JP2021123741A - Plating apparatus and plating method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a plating apparatus that can prevent damage of the plating apparatus and can reduce the maintenance and inspection man-hours of a clamp.SOLUTION: In a plating apparatus A, a long belt-shaped base material film F is held with a plurality of clamps 5, and is moved inside the plating apparatus A including a plating tank 2 to form a plating layer on a surface of the base material film F. The clamp 5 includes a clamping unit 25 for clamping the base material film F with a biasing force of a spring 28. In a moving path for moving the clamp 5, a damage detection mechanism is arranged for detecting damage of the spring 28 of the clamp 5. When the spring 28 of any clamp 5 among the plurality of clamps 5 is damaged, repair work of the clamp 5 can be promptly conducted because a damage detection unit 50 detects the clamp 5 having the damaged spring 28. In addition, the maintenance and inspection man-hours of the clamp can be reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a plating apparatus and a plating method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a plating apparatus and a plating method used for plating a copper-clad laminate or the like.

In the electroplating apparatus, a long base film is erected vertically, and the upper edge of the long base film is conveyed while being gripped by a large number of clamps. It is a device for plating the surface of a material film.

As shown in Patent Document 1, the clamp of the electroplating apparatus urges and closes a pair of gripping pieces with a spring, and suspends and holds the base film by the closing force. When opening the base film, one of the pair of gripping pieces is pushed by a cam to open against the spring, and the holding of the base film is released.

However, since the clamp opens and closes each time the base film is attached or detached, metal fatigue accumulates in the spring of the clamp as the plating apparatus operates, and eventually the spring is damaged.
If the spring of the clamp is damaged, the gripping of the base film and the power supply to the base film are hindered, and there is a problem that the finished quality of the plating is deteriorated.
Then, if the spring is transported with the clamp open in a damaged state, there is a problem that the clamp and the plating apparatus are damaged due to contact with various members in the plating apparatus.
Further, since the number of clamps is large, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time and effort to check the spring damage of each clamp.

JP-A-2015-67852

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plating apparatus and a plating method capable of preventing damage to the plating apparatus and reducing maintenance and inspection man-hours for clamps.

The plating apparatus of the first invention is a plating apparatus that grips a long strip-shaped base film with a plurality of clamps and moves it in a plating apparatus including a plating tank to form a plating layer on the surface of the base film. In the case, the clamp includes a holding portion composed of a pair of holding pieces that sandwich the base film with the urging force of a spring, and damage detection for detecting damage to the spring of the clamp in a moving path for moving the clamp. It is characterized in that a mechanism is provided.
In the plating apparatus of the second invention, in the first invention, the damage detection mechanism is a damage detector that detects the presence or absence of damage to the spring of the clamp, and while the clamp is moving on the movement path. It is characterized by including a position detector that detects that it is located at a detection position that detects spring damage.
In the second invention, the plating apparatus of the third invention detects the magnitude of the reaction force of the pressing portion that pushes a pair of holding pieces in the holding portion in the opening direction and the reaction force of the holding piece. It is characterized by being composed of a reaction force detecting unit.
The plating apparatus of the fourth invention is characterized in that, in the first, second or third invention, the damage detection mechanism is arranged in a section in which a plating facility including a plating tank is not provided in the moving path of the clamp. And.
In the plating method of the fifth invention, a long strip-shaped base film is suspended by a plurality of clamps and moved in a plating apparatus including a plating tank to form a plating layer on the surface of the base film. In the method, the clamp grips the base film by using the urging force of the spring for a pair of holding pieces constituting the holding portion, and in the movement path for moving the clamp, the spring of the clamp is used by the damage detection mechanism. It is characterized by detecting damage to the plating.

According to the first invention, when the spring of any of the clamps is damaged, the damage detection mechanism detects the clamp in which the spring is damaged, so that the clamp can be repaired promptly. Therefore, the time and man-hours for maintenance and inspection of the clamp can be reduced. In addition, damage to the plating apparatus can be prevented by promptly repairing the clamp.
According to the second invention, when a plurality of clamps move with a space between them, whether the clamps are located or the distances are located at the damage detection position for detecting the damage of the spring. Since the position detection unit distinguishes between the clamps, the detection result of the gap between the adjacent clamps can be canceled, and as a result, the clamp in which the spring is damaged can be easily identified.
According to the third invention, when the spring for urging the pair of holding pieces in the closing direction is damaged, the reaction force when pushing one holding piece with the pressing portion of the damage detector is reduced. Damage can be confirmed.
According to the fourth invention, since the damage detection mechanism is provided in the section where the plating equipment including the plating tank is not provided, maintenance work such as repair and replacement of the clamp when spring damage of the clamp is detected can be easily performed. ..
According to the fifth invention, when the spring of any of the clamps is damaged, the damage detection mechanism detects the clamp in which the spring is damaged, so that the clamp can be repaired promptly. Therefore, the time and man-hours for maintenance and inspection of the clamp can be reduced. In addition, damage to the plating apparatus can be prevented by promptly repairing the clamp.

It is a side view of the damage detection mechanism used in the plating apparatus of this invention, (A) shows the normal state of a spring, (B) shows the damage state of a spring. It is a front view of the damage detection mechanism of FIG. 1, (A) shows a normal state of a spring, and (B) shows a damage state of a spring. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of a spring and the detection result of the damage detector 50. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detection result of the damage detector 50 and the position detector 70. It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the plating apparatus A. It is a front view of a clamp 5 and a power feeding mechanism 30. It is a side view of a clamp 5 and a power feeding mechanism 30.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the plating apparatus A according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The illustrated plating apparatus A is also an apparatus for carrying out the plating method according to the present invention, which will be described later.

The illustrated plating device A is a device that electroplates the base film F while transporting the long strip-shaped base film F. The plating apparatus A includes a pretreatment tank 1, a plating tank 2, and a post-treatment tank 3. The pretreatment tank 1 is a tank for purifying the surface of the base film F and improving the wettability. The plating tank 2 is a tank in which a plating solution is stored in the tank, and the base film F is immersed in the plating solution and passed therethrough. Electroplating can be performed by supplying an electric current to the base film F while passing through the plating tank. The post-treatment tank 3 is a tank for cleaning the plated base film F and the like. The long strip-shaped base film F moves in order to each of these tanks 1, 2, and 3, and a plating film is formed on the surface of the base film F. In the present invention, the film on which the plating film is formed is referred to as a product film.

When the base film F is conveyed along the longitudinal direction of the base film F, the base film F is carried in a suspended state with the lateral direction of the base film F facing up and down. An endless belt 4 is used to convey the suspended base film F, and a large number of clamps 5 are connected to the endless belt 4.
The plating apparatus A includes an entry side guide roller 6 in front of the pretreatment tank 1, a first intermediate guide roller 7 between the pretreatment tank 1 and the plating tank 2, and a second intermediate between the plating tank 2 and the posttreatment tank 3. A guide roller 8 and a guide roller 9 on the exit side of the post-treatment tank 3 are provided.

The endless belt 4 moves so as to orbit the entry side guide roller 6, the first intermediate guide roller 7, the second intermediate guide roller 8, and the exit side guide roller 9 in this order.
Since a large number of clamps 5 grip the upper edge of the base film F, the base film F moves inside the pretreatment tank 1, the plating tank 2, and the post-treatment tank 3 together with the endless belt 4.

The plating apparatus A has a supply device 11 that unwinds the raw fabric roll in which the base film F is wound in a roll shape, and a winding device 11 in which the plated product film (for example, a copper-clad laminate) is wound in a roll shape as a product roll. It has a device 12. A heater 13 or the like for drying is arranged between the post-treatment tank 3 and the winding device 12.
Reference numeral 13 denotes a horizontal guide roll that guides the base film F in the same posture, and 14 is an inclined guide roll that changes the transport posture of the base film F.

The upper edge of the base film F unwound from the supply device 11 is gripped by the clamp 5 immediately after passing through the entry side guide roller 6. When the base film F passes through the pretreatment tank 1, the plating tank 2, and the post-treatment tank 3, it is released from the clamp 5 immediately before passing through the exit guide roller 9, and the base film F is wound by the take-up device 12. Taken.

While the base film F is conveyed in the plating tank 2, a film such as copper plating is formed on the surface of the base film F by electroplating. As a result, a product film that has been plated is obtained. For example, if the material of the base film F is a resin film and copper is plated and formed on the base metal film, a copper-clad laminate as a product film can be obtained.

In the plating apparatus A, the clamp 5 grips the upper edge of the base film F between the entry side guide roller 6, the first intermediate guide roller 7, the second intermediate guide roller 8, and the exit side guide roller 9. doing. In the present specification, this period is referred to as a gripping section. The clamp 5 does not grip the base film F between the exit side guide roller 9 and the entrance side guide roller 6. In the present specification, this period is referred to as a non-grasping section.

Next, the circumference of the clamp 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
The clamp 5 includes a contact jig 20 and a hanging plate 21 connected to the lower end thereof. The contact jig 20 is provided with a contact plate 22 at the upper end thereof to receive electricity. The contact plate 22 is formed with a front-down guide portion 22a at the front end in the moving direction. Further, the contact jig 20 pivotally supports the rollers 23 on both the front and back surfaces, and the rollers 23 roll on the guide plate 24 which is a fixing member in the plating apparatus A. An endless belt 4 (not shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) shown in FIG. 5 is connected to the contact jig 20. With such a structure, when the endless belt 4 moves, the contact jig 20 and the clamp 5 move while maintaining a constant height.

A holding portion 25 for gripping the base film F is attached to the holding plate 21. The sandwiching portion 25 is composed of a pair of sandwiching pieces 25a and 25b. One holding piece 25b is fixed to the hanging plate 21, and the lever 26 is fixed to the other holding piece 25a. The intermediate portion of the lever 26 is swingably attached to the holding piece 25b on the fixed side via a bracket and a pin 27. Further, a torsion coil spring 28 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a spring 28) is interposed in the pin 27, and the pair of holding pieces 25a are pressed against the other (fixed side) holding piece 25b to urge the pin 27 in the closing direction. The urging force of the spring 28 grips the upper end of the base film F between the pair of holding pieces 25a and 25b.
A roller 29 is rotatably attached to the tip of the lever 26 via a bracket. The roller 29 is subjected to a downward pushing-down force from the open state to the closed state of the pair of holding pieces 25a and 25b by the urging of the spring 28.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, reference numeral 30 denotes a feeding mechanism, which is provided to supply a current to the clamp 5. The power feeding mechanism 30 has an electrode bar 31, a power feeding body 32, and a pressing spring 33. The electrode bar 31 is a long electrode extending along the traveling direction of the clamp 5 and is connected to a power source via a rectifier. A plurality of feeding bodies 32 are attached below the electrode bar 31 at equal intervals.

A pressing spring 33 is interposed between the electrode bar 31 and the feeding body 32, and the pressing spring 33 presses the feeding body 32 against the contact jig 20 of the clamp 5. The current supplied from the electrode bar 31 is supplied to the base film F from the holding portion 25 via the holding plate 21 via the contact between the feeding body 32 and the contact jig 20.
The electrode bar 31 is arranged above the plating tank 2, and a current is supplied to the base film F passing through the plating tank 2.

Next, a damage detection mechanism for detecting damage to the spring 28 in the clamp 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
The damage detection mechanism includes a damage detector 50 and a position detector 70 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The damage detector 50 is a sensor that detects the presence or absence of damage to the spring 28 in the clamp 5, and any detector may be used as long as the spring damage can be detected. The damage detector 50 in the illustrated embodiment is configured as follows.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, (A) shows the clamp 5 in which the spring 28 is normal, and (B) shows the clamp 5 in which the spring is damaged. Reference numeral 28'indicates a damaged spring that is broken or metal fatigued and lacks spring force.

The damage detector 50 has a pressing portion 52 and a reaction force detecting portion 56 mounted on the substrate 51. The pressing portion 52 has a rod 53, a compression spring 54 fitted on the outer periphery thereof, and a control box 55.
The lower portion of the rod 53 is inserted into the control box 55, and the upper end thereof is fixed to the base plate 61. A guide mechanism for allowing the rod 53 to move up and down is built in the control box 55.

The reaction force detecting unit 56 has a rod 57, a sensor 58, and a control box 59. The lower portion of the rod 57 is supported so as to be able to move up and down in the control box 59, and the upper end thereof is fixed to the base plate 61. A detected portion 57a formed with a small diameter is formed at an appropriate position in the longitudinal direction of the rod 57. As the sensor 58, a non-contact proximity sensor, a contact-type limit switch, or the like is used.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the detected unit 57a is away from the sensor 58, no detection signal is output, but as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the detected unit 57a approaches the sensor 58 and faces the sensor 58, a detection signal can be output.

A roller 62 is rotatably attached to the base plate 61 via a bracket. The roller 62 is raised by the action of the pressing portion 52, and is pushed down by the roller 29 of the clamp 5.
The damage detector 50 configured as described above is installed at an appropriate position in the moving section in which the clamp 5 moves. In the present specification, this installation location may be referred to as a detection position.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, when the clamp 5 moves to the detection position where the damage detector 50 is installed, the roller 29 of the clamp 5 pushes down the roller 62 of the damage detector 50. At this time, if the spring 28 of the clamp 5 is normal, the rod 57 of the reaction force detecting portion 56 is pushed down, so that the detected portion 57a is separated from the sensor 58. Therefore, the sensor 58 does not output a detection signal.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, when the spring 28'of the clamp 5 is damaged, the pushing force of the roller 29 is insufficient. Therefore, the roller 62 of the damage detector 50 is not pushed down and remains in an raised state.
In this case, since the rod 57 of the reaction force detecting unit 56 is also raised, the detected unit 57a approaches the sensor 58 and outputs a detection signal. As a result, damage to the spring 28'of the clamp 5 can be detected.
As described above, the damage detector 50 can detect the presence or absence of damage to the spring 28 by the magnitude of the reaction force of the spring 28 of the clamp 5.

The position detector 70 is a sensor that detects that the clamp 5 is located at a detection position for detecting spring damage of the clamp 5. Any detector may be used as long as this position can be detected, but the position detector 70 in the illustrated embodiment is composed of a known proximity sensor 71. In order to ensure the detection by the proximity sensor 71, a plate-shaped or box-shaped object to be detected 72 is attached to an appropriate position of the clamp 5, for example, the hanging plate 21. The hanging plate 21 may be detected directly.
When the plurality of clamps 5 move at equal intervals, the position detector 70 cancels the detection result of the damage detector 50 in the gap between the clamps 5 and 5 adjacent to each other. It is provided to utilize the detection result of the damage detector 50 when the clamp 5 is facing each other.

The damage detector 50 and the position detector 70 in the present invention may be installed anywhere in the movement path of the clamp 5. That is, it may be a gripping section in which the clamp 5 grips and moves the base film F, or a non-grasping section in which the clamp 5 moves without gripping the base film F. The gripping section is a section from the entry side guide roller 6 to the first intermediate guide roller 7, the second intermediate guide roller 8, and the exit side guide roller 9 in the plating apparatus A shown in FIG. In this case, the clamp 5 having the damaged spring 28'may not grip the base film F, but the base films F are gripped by the clamps 5 and 5 on both sides.
The non-grip section is a section from the exit side guide roller 9 to the entry side guide roller 6 in the plating apparatus A shown in FIG. In this non-grasping section, neither the clamp 5 with the damaged spring 28' nor the clamp 5 with the normal spring 28 grips the substrate film F.

Since the base film F is thin in the clamp 5 regardless of whether the base film F is gripped or not, the height position of the roller 29 pressed by the spring 28 is substantially the same. Therefore, whether the damage detection mechanism is provided in the gripping section or the non-grasping section, the damage of the spring 28 is caused by the roller 62 of the damage detector 50 receiving substantially the same pushing pressure from the roller 29 of the clamp 5. Can be detected.

However, considering the convenience of repairing the clamp 5, a damage detection mechanism (damage detector 50 and position detector 70) is installed in a section consisting of a pretreatment tank 1, a plating tank 2, and a posttreatment tank 3 in which no plating equipment exists. It is preferable to provide it. In this case, maintenance work such as repair and replacement of the clamp 5 when the spring damage of the clamp 5 is detected can be easily performed.

FIG. 3 shows the detection result of the damage detector 50. FIG. 3 illustrates five clamps 5, of which the middle clamp 5'is assumed to have a damaged spring 28'. In this case, with respect to the clamp 5'in the center, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the urging force of the damaged spring 28' is insufficient, so that the roller 62 of the damage detector 50 cannot be pushed down, and FIG. As shown in (B), the sensor 58 detects the detected portion 57a of the rod 57. By this detection operation, damage to the spring 28'of the clamp 5 can be detected.

Regarding the four normal clamps 5 shown in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), the roller 29 pushes down the roller 62 of the damage detector 50 by the normal spring 28, and thus is shown in FIG. 2 (A). As described above, the sensor 58 cannot detect the detected portion 57a of the rod 57.
The state of the spring 28 is shown by ◯ for normal, x for damage, and ON and OFF for the damage, as shown in FIG. In this way, the reaction force of the spring 28 can be used to detect the clamp 5'in the center where the spring is damaged as if a spring defect has occurred.

FIG. 4 shows the detection result including the information of the position detector 70. With the damage detector 50 alone, the force that pushes down the roller 62 of the damage detector 50 does not work even in the gap between the adjacent clamps 5 and 5, so damage detection is the same as when the spring is damaged as shown in FIG. 1 (B). The rod 57 of the vessel 50 is raised, and the sensor 58 detects the detected portion 57a. However, this is a false positive.
Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a position detector 70 is installed above the installation position of the damage detector 50. The position detector 70 can detect that the clamp 5 has come to the detection position.

In FIG. 4, the ON state in which the rising signal is drawn in the column of the position detector 70 means that the clamp 5 is located at the detection position, and the OFF state in which the rising signal is not drawn means that the clamp 5 is in the detection position. It is in a state of not coming to.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the detection result of the position detector 70 is ON and the detection result of the damage detector 50 is ON, the spring 28 of the clamp 5 is normal. When the detection result of the position detector 70 is OFF and the detection result of the damage detector 50 is also OFF, the detection result is canceled because the gap adjacent to the clamp 5 is detected as a target. When the detection result of the position detector 70 is ON but the detection result of the damage detector 50 is OFF (rising signal shown by the dotted line), it can be determined that the damage of the spring 28'is detected. In this way, the clamp 5'where the spring damage has occurred can be easily and surely identified.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the pressing portion 52 of the damage detector 50 is pushed down by the roller 29 of the clamp 5 that has moved, but instead, the roller 29 of the clamp 5 is pushed up by the pressing portion 52 of the damage detector 50. May be good. Even with this configuration, the presence or absence of damage to the spring 28 can be detected by utilizing the reaction force of the spring 28.

In the above embodiment, the damage detection mechanism is configured by the damage detector 50 and the position detector 70, but a damage detection mechanism that does not use the position detector 70 can also be configured.
For example, in the embodiment provided with the inclined cam that gradually pushes up the roller 29 to open the clamp 5 for gripping the base film F, the following configuration is possible. That is, if a pressure sensor or the like for detecting the pressing force generated by the spring 28 from the roller 29 is provided in the middle of the inclined cam, the position becomes the detection position, and the pressure sensor functions as a damage detector. In this configuration, since the detection signal is output only when the clamp 5 is positioned, it is not necessary to provide the position detector 70. Further, instead of the pressure sensor, the pressing force of the roller 29 may be measured by a weighing scale. Even in this case, it is not necessary to provide the position detector 70.

In the above embodiment, the damage detector 50 and the position detector 70 are installed in the same place in the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but they do not necessarily have to be installed in the same place. Even if the damage detector 50 and the position detector 70 are installed at a distance from each other, any clamp may be installed at a position where they face each other. This is because the adjacent clamps 5 and 5 are arranged at equal intervals.

(Plating method)
Next, the plating method according to the present invention will be described. Typically, the plating method of the present invention is carried out using the plating apparatus A described above.
In the plating apparatus A, the long strip-shaped base film F is gripped by a plurality of clamps 5, and the pretreatment tank 1, the plating tank 2, and the post-treatment tank 3 are moved in order to move the surface of the base film F. A plating layer is formed on the surface.
Then, the presence or absence of damage to the spring 28 of the clamp 5 is detected at the detection position where the damage detection mechanism (damage detector 50 and position detector 70) is installed in the movement path of the clamp 5.

When the spring 28 of any of the clamps 5 is damaged among the plurality of clamps 5, the damage detector 50 detects the clamp 5 having the damaged spring 28', so that the clamp 5 can be repaired promptly. You can. Therefore, the time and man-hours for maintenance and inspection of the clamp can be reduced.

Also in the plating method of the present invention, the material of the base film F is a resin film, and if copper is plated and formed on the base metal film F, a copper-clad laminate as a product film can be obtained.

In each of the above embodiments, the copper-clad laminate is exemplified as the plated product film, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to the production of various plating film forming films such as Ni plating film. Further, the present invention can be applied to any device as long as it is a device for holding and transporting a film, such as an electroless plating device and a heat treatment device.

A Plating device F Base film 1 Pre-treatment tank 2 Plating tank 3 Post-treatment tank 4 Endless belt 5 Clamp 25 Holding part 26 Lever 28 Coil spring 29 Roller 50 Damage detector 52 Pressing part 56 Reaction force detection part 58 Sensor 70 Position detector 71 Proximity sensor 72 Detected object

Claims (5)

In a plating device in which a long strip-shaped base film is gripped by a plurality of clamps and moved in a plating device including a plating tank to form a plating layer on the surface of the base film.
The clamp includes a holding portion composed of a pair of holding pieces that hold the base film with the urging force of a spring.
A plating apparatus characterized in that a damage detecting mechanism for detecting damage to the spring of the clamp is provided in a moving path for moving the clamp. The damage detection mechanism is
A damage detector that detects the presence or absence of damage to the spring of the clamp, and
The plating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position detector that detects that the clamp is located at a detection position for detecting spring damage while moving on the movement path. The damage detector is characterized by comprising a pressing portion that pushes a pair of holding pieces in the holding portion in the opening direction and a reaction force detecting portion that detects the magnitude of the reaction force of the holding piece. The plating apparatus according to claim 2. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the damage detection mechanism is arranged in a section in which a plating facility including a plating tank is not provided in the moving path of the clamp. In a plating method in which a long strip-shaped base film is suspended by a plurality of clamps and moved in a plating apparatus including a plating tank to form a plating layer on the surface of the base film.
The clamp grips the base film by using the urging force of a spring with a pair of holding pieces constituting the holding portion.
A plating method comprising detecting damage to a spring of the clamp by a damage detecting mechanism in a moving path for moving the clamp.

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