JP2018127669A - Barrel plating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a barrel plating apparatus that can prevent the reduction of a plating rate and shorten a time required for a plating treatment.SOLUTION: A barrel plating apparatus 100 of the present invention typically comprises: a barrel 102 for involving and rotating a material to be plated; and a solution sending unit 126 for forcibly sending plating solution from the outside to inside of the barrel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a barrel plating apparatus used when plating a small part.

  The barrel plating apparatus is an apparatus for plating a small part (hereinafter, a material to be plated) and includes a rotating barrel (for example, Patent Document 1). The barrel has the shape of a polygonal column (mainly hexagonal), the wall surface is made of mesh, and the plating solution flows through the wall surface. When the plating material is plated, the barrel plating apparatus accommodates the plating material in the barrel and rotates the barrel in a state where the barrel is immersed in a plating solution.

  Due to the recent miniaturization of electronic components, it is necessary to perform plating treatment on extremely small materials to be plated such as 0402 (0.4 mm × 0.2 mm) and 0603 (0.6 mm × 0.3 mm) in the barrel plating apparatus. In such a case, the mesh on the wall surface of the barrel also becomes finer and the plating solution becomes poor.

JP 05-263298 A

  In the plating process, as the plating film is formed on the material to be plated, the metal ion concentration of the plating solution decreases. However, since the plating solution is poorly passed through the mesh, there is a problem in that the plating solution inside and outside the barrel is not circulated and the plating rate is reduced.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a barrel plating apparatus capable of preventing a reduction in plating speed and reducing a time required for a plating process.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a typical configuration of a barrel plating apparatus according to the present invention is a barrel plating apparatus including a barrel that encloses a material to be plated and rotates. It is characterized by having a liquid feeding part which forcibly sends the liquid.

  According to the above configuration, a new plating solution can be forcibly supplied from the outside of the barrel by the liquid feeding unit. The old plating solution is forcibly discharged from the mesh on the wall of the barrel. Therefore, the metal ion concentration of the plating solution can be prevented from being lowered, that is, the plating speed can be prevented from being lowered, and the time required for the plating process can be shortened.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, another typical configuration of the barrel plating apparatus according to the present invention is a barrel plating apparatus including a barrel that contains a material to be plated and rotates. It is characterized by including a liquid feeding section for forcibly sending plating solution and gas.

  According to the said structure, since the liquid feeding part discharges | emits the plating solution in a barrel out of a barrel, the plating solution outside a barrel is forcibly supplied from the mesh of a barrel wall surface. Therefore, the metal ion concentration of the plating solution can be prevented from being lowered, that is, the plating speed can be prevented from being lowered, and the time required for the plating process can be shortened.

  Further, as the plating process proceeds, not only the metal ion concentration of the plating solution in the barrel decreases, but also gas (hydrogen) is generated in the barrel, resulting in gas accumulation, and the amount of plating solution in the barrel decreases. There is a case. Therefore, the end of the liquid feeding part is opened at the top of the barrel, and gas such as hydrogen generated in the barrel can be forcibly discharged to the outside. As a result, a new plating solution can be sufficiently supplied into the barrel, so that the time required for the plating treatment of the material to be plated can be shortened.

  The liquid feeding section includes a flow path for circulating the plating solution inside and outside the barrel, and a pump that is disposed in the middle of the flow path and feeds the plating liquid. The pump may be a tube pump or a diaphragm pump. . Thus, since the pump is a tube pump or a diaphragm pump, air may be mixed in the flow path, so-called priming water is not necessary, and convenience is improved.

  The liquid feeding unit may feed the plating solution from the outside of the barrel to the inside or from the inside of the barrel by rotating the pump in the reverse direction. As described above, the liquid feeding unit can realize both functions of supplying and discharging the plating solution only by driving the pump in the reverse direction. As an example, for a while after starting the plating process, the plating solution is forcibly sent into the barrel, and when the plating process proceeds and a gas pool is formed, the pump is driven in reverse to force the generated gas to the outside. To exhaust. Thus, the time required for the plating treatment of the material to be plated can be shortened while simplifying the structure.

  Said barrel plating apparatus is provided with the boss | hub arrange | positioned in the rotation center vicinity of a barrel, and it is good for a boss | hub to have the insertion port for electrodes in which an electrode is inserted, and the inflow port which follows a flow path. Here, a tube or a pipe is assumed as the flow path. The barrel is a rotating device, but the boss is a non-rotating part. The boss is formed with two holes, an electrode insertion opening and a plating solution inlet, and a flow path is connected to the inlet. Thereby, a plating solution can be distribute | circulated (supply or discharge | emission), without twisting a flow path.

  The barrel plating apparatus may further include a lumen tube introduced into the barrel from the outside, and the lumen tube may have a first hole into which an electrode conductor is inserted and a second hole that forms a flow path. . As described above, the lumen tube having two holes is used to insert the electrode lead wire and further the flow path is formed, so it is easy to handle the electrode and the plating solution at a predetermined position of the barrel (for example, near the rotation center of the barrel). Can be introduced into the barrel. In this case, since only one hole of the boss is required, a conventional boss component provided with only the electrode insertion port can be used as it is. Moreover, it becomes possible to attach a liquid feeding part to the existing barrel plating apparatus.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the barrel plating apparatus which can prevent the fall of a plating rate and can shorten the time which a plating process requires can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the barrel plating apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the barrel plating apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the boss | hub of the barrel plating apparatus of Fig.2 (a). It is a figure which shows the structure of the pump of the barrel plating apparatus of Fig.2 (a). It is a figure which shows the structure of the barrel plating apparatus in other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the lumen tube applied to the barrel plating apparatus of FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a barrel plating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The barrel plating apparatus 100 is an apparatus that performs a plating process on a material to be plated (not shown), and includes a rotating barrel 102. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the barrel 102 has a polygonal column shape (in this case, a hexagonal shape), and includes a wall surface 104 made of mesh so that a plating solution flows, and a material to be plated. And an opening 106 for injection. The opening 106 is covered with a lid (not shown) after the material to be plated is introduced.

  Disc-shaped side plates 108 and 110 are provided at both ends of the barrel 102. The barrel 102 is rotatably supported with respect to the frame bodies 112 and 114, and a driving force of a motor (not shown) is applied to the outer periphery via the respective gears 116, 118, and 120 shown in FIG. It is rotated by being transmitted to the side plate 110 on which the gear is formed.

  In the barrel 102, two electrodes 122 and 124 indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1B are supported so as not to rotate. When performing the plating process, the material to be plated is accommodated in the barrel 102, and the barrel 102 is placed in the state where the barrel 102 is immersed in the plating solution in the plating tank while the electrodes 122 and 124 are brought into contact with the material to be plated and energized. Rotate.

  By such a plating process, a plating film is formed on the material to be plated. However, in the plating process, as the plating film is formed on the material to be plated, the metal ion concentration of the plating solution decreases. Furthermore, when the material to be plated is an extremely small electronic component such as 0.4 mm × 0.2 mm, 0.6 mm × 0.3 mm, etc., the mesh of the wall surface 104 of the barrel 102 becomes finer, and the plating solution passes through. Deteriorate. As a result, the circulation of the plating solution inside and outside the barrel 102 is poor, and the plating rate is reduced. Therefore, in the barrel plating apparatus 100, a mechanism (liquid feeding unit 126) for forcibly feeding the plating solution is employed.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the barrel plating apparatus 100 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the liquid feeding unit 126 includes tubes 128 and 130 as a flow path for allowing the plating solution to flow inside and outside the barrel 102, and a pump 132. The pump 132 is connected to the ends 128a and 130a of the tubes 128 and 130, respectively, and is arranged in the middle of the flow path. The other end 128 b of the tube 128 is open to the outside of the barrel 102.

  A boss 134 is attached to the frame body 112. The boss 134 is a non-rotating part and is disposed near the rotation center of the barrel 102. The boss 134 is formed with two holes, an electrode insertion port 136 and an inflow port 138. As shown in FIG. 2A, the inflow port 138 is connected to the other end 130b of the tube 130 and is continuous with the flow path. On the other hand, in the boss 140 attached to the frame 114 shown in FIG. 2B, only one hole serving as the electrode insertion port 142 is formed.

  Further, long metal members 144 and 146 are attached to the frames 112 and 114, respectively. Conductive wires 148 and 150 of electrodes 122 and 124 are electrically connected to the metal members 144 and 146, respectively. When the plating process is performed, a power source (not shown) is connected to the metal members 144 and 146, whereby electric power for electroplating is supplied to the electrodes 122 and 124.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the configuration of the boss 134 of the barrel plating apparatus 100 of FIG. FIG. 3A is a front view of the boss 134. FIG.3 (b) is AA sectional drawing of Fig.3 (a). As shown in FIG. 3A, the boss 134 has a cylindrical portion 152 and a circular edge portion 154. The edge part 154 is formed at the end of the cylindrical part 152 and has a larger diameter than the edge part 154, as shown in FIG. The edge portion 154 contacts the frame body 112 and is fixed by screws (not shown).

  The cylindrical portion 152 of the boss 134 is passed through a hole (not shown) of the frame body 112 (see FIG. 1B) and is in contact with the side plate 108 of the barrel 102. In such a state, the boss 134 is attached to the frame body 112. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the electrode insertion port 136 and the inflow port 138 that penetrate the cylindrical portion 152 and the edge portion 154 are formed in the boss 134.

  The electrode 122 is inserted into the electrode insertion opening 136 formed in the boss 134, and contacts the material to be plated in the barrel 102 through the side plate 108 (see FIG. 1B) to energize. On the other hand, the electrode 124 is inserted into the electrode insertion port 142 formed in the boss 140 and is introduced into the barrel 102 through the side plate 110.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the pump 132 of the barrel plating apparatus 100 of FIG. The pump 132 is a so-called tube pump, and includes an elastic pump tube 156 that forms a flow path, a rotating body 160 having a plurality of (here, three) rollers 158 attached to the outer periphery, and a base that rotates the rotating body 160. Part 162. The base portion 162 is attached with a rotating body 160, and can rotate the rotating body 160 in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as indicated by an arrow B in the drawing.

  The pump tube 156 is attached so as to be sandwiched between the inner wall of the base portion 162 and the roller 158 of the rotating body 160, and is regulated in an arc shape as illustrated. The pump tube 156 has one end 156 a connected to one end 128 a (see FIG. 2A) of the tube 128 and the other end 156 b connected to one end 130 a of the tube 130.

  In the pump 132, the base portion 162 rotates the rotating body 160 and the plurality of rollers 158 repeatedly press the arc-shaped pump tube 156 to perform a liquid feeding operation. The roller 158 rotates while revolving with respect to the rotation center 160a of the rotating body 160 during the liquid feeding operation. According to such a pump 132, even if air is mixed in the flow path, a liquid feeding operation is possible, and so-called priming water is not necessary, so that convenience is high.

  Hereinafter, the liquid feeding operation of the liquid feeding unit 126 including the pump 132 will be described. When the rotating body 160 of the liquid feeding section 126 is rotated counterclockwise, the plating solution in the plating tank is sent from the one end 156a of the pump tube 156 into the pump 132 through the tube 128 as a flow path (see arrow C). ) And sent from the other end 156b of the pump tube 156 to the tube 130 (see arrow D). Then, the plating solution is forcibly fed into the barrel 102 through the inlet 138 of the boss 134 connected to the other end 130b of the tube 130 and continuing to the flow path.

  In this manner, the liquid feeding unit 126 can forcibly supply a new plating solution from the outside of the barrel 102 into the barrel 102. The old plating solution is forcibly discharged from the mesh of the wall surface 104 of the barrel 102. Therefore, according to the barrel plating apparatus 100, the metal ion concentration of the plating solution can be prevented from being lowered, that is, the plating speed can be prevented from being lowered, and the time required for the plating process can be shortened.

  Further, instead of forcibly supplying the plating solution into the barrel 102, the plating solution in the barrel 102 may be discharged out of the barrel 102. In this case, the pressure in the barrel 102 decreases, and the plating solution outside the barrel 102 is forcibly supplied from the mesh on the wall surface 104 of the barrel 102. That is, if either forced supply or forced discharge is executed, it is possible to prevent the metal ion concentration of the plating solution in the barrel 102 from decreasing.

  In the liquid feeding unit 126, when the rotating body 160 of the pump 132 is rotated clockwise, the plating solution and generated gas in the barrel 102 pass through the tube 130 from the inlet 138 of the boss 134 and the other end of the pump tube 156. 156b is sent into the pump 132 (see arrow E) and sent from one end 156a of the pump tube 156 to the tube 128 (see arrow F). Then, the plating solution is forcibly discharged out of the barrel 102 from the other end 128 b of the tube 128.

  Further, as the plating process proceeds, not only the metal ion concentration of the plating solution in the barrel 102 decreases, but also gas (hydrogen) is generated in the barrel 102 to form a gas pool, and the amount of the plating solution in the barrel 102 May decrease. Therefore, first, the plating solution may be forcibly supplied by the solution feeding unit 126, and the solution feeding unit 126 may be driven in reverse when gas accumulation occurs after a while.

When exhausting the gas inside the barrel 102, it is preferable to extend the end (the other end 130 b) of the tube 130 of the liquid feeding unit 126 to the inside of the barrel 102 and open the top of the barrel 102. Thereby, gas accumulation can be eliminated at an early stage. In addition, after the gas accumulation is eliminated, the plating solution is discharged. However, since this promotes the circulation of the plating solution as described above, the operation may be continued.

  In particular, the liquid feeding unit 126 according to the present embodiment simply rotates the rotating body 160 of the pump 132 counterclockwise or clockwise, so that the plating solution or the inside out of the barrel 102 or the inside of the barrel 102 is removed. Gas can be sent, and both functions of supplying and discharging plating solution can be realized. Therefore, according to the barrel plating apparatus 100, the time required for the plating process can be shortened while simplifying the structure.

  Furthermore, according to the barrel plating apparatus 100, in addition to the electrode insertion opening 136 in the boss 134 that is a non-rotating component, an inflow port 138 that is continuous with the flow path is formed, so that the plating solution can be circulated without twisting the flow path. (Supply or discharge).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a barrel plating apparatus 100A according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a barrel plating apparatus 100A is shown corresponding to the barrel plating apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  The barrel plating apparatus 100A is different from the barrel plating apparatus 100 in that it includes a liquid feeding section 126A to which a lumen tube 164 (see FIG. 6) is applied instead of the tube 130 described above.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a lumen tube 164 applied to the barrel plating apparatus 100A of FIG. The lumen tube 164 is generally a tube developed for medical use, and has a first hole 166 and a second hole 168 having a smaller diameter than the first hole 166 here.

  In the first hole 166, the conductive wire 148 of the electrode 122 shown in FIG. 5 is inserted through the adapter 170. The second hole 168 is connected to the pump 132 via the adapter 170 to form a flow path. The adapter 170 is attached to one end 164 a of the lumen tube 164. The other end 164b of the lumen tube 164 is inserted into one hole provided at the center of the boss 134A, that is, the electrode insertion port 136A, and further extends into the barrel 102.

  As described above, the lumen tube 164 having two holes is used to insert the conducting wire 148 of the electrode 122 and further form a flow path, so that it is easy to handle. For this reason, in the barrel plating apparatus 100A, the electrode 122 and the plating solution can be introduced into the barrel 102 from a predetermined position of the barrel 102 (for example, near the rotation center of the barrel 102).

  Further, in the barrel plating apparatus 100A, since it is only necessary to form one hole in the boss 134A, a conventional boss component provided with only the electrode insertion port can be used as it is. Therefore, it is possible to attach the liquid feeding unit 126A to an existing barrel plating apparatus.

  In each of the above embodiments, a tube pump has been described as an example of the pump 132. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a diaphragm pump may be used. Even when a diaphragm pump is applied, the plating solution can be sent even if air is mixed into the flow path as in the tube pump, so that no priming water is required and convenience can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  The present invention can be used as a barrel plating apparatus used for plating a small component.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 100A ... Plating apparatus, 102 ... Barrel, 104 ... Wall surface, 106 ... Opening, 108, 110 ... Side plate, 112, 114 ... Frame, 116, 118, 120 ... Gear, 122, 124 ... Electrode, 126, 126A ... Liquid feeding section, 128, 130 ... tube, 128a, 130a ... one end of tube, 128b, 130b ... other end of tube, 132 ... pump, 134, 134A, 140 ... boss, 136, 136A, 142 ... electrode insertion port, 138 ... Inlet, 144, 146 ... Metal member, 148, 150 ... Electrode lead wire, 152 ... Boss cylindrical portion, 154 ... Boss edge, 156 ... Pump tube, 156a ... One end of pump tube, 156b ... Pump tube 158... Roller, 160... Rotating body, 160 a... Rotating center of the rotating body, 162. Lumen tube, 164a ... of the lumen tube end, the other end of 164b ... lumen tube, 166 ... first hole, 168 ... second hole, 170 ... adapter

Claims (6)

A barrel plating apparatus including a barrel that contains a material to be plated and rotates,
A barrel plating apparatus comprising a liquid feeding section for forcibly feeding a plating solution from the outside to the inside of the barrel. A barrel plating apparatus including a barrel that contains a material to be plated and rotates,
A barrel plating apparatus comprising: a liquid feeding section for forcibly sending a plating solution and a gas from the inside of the barrel. The liquid feeding part is
A flow path for circulating the plating solution inside and outside the barrel;
A pump disposed in the middle of the flow path and for feeding the plating solution;
The barrel plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump is a tube pump or a diaphragm pump. The liquid feeding part is
The barrel plating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plating solution is sent from outside the barrel or inside the barrel by rotating the pump in a reverse direction. The barrel plating apparatus includes a boss disposed near the rotation center of the barrel,
The boss
An electrode insertion slot into which the electrode is inserted;
The barrel plating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an inflow port continuous with the flow path. The barrel plating apparatus further includes a lumen tube introduced into the barrel from the outside,
The lumen tube is
A first hole into which the electrode conductor is inserted;
The barrel plating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a second hole that forms the flow path.

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