JP2698871B2 - Barrel plating equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Technical field to which the invention pertains This invention relates to a method of forming a predetermined plating layer on the surface of various small articles or parts made of metal, ceramic, resin, etc. by electroplating or electroless plating. It relates to a barrel plating apparatus to be formed. (B) Conventional technology Conventionally, as the above-described barrel plating apparatus, for example,
There is an apparatus having the following structure. That is, this is a barrel plating apparatus in which a plating bath containing a plating solution is provided, a plurality of horizontal barrel units are partially immersed in the plating bath, and an anode as a positive electrode plate is vertically provided between these horizontal barrel units. . In this conventional barrel plating apparatus, for example, when performing electroplating, a positive voltage is applied to the above-described anode, a negative voltage is applied to the barrel electrode of the horizontal barrel unit, and the conductor on the surface of the work housed in the barrel is applied. Using the phenomenon (cathode reaction) that occurs at the boundary between the metal surface layer, which is the layer, and the electrolyte solution (plating solution), the above-mentioned plating is performed on the work surface, but the liquid concentration inside and outside the barrel tends to be uneven. In addition, since the PH inside the barrel is liable to fluctuate, there is a problem that plating is difficult to be applied to the work surface, a bi-parallel phenomenon occurs, and there is a problem of poor adhesion that plating does not adhere even when a plating current flows. However, there is a problem that it takes a long time to obtain the plating. (C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the invention described in the first aspect of the present invention, the solution concentration and the solution composition inside and outside the barrel are made uniform by a unique means for forcibly circulating the plating solution, and the inside of the barrel is made uniform. By suppressing PH fluctuation, good plating can be applied in a short time,
Plating efficiency can be improved, and multiple barrel units are arranged in the plating bath, and the barrels of each barrel unit are configured to be driven independently. It is an object of the present invention to provide a barrel plating apparatus that can be stored and controlled in rotation at a predetermined number of rotations corresponding to each work. Furthermore, by providing a guide means for guiding the plating solution to the barrel side upstream of the barrel unit in the plating bath,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a barrel plating apparatus capable of efficiently guiding a plating solution to a barrel side and improving plating efficiency. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the object of the first aspect, the working conditions of the plating solution are made uniform,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a barrel plating apparatus capable of achieving uniform plating of a plurality of barrels. (D) Means for Solving the Problems The invention described in the first aspect of the present invention is a barrel plating apparatus in which a barrel unit is immersed in a plating bath, wherein a separate circulation tank is provided from the plating bath. A liquid circulation means for forcibly circulating the plating solution at a predetermined flow rate in each tank is provided, and a plurality of barrel units in which each barrel is independently driven are arranged in the plating bath, and on both upstream sides of each barrel unit in the plating bath. The barrel plating apparatus is provided with a guide means for guiding a plating solution to the barrel side. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the liquid circulating means includes a jet pipe arranged at a bottom of a plating bath, and each of the jet pipes The barrel plating apparatus is characterized in that it is a barrel plating apparatus in which an injection hole for ejecting a plating solution is formed in a portion facing a lower surface of the barrel. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the plating solution is forcibly circulated between the circulation bath and the plating bath at a predetermined flow rate by the above-mentioned liquid circulating means. The liquid concentration and the liquid composition can be made uniform, and the fluctuation of PH inside the barrel can be suppressed as much as possible. As a result, good plating with a uniform film thickness can be performed, and the current efficiency is improved by circulation of the plating solution, so that the plating time can be shortened and the plating efficiency can be improved. There is. In addition, since a plurality of barrel units are arranged in the plating bath and the barrels of each of the barrel units are independently driven, different works are accommodated in the plurality of barrel units, and the predetermined work corresponding to each work is performed. Has the effect that the rotation can be controlled by the number of rotations, and therefore there is the effect that different workpieces can be plated simultaneously. Further, since the guide means for guiding the plating solution to the barrel side is provided on both sides of the upstream of each barrel unit in the plating bath, the plating solution is guided to each barrel side while collecting the plating solution, thereby improving the plating efficiency. effective. According to the invention of the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the invention of the first aspect, the plating solution is jetted out of the injection hole of the jet tube to each barrel under the same condition, so that the plurality of barrels can be used. There is an effect that a uniform plating process can be performed on the work. (F) Embodiment One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings show a barrel plating apparatus. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the barrel plating apparatus has a plating bath 2 mounted on a circulation device 1 and a plurality of barrel units 3 in the plating bath 2 at regular intervals. And partially immersed in each tank
A liquid circulating device 4 is provided for forcibly circulating the plating solution A of 1, 2 in the upper and lower tanks 1, 2 at a predetermined flow rate, for example, 2 m / sec. Each of the barrel units 3 described above is configured as follows. That is, left and right standing plates 5 and 6 are provided upright at a predetermined interval, and these standing plates 5 and 6 are connected by stays 7. A hexagonal cylindrical barrel 8 is rotatably supported below the pair of standing plates 5 and 6, and is mounted above the barrel 8 between the standing plates 5 and 6. A motor base 10 as a machine base is horizontally stretched via shafts 9,9. A DC geared motor 11 equipped with a speed control device (not shown) is mounted on the motor base 10.
A driving gear 12 is fitted on a rotating shaft of the DC geared motor 11. On the other hand, the ring gear 13 formed integrally with the barrel 8 described above.
And two driving gears 12, two idle gears 14, 14 supported by one of the upright plates 5 are interposed, and the respective gears 12, 14, 14 are driven when the DC geared motor 11 is driven. , 13 so as to rotate the above-mentioned barrel 8 in the plating solution A. Further, on the back surface of the other standing plate 6, a negative electrode plate 15 for supplying electricity to a barrel electrode (not shown) in the barrel 4 is provided.
This negative electrode plate 15 is covered with an insulating cover 16. The above-mentioned barrel 8 has a perforated plate 17 of a predetermined mesh through which the plating solution A can flow in and out. Further, a total of four support rods 18 project outwardly from the left and right standing plates 5 and 6, and each of the support rods 18 is fixed to an upper edge of the plating bath 2. By mounting on the top, the barrel unit 3 is partially immersed horizontally in the plating solution A in the plating bath 2. The distance between the lower part of the barrel 8 and the bottom of the plating bath 2 is kept at a predetermined distance L1. As described above, the anode units 20 as positive electrode units are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of each of the barrel units 3 partially immersed in the plating bath 2. The above-described anode unit 20 includes a suspension rod 22 laid horizontally between fixed blocks 21, 21 attached to the upper edge of the plating bath 2.
And two basket-shaped anodes 23 suspended from the suspension rod 22 in the plating solution A.
The above-mentioned anodes 23, 23 of a predetermined mesh which does not hinder the flow of
It is configured to store a metal chip corresponding to plating inside. In addition, the above-mentioned anodes 23, 23 are immersed in a depth corresponding to the above-mentioned barrel 8, and each of the anodes 23, 23
The distance between the lower part and the bottom of the plating bath 2 is a predetermined distance
L2 (where L2 <L1) is held. Further, flappers 24, 24 as guide means for guiding the flow of the plating solution A to the barrel 8 side are provided near the upstream side of each of the barrel units 3 described above. , 25 and are pivotally supported inside the left and right side walls of the plating bath 2. By the way, the above-mentioned liquid circulation device 4 is configured as follows. That is, a line 28 provided with a first hydraulic pump 27 is connected between the jet pipe 26 disposed at the center of the bottom of the plating bath 2 and the bottom of one side of the circulation bath 1. A line in which a second hydraulic pump 30 and a filter 31 are interposed between the plating solution inflow port 29 of FIG.
The overflow section 33 on the downstream side of the plating bath 2 and the other side of the circulation tank 1 are connected by a return passage 34. On the upstream side of the overflow section 33, a weir 36 that can be adjusted up and down is provided between the opposed grooves 35 formed on the inner wall of the plating bath 2 so as to adjust the level of the plating solution A. . In addition, a jet hole 26a for jetting a plating solution is provided at a portion of the jet pipe 26 facing the lower surface of the center of the barrel 8.
Has been drilled. The illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation will be described below. For example, in order to electroplate an ABS resin button to be attached to clothes, etc., the above button is electrolessly plated in advance, a nickel surface layer of about 0.2 micron is formed on the surface of this button, and this nickel surface layer is formed. A large number of buttons (hereinafter simply abbreviated as "work") are stored in the above-mentioned barrels 8. A barrel 8 containing the above-mentioned work is immersed in a predetermined amount in a plating solution A as shown in FIG. 2, and the barrel 8 is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations by driving a DC gear mode motor 11, and a negative electrode plate is formed. 15 is applied negatively, and the positive electrode plate outside the barrel 8, the so-called anode 23, is applied positively. In addition, the above-described liquid circulation device 4 is driven to forcibly circulate the plating solution in the upper plating bath 2 from the upstream side to the downstream side at a predetermined flow rate, for example, 2 m / sec. As described above, when a predetermined voltage is applied to each of the above-mentioned electrodes, a metal is precipitated from the plating solution A as a metal salt solution by an electrolytic reaction, and plating is performed on a negatively applied work surface by a cathode reaction. it can. At the time of the above-described plating reaction, the plating solution A is forcibly controlled at a predetermined flow rate between the circulation bath 1 and the plating bath 2, particularly inside and outside the barrel 8, by the solution circulating device 4. And the fluctuation of PH inside the barrel 8 can be suppressed as much as possible. As a result, good plating with a uniform film thickness can be performed, and the current efficiency is improved by the circulation of the plating solution A, so that the plating time can be shortened and the plating efficiency can be improved. effective. In addition, since the barrel rotation motors 11 are provided for each of the barrel units 3..., The rotation of each of the barrels 8 is controlled at a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the type of the work to be stored in the barrel 8. Can be. Furthermore, if a DC geared motor is used as the motor 11, a sufficient rotation torque can be obtained despite its small size. Further, when the plating bath 2 is mounted on the circulation bath 1 to form a two-stage structure, the area occupied by the entire barrel plating apparatus can be reduced, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and size. In addition, the metal chip put into the above-mentioned anode 23,
It goes without saying that a nickel chip is used for nickel plating, a copper chip is used for copper plating, and a metal salt solution is a plating solution according to these plating modes. In short, a plurality of barrel units are arranged in a plating bath, and the barrel of each barrel unit is
Since each is configured to be driven independently at 11, there is an effect that different works can be stored in a plurality of barrel units and the rotation can be controlled at a predetermined number of rotations corresponding to each work. Thus, there is an effect that plating can be performed simultaneously. In addition, a guide means (see flapper 24) for guiding the plating solution to the barrel side in the plating bath upstream of the barrel unit is provided, so that the plating solution is guided well to the barrel side to improve plating efficiency. There is an effect that can be. In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the liquid circulating means of the present invention corresponds to the liquid circulating device 4 of the embodiment, and similarly, the guide means corresponds to the flapper 24. Is not limited only to the configuration of the above embodiment.

[Brief description of the drawings] The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a plan view of a barrel plating apparatus, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the device, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1 ... circulation tank, 2 ... plating bath 3 ... Barrel unit, 4 ... Liquid circulation device 8 ... barrel, 24 ... flapper (guidance means) 26 …… jet tube, 26a …… injector

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A barrel plating apparatus in which a barrel unit is immersed in a plating bath, provided with a separate circulation tank from the plating bath, and provided with a liquid circulation means for forcibly circulating a plating solution at a predetermined flow rate in each tank. A barrel plating apparatus comprising: a plurality of barrel units in which each barrel is independently driven; and guide means for guiding a plating solution toward the barrel on both sides of the plating bath upstream of each barrel unit. 2. The liquid circulation means is provided with a jet pipe arranged at the bottom of a plating bath, and a jet hole for jetting a plating solution is formed in a portion of the jet pipe facing the lower surface of each barrel. 2. The barrel plating apparatus according to 1.