v) and (w). Further, the transport hanger 21 is sent at a constant speed from the position (i) to the position (o) by the chain belt 39 of the plating tank side transport mechanism 25.

  As described above, in the electroplating apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, the movable rail portions 14 and 17 themselves rotate and move along the arcuate track so that the transport hanger 21 is moved to the first rail portion of the A row. It can be moved from the end on the downstream side to the end on the upstream side of the second rail portion in the B row. Thereby, since the friction at the time of a conveyance hanger driving | running | working along a circular arc-shaped rail like the past is suppressed, the smoothness at the time of the movement of a conveyance hanger can be improved.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15 as a comparative example, in an electroplating apparatus in which linear rails and arc-shaped rails are mixed, when the transport hanger 21 moves along the arc-shaped rails 701, the rails 701 are Because of the circular arc shape, the traveling unit main body 113 and the rail 701 can easily come into contact at the point M. Therefore, the friction between the traveling unit main body 113 and the rail 701 increases, and the smoothness during movement of the transport hanger may be reduced.

  Further, the contact at the point M as shown in FIG. 15 may cause dust due to wear of the traveling unit main body 113 and the rail 701. It is not preferable that such dust is mixed into the processing liquid in the processing tank. Further, when the transport hanger 21 passes through the rail 701 many times in the contact state as described above, the upper guide wheel 115 and the lower guide wheel 116 of the transport hanger 21 may be inclined in a direction away from each other. is there. If such a tilt occurs, the transport hanger 21 is likely to wobble when passing through the linear rail, and this leads to vibrations on the workpiece W. Therefore, the transport hanger before such tilt occurs. 21 repair or replacement is required, resulting in an increase in cost.

  On the other hand, in 1st Embodiment, the rotation conveyance mechanism 23 can move each rail of the movable rail parts 14 and 17 along a circular arc track between the said 1st position and the said 2nd position. Therefore, the transport hanger 21 is a linear rail (that is, the first rail portion in row A, movable until it moves from the downstream end portion of the first rail portion to the upstream end portion of the second rail portion. It can move along the rail part 14 and the 2nd rail part of B row | line | column. Similarly, the transport hanger 21 is a linear rail (that is, the second rail portion in the B row, until it moves from the downstream end portion of the second rail portion to the upstream end portion of the first rail portion. It can move along the movable rail portion 17 and the first rail portion in the A row. Thereby, in the electroplating apparatus of the comparative example, since it is possible to suppress the occurrence of friction as when the transport hanger travels along the arc-shaped rail, it is possible to improve the smoothness when the transport hanger moves. It is possible to suppress the generation of dust due to wear, and to suppress wobbling during traveling.

  In the first embodiment, the transport hanger 21 is fixed to the rails 214 and 217 by the hanger fixing mechanism when the movable rail portions 14 and 17 are rotationally moved. Can be moved. In addition, after the rotational movement, the fixing can be released in order to move the transport hanger 21 from the rails 214 and 217 to the adjacent rail.

  In the first embodiment, since the stop sensor is provided, it is possible to improve the position accuracy of stopping each rail constituting the movable rail portions 14 and 17 at a predetermined stop position.

  Further, in the first embodiment, before the movable rail portions 14 and 17 are stopped at the stop position, the rails 214 and 217 are detected by the deceleration sensor at a position before the rails 214 and 217 reach the stop position. The moving speed of the rails 214 and 217 can be reduced before the rails 214 and 217 reach the stop position. Thereby, the positional accuracy for stopping the rails 214 and 217 at the stop position can be further improved.

  Moreover, in 1st Embodiment, since the intermittent conveyance mechanism 22 is provided, the hanger 21 for conveyance can be accurately moved for every pitch along a rail. Moreover, in this intermittent conveyance mechanism 22, since the motor 224 is installed near the ground, maintenance of each member such as the motor 224 and the crank arm 225 connected thereto is easy.

  Moreover, in 1st Embodiment, since the rail shock mechanism for providing a shock with respect to a rail is provided, the process effect of a water-washing process or a draining process can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, since the post-peeling water washing mechanism 401 for washing the clamper provided on the transport hanger 21 is provided, the clamper can be opened by the outer pressing mechanism. Thereby, the effect of cleaning the clamper can be enhanced as compared with the case of cleaning the clamper in the closed state.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the movable rail portion and the surrounding structure of the surface treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The electroplating apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the movable rail portion 14 is not a lift rail but a fixed rail. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the rotation shaft 95 is fixed to the ground. Further, an elevating rail 513 is disposed between the pretreatment tank fixed rail 13 and the movable rail portion 14, and an elevating rail 515 is disposed between the plating tank fixed rail 15 and the movable rail portion 14. . The elevating rail 513 is supported by a frame 501 fixed to the extended portion 781. The elevating rail 515 is supported by a frame 502 fixed to the extending portion 784. These lifting rails 513 and 515 are moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 31.

  In the electroplating apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, as operations around the movable rail portion 14, the following operations (1) to (5) are sequentially executed, and when the operation (5) is completed, the operation ( The operations (1) to (5) are repeated by sequentially executing from 1).

  (1) An intermittent conveyance mechanism (not shown) sends the conveyance hanger 21 at the position (a) to the position (b), and sends the conveyance hanger 21 at the position (c) to the position (d). Also, the first positioning transport mechanism (not shown) sends the transport hanger 21 at the position (f) to the position (g), and the second positioning transport mechanism (not shown) moves the transport hanger 21 at the position (i) to the position (j )

  (2) Each of the rails 214 of the movable rail portion 14 is horizontally rotated by 90 ° by the rotation conveyance mechanism 23.

  (3) The lifting rail is raised to the upper position by the lifting mechanism 31.

  (4) A pusher to which a beam (not shown) is fixed sends the transport hanger 21 at the position (b) to the position (c), and the transport hanger 21 at the positions (g) and (h) is moved to the positions (h) and ( send to i) respectively.

  (5) The elevating rail is lowered to the lower position by the elevating mechanism 31.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the movable rail portion of the surface treatment apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention and the surrounding structure. In the electroplating apparatus 100 of the third embodiment, the movable rail portion 14 is constituted by a single rail 214, and the rail 214 reciprocates on the circular arc track around the rotation shaft 95, whereby the transport hanger 21 is transported. This is different from the first embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the third embodiment, there is only one rail 214 fixed to the rotation shaft 95 via the arm 99. In this electroplating apparatus 100, the transport hanger 21 engaged with the rail 214 is transported to the rail 15 in the subsequent process by the rail 214 rotating horizontally by 180 ° about the rotation shaft 95. That is, in this third embodiment, the rail 214 is arranged in a straight line with the rail 13 adjacent to the downstream end in the transport direction R of the first rail portion in the A row, that is, the downstream end of the rail 13. A rotation axis between one position and an upstream end in the conveying direction R of the second rail portion in the B row, that is, a second position that is adjacent to the upstream end of the rail 15 and is linearly aligned with the rail 15. It reciprocates along 95 circular arc trajectories.

<Other embodiments>
The surface treatment apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the surface treatment apparatus is an electroplating apparatus has been described as an example. However, the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention can be used for electroless plating, electroless plating, hot dipping, coating ( For example, it can be applied to various surface treatment applications such as resin coating), electrodeposition coating, desmear treatment, anodizing, electrolytic polishing, degreasing, and pickling.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the movable rail portion 14 is configured by four rails supported by the rotating shaft 95 via the arm 99, and when the movable rail portion 14 is supported by the rotating shaft 95 via the arm 99. The case where the movable rail portion 14 is configured by one rail 214 has been described as an example. However, the number of rails configuring the movable rail portion is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, one, two, four, and the like. Various numbers such as one, six, and eight can be selected.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when it has the 1st rail part and 2nd rail part which are mutually arrange | positioned in parallel, and a pair of movable rail parts 14 and 17 which connect these, the hanger for conveyance in two places Although the case where 21 is rotated and conveyed along the circular arc trajectory is illustrated, the conveyance hanger 21 is rotated and conveyed only in one of the locations, and the conveyance hanger 21 is conveyed by a conveyance mechanism other than the rotation in the other location. The form to convey may be sufficient.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the 1st rail part and the 2nd rail part were arrange | positioned in parallel was illustrated, even if the 1st rail part and the 2nd rail part are not necessarily arrange | positioned in parallel, Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Loader 2 Flushing tank 3 Pretreatment tank 4 Flushing tank 5 Plating tank 6 Flushing tank 7 Drainage tank 8 Unloader 9 Peeling tank 10 Flushing tank 11 Air blower 12 Load side lifting rail 13 Pretreatment tank fixed rails 14 and 17 Movable rail section 15 Plating tank fixing rail 16 Unloading side lifting rail 18 Peeling tank fixing rail 19 Peeling tank lifting rail 20 Load side fixing rail 21 Transport hanger 22 Load side intermittent transport mechanism 23 Rotating transport mechanism 24 First positioning transport mechanism 25 Plating tank side Transport mechanism 26 Take-in transport mechanism 27 Unload-side intermittent transport mechanism 29 Second positioning transport mechanism 31 Elevating mechanism 39 Chain belt 84, 85 Guide pillars 214, 217

Claims (7)

A surface treatment apparatus for performing a surface treatment on a workpiece,
A plurality of processing units arranged in order of the plurality of processes in order to perform a plurality of processes on the workpiece in stages;
Guide rails arranged along an array of the plurality of processing units;
A transport hanger capable of holding the object to be processed and movable in the transport direction along the array of the plurality of processing units in a state of being engaged with the guide rail;
A transport mechanism for moving the transport hanger in the transport direction,
The guide rail is
A linear first rail portion disposed along an array of a part of the plurality of processing units;
A linear second rail portion arranged along an array of the other part of the plurality of processing units;
A first position that has a linear shape and is arranged linearly with the first rail portion adjacent to the downstream end of the first rail portion in the transport direction; and in the second rail portion A movable rail portion that can take a second position that is linearly aligned with the second rail portion adjacent to an upstream end portion in the transport direction, and
The surface treatment apparatus, wherein the conveyance mechanism includes a rotation conveyance mechanism for moving the movable rail portion along an arc orbit around a rotation axis between the first position and the second position.   When the movable rail is moved along the arcuate track, the transport hanger is fixed to the movable rail, and the transport hanger is moved from the movable rail to the second rail. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a hanger fixing mechanism for releasing the fixation.   The surface of Claim 1 or 2 further provided with the sensor which can detect the position of the said movable rail part in order to stop the said movable rail part which is moving along the said circular arc track in a predetermined stop position. Processing equipment. The sensor is
A stop sensor for detecting the stop position of the movable rail part;
The surface of Claim 3 including the deceleration sensor for detecting that the said movable rail part reached | attained the predetermined position upstream from the said stop position, and decelerating the moving speed of the said movable rail part. Processing equipment. The transport mechanism further includes an intermittent transport mechanism for moving the transport hanger along the guide rail at predetermined pitches,
The intermittent transport mechanism is
A juxtaposed member that is juxtaposed to the guide rail and extends substantially parallel to the guide rail;
A pusher arranged on the juxtaposed member for each pitch and fixed to the juxtaposed member, and capable of contacting the transport hanger;
An arm having one end fixed to the juxtaposed member;
The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a motor having a rotation shaft to which the other end of the arm is fixed.   6. The rail shock mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a rail shock mechanism for applying a shock to the guide rail at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of processing units. Surface treatment equipment. A holding unit cleaning mechanism for cleaning a holding unit provided in the transport hanger to hold the object to be processed;
The holding portion includes a pair of clamp levers, a support shaft that rotatably connects one clamp lever to the other, and a biasing force that biases the pair of clamp levers in a direction in which the pair of clamp levers are closed. A force member,
The holding unit cleaning mechanism is provided at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of processing units, and is capable of pressing the one clamp lever in a direction in which the pair of clamp levers are opened. The surface treatment apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6 which has a mechanism.

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