JP2839940B2 - Sealed aluminum plating equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a plating apparatus used for electroplating aluminum on a metal material such as steel in a closed atmosphere.

[Prior Art] Aluminum is a material in which an oxide film formed on the surface functions as a protective film and exhibits excellent corrosion resistance.
By utilizing this property, for example, when a metal material such as a steel plate is plated with aluminum, a material excellent in corrosion resistance and durability can be obtained.

The aluminum plating layer has been formed on the surface of the object by the hot-dip plating method. However, in the hot-dip plating method, it is necessary to heat and melt aluminum to a temperature of 600 ° C. or more to form a plating bath. Therefore, the consumption of the heat source used for heating and melting is large. In addition, in order to maintain the aluminum in a molten state, it is necessary to select a member constituting the plating tank and a heat-resistant lining, and it is necessary to periodically repair the plating tank.

Therefore, recently, a plating method using a molten salt bath, an electroplating method using an electrolytic solution maintained at a relatively low temperature of 200 ° C. or lower, and the like have been developed. For example,
JP-A-63-26399 discloses that electroplating is performed by holding an anhydrous organic aluminum electrolytic solution in a plating tank in a closed chamber, introducing a material to be plated into the plating tank through an intermediate chamber. .

Further, the present applicants have also disclosed in JP-A-64-87799, JP-A-1-272788, JP-A-1-272790, etc., a plating bath, a plating method, and a pretreatment for this type of aluminum plating. Etc. are introduced.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When an aluminum plating layer is formed by electroplating, a plating bath used is liable to be deteriorated by oxygen, moisture and the like in the air. Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-107, a plating apparatus having a special structure has been developed in order to keep a plating bath shielded from the atmosphere.

However, in the plating apparatus disclosed in JP-A-63-26399, the path for introducing the object to be plated into the plating bath is a vertically upward, horizontal and vertically downward complicated path,
The equipment configuration becomes complicated and the equipment cost increases, and maintenance and inspection of the equipment becomes troublesome. In addition, the complexity of the equipment configuration causes a problem with an airtight structure for maintaining the plating bath in an atmosphere shielded from the atmosphere.

Therefore, the present invention aims at simplifying the structure by arranging the intermediate chamber in the lateral direction with respect to the plating tank, and introducing and carrying out the material to be plated by a drive mechanism that moves forward and backward in the horizontal direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a plating apparatus having excellent properties.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the object, a sealed aluminum plating apparatus of the present invention includes a plating chamber having a plating tank therein,
A sealable intermediate chamber horizontally arranged in the lateral direction of the plating chamber, an exhaust pipe opened to the inside of the intermediate chamber and connected to a vacuum device, and an inert gas supply source opened to the inside of the intermediate chamber. A connected intake pipe, a trolley on which a jig for suspending a workpiece is mounted, a movable wall provided on a side of the trolley, and a peripheral edge with which the movable wall contacts, an intermediate chamber and a plating chamber. An opening for passing a trolley formed in a wall that partitions the trolley, a drive mechanism for laterally moving the trolley between the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber is provided, and the jig sent into the plating chamber is provided. A transfer mechanism for transporting to the plating tank is provided inside the plating chamber.

[Operation] In the plating apparatus of the present invention, an intermediate chamber is arranged on the side of the plating chamber. Therefore, the work can be transferred from the intermediate chamber to the plating chamber or from the plating chamber to the intermediate chamber. Further, the work is sent into the plating chamber after the work is once held in the intermediate chamber and the intermediate chamber is maintained in a predetermined inert atmosphere, so that the atmosphere inside the plating chamber does not communicate with the atmosphere. Therefore, the deterioration of the plating solution contained in the plating tank in the plating chamber is prevented.

Also, when the movable wall provided on the cart seals the opening formed in the wall separating the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber, the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber automatically communicate with each other depending on the position of the cart. State or cutoff state. Therefore, the sealing mechanism for the plating chamber is simplified.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings by way of examples.

In the plating apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate chamber 100 and the plating chamber 200 are horizontally adjacent to each other. These intermediate chamber 100 and plating room 2
00 has a rectangular parallelepiped internal space and is formed inside a common wall 150 erected on the foundation. The plating room 200
It protrudes above the intermediate chamber 100. The floor 101 of the intermediate chamber 100 is provided one step higher than the floor 201 of the plating chamber 200.

A trolley 300 that accommodates the work W suspended by the jig 350
However, it is arranged so as to be able to reciprocate between the intermediate chamber 100 and the plating chamber 200. Wheels 301 and 302 of the trolley 300 roll on a pair of rails laid on the floor 101 of the intermediate chamber 100 and the floor 201 of the plating chamber 200, respectively.

The bogie 300 is a base frame that extends horizontally near the floor 101.
A pair of supports 321 are provided upright at both ends of the 320. These supports 321 extend vertically upward on both lateral sides of the work W, and are provided with saddles 322 at the upper ends on which the horizontal members 351 of the jig 350 are seated. A movable wall 310 is connected to an upper end and a lower end of the support 321 via a bracket 311 on the side of the plating chamber 200 of the cart 300. The movable wall 310 is connected to a rod 401 extending from the cylinder 400 via a bracket 402 and a plurality of compression coil springs 403.

Thereby, when the bogie 300 is moved rightward in FIG. 1 by extending the rod 401, the movable wall 310
It contacts the periphery of the opening 151 between the plating chamber 200 and the plating chamber 200.
At this time, the movable wall 310 is pressed against the peripheral portion of the opening 151 with a uniform force by the negative coil spring 403 attached to the movable wall 310, and the plating chamber 200 is airtightly isolated from the intermediate chamber 100.

When the rod 401 is retracted, the movable wall 310 moves to the left in FIG. 1, and the opening 11 is opened. At the same time, trolley 300
Moves to the plating chamber 200 side together with the work W and the jig 350.

An opening 121 that is opened and closed by a lid 120 is formed in an upper part of the intermediate chamber 100. The lid 120 is supported by the arm 122 via the cylinder 123. A rod 124 extends vertically downward from the cylinder 123, and its tip is fixed to the center of the lid 120. The arm 122 has a rotating shaft 125 supported by a bracket 126 provided on the outer wall of the intermediate chamber 100 as shown in FIG.
It is connected to 128 rods 129. The peripheral edge of the lid 120 and the upper end surface of the wall 130 with which the peripheral edge abuts are
The ring 131 is mounted. Reference numeral 132 indicates the lid 12
This is a guide rod that guides zero vertical movement.

When opening the opening 121, the rod 124 is retracted to release the pressing force applied to the lid 120. Then, the rod 129 of the cylinder 128 is retracted, and the arm 122 is turned around the rotation shaft 125. Thereby, the lid 120
Pivots clockwise in FIG. 2 and separates from the upper end surface of the wall 130. Conversely, when closing the opening 121, the cylinder 1
After extending the rod 129 of the 28 and rotating the arm 122 in the counterclockwise direction, the rod 124 of the cylinder 123 is extended and the lid 120 is pressed against the periphery of the opening 121. Thereby, the lid 120
Is opened with even force to descend while maintaining a horizontal posture.
The opening 121 is hermetically sealed by being pressed against the periphery of the opening 121.

The jig 350 includes a horizontal member 351 extending horizontally above the workpiece W, a short vertical member 352 protruding upward from both ends of the horizontal member, and a short engaging member protruding inward from both the vertical members 352. It has 353. In addition, a pair of holders 354 that hold the work W are provided below the horizontal member 351.

The jig 350 is located inside the plating chamber 200 and the intermediate chamber 10.
The inside of the plating chamber 200 and the intermediate chamber 100 are transferred by the transfer mechanisms 500 and 550 provided above and outside the zero.

The transfer mechanism 500 is provided with a rail 501 extending in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 above the plating chamber 200, and a carriage 502 runs on the rail 501. The carriage 502 is provided with a lifting guide 503 extending downward, and the elevator 504 moves up and down along the lifting guide 503. The hook 505 provided in the elevator 504 enters under the pair of engaging members 353, and engages the jig 350 with the elevator 504. The jig 350 moves up or down as the elevator 504 moves up and down, and moves in the left-right direction in FIG.

Reference numeral 510 denotes a motor for moving the elevator 504 up and down, and is connected to the elevator 504 via a chain, a speed reducer, and the like. The motor 510 is a casing 5 having a closed structure.
11 prevents the motor 510 from being exposed to strongly corrosive plating solution vapor in the plating chamber 200.

On the other hand, in order to move the carriage 502 along the rail 501,
A motor 520 is provided above the upper wall of the plating chamber 200.
The motor 520 is connected to the carriage 502 via a chain and a speed reducer.
It is connected to.

The transfer mechanism 550 disposed in the intermediate chamber 100 also has the same structure as the transfer mechanism 500, and moves the jig 350 up and down and horizontally. FIG. 1 shows the lower part of the transfer mechanism 550, and the other parts are omitted.

On the side wall of the intermediate chamber 100, an exhaust pipe 140 connected to a vacuum pump and an intake pipe 141 connected to an inert gas supply source are provided. When the intermediate chamber 100 is sealed, the air inside the intermediate chamber 100 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 140, and subsequently, an inert gas such as nitrogen is sent from the intake pipe 141. Thus, the inside of the intermediate chamber 100 is maintained in an inert atmosphere. Note that oxygen contained in the internal atmosphere can be completely removed by repeating the evacuation and the introduction of the inert gas.

In the plating chamber 200, a plating tank 250 is disposed. In the illustrated example, two plating tanks 250 are arranged in series in the left-right direction in FIG. 3, but the number of these tanks can be appropriately changed according to the scale of the plating apparatus. The plating tank 250 has a jig 3
A saddle 251 holding 50 is attached to the tank wall. Further, anode holders 252 facing both surfaces of the work W are provided.

The anode holder 252 is provided with the workpiece W as shown in FIG.
A box-shaped main body 253 having substantially the same width and height as that of the workpiece W is provided, and the side facing the workpiece W and the upper surface are open. Further, the vertical side wall 254 has a groove portion 255 whose edge on the side of the work W slightly projects inward and whose inner surface is the bottom surface.
It has become. The width of the groove 255 is preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped anode 260 and less than twice the diameter.

The end wall of the anode holder 252 opposite to the workpiece W projects above the side wall 254. A horizontal member 257 is attached to an upper end of the end wall 256, and an engagement member 259 is provided at an upper end of a vertical member 258 provided on both ends of the horizontal member 257.

The rod-shaped anode 260 is supplied to the anode holder 252 from above, and is held with both ends inserted into the groove 255. At this time, since the width of the groove portion 255 is slightly larger than the diameter of the anode 260, the supplied anodes 260 are arranged in a staggered manner in the vertical direction. Then, the anode 260 disposed on the end wall 256 side is pressed against the end wall 256 under the load of the anode 260 located above.

The plating current is supplied from a power source to the end wall 256 via the vertical member 258 and the horizontal member 257. Then, it flows to the work W via the anode 260 in contact with the end wall 256. At this time, since the anode 260 disposed on the end wall 256 side is pressed against the end wall 256, the contact resistance between the anode 260 and the end wall 256 is small, and the plating current is efficiently applied to the anode 26.
Conveyed to 0. Further, since the work W side of the anode holder 252 is open, the energization efficiency between the anode 260 and the work W is also good.

The anode 260 is consumed as the plating reaction proceeds. The exhausted anode is replenished by inserting a new rod-shaped anode through the upper opening of the anode holder 252. This replenishment work is performed by the transfer mechanism 500 using the plating tank 250
Pull the anode holder 252 out of the middle chamber 100
This is performed after being taken out of the room via.

A saddle 261 is provided at the upper end of the plating tank 250, as shown in FIG. 5, which is a partial sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. The saddle 261 has the anode holder 252 and the plating tank 250
The horizontal member 257 is supported from below in a state of being collapsed.

Beside the horizontal member 257 seated on the saddle 261, the plating chamber 20
The power supply device 270 is attached to the outer surface of the outer wall 201 of the “0”. The power supply device 270 passes through the hole in the outer wall 201 and passes through the plating chamber 20.
It has a power supply rod 271 extending from the inside to the outside. The outer end of the power supply rod 271 is connected via a bracket 272 to a cylinder rod of a cylinder 273 disposed on an extension of the same.

A guide 274 for slidably holding the power supply rod 271 in an airtight manner is fixed to the outer surface of the outer wall 201. The cylinder 273 is fixed to the guide 274 via a plurality of brackets 275. Then, between the bracket 272 and the guide 274, the power supply cable 276 is connected to a screw hole formed on the outer surface of the power supply rod 271.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the power supply rod 271 is retracted by the cylinder 273 so that the anode holder 252 can be pulled up from the plating tank 250 to replenish the anode 260. After supplying a predetermined amount of the anode 260, the horizontal member 257 of the anode holder 252 is seated on the saddle 261. Next, the power supply rod 271 is protruded by the cylinder 273, and the distal end surface 277 is pressed against the horizontal member 257 to obtain an electrical connection. At this time, if a fine stitch-shaped groove is formed in the tip end surface 277 of the power supply rod 271, the contact resistance of the power supply rod 271 to the horizontal member 257 can be reduced, voltage loss can be reduced, and plating cost can be reduced. Can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.
An opening 602 is formed in the outer wall 601 of the plating chamber 200, and a box-shaped casing 603 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the opening 602. The inside of the casing 603 is sealed from the external space,
It communicates with the plating chamber 200 through the opening 602.

The casing 603 has a pair of rails 60 extending in the lateral direction.
4,605 are provided in the upper part and the lower part, respectively.

The frame 610 is composed of a pair of wheels 611 and a lower rail 604.
Are supported by the rail 604. A cylinder 612 extending in the lateral direction is provided on the upper surface of the frame 610.
Is attached, and the rod 613 protrudes toward the jig 350 side.

The frame 620 is also supported on the upper rail 605 via a plurality of pairs of wheels 621 that sandwich the rail 605 from above and below. On the frame 620, the cylinder 622 mounts the rod 623 on the jig 350
It is attached with it protruding to the side. Rod 623
At the underside, a forwardly projecting bracket 624 attaches to the frame 620
Attached to. The support shaft 625 is vertically attached to the front end of the bracket 624.

7, a pair of claws or arms of a chuck 630 are rotatably supported on the support shaft 625, as shown in FIG. 7, which is a cross section taken along line VII-VII of FIG. The chuck 630 has a base end connected to the rod 623 via a lever arm, and holds the vertical member 352 of the jig 350 from both sides at a portion forward of the support shaft 625.

Above the rail 605, a power supply rod 640 extending in the lateral direction is provided as shown in FIG. The power supply rod 640 is slidably disposed in the casing 603 in a sealed state by a seal guide 641 provided on an upper end wall of the casing 603. One end of the power supply rod 640 protrudes outside from the seal guide 641, and a power supply cable extending from a cathode power supply (not shown) disposed outside.
642 is connected.

A front portion of the power supply rod 640 is fixed to a bracket 624 provided on the frame 620 inside the casing 603. This allows the power supply cable 642, power supply rod
Power is supplied to the jig 350 via the 640, the cable 643, and the chuck 630, and the power is supplied to the work W from the jig 350.

A motor 650 is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom wall of the casing 603. An output shaft 651 of the motor 650 is provided to protrude upward in the casing 603, and a rotating plate is provided at an upper end thereof.
652 is mounted horizontally. On the rotating plate 652, a support shaft of a roller 653 disposed above the rotating plate 652 is vertically attached. The roller 653 is a groove formed on the lower surface of the frame 610.
It is fitted into the 654, and the relative movement in the lateral direction with respect to the frame 610 is restricted.

The center of the roller 653 is horizontally offset from the center of the output shaft 651 as shown in FIG. Therefore, output shaft 65
When 1 rotates, the rollers 653 pivot about the output shaft 651, causing the frame 610 to reciprocate in the lateral direction.

Reference numeral 700 in FIG. 2 is a viewing window provided on the outer wall 201 for observing the inside of the plating chamber 200, in which tempered glass 701 having excellent chemical resistance is fitted.

The plating for the workpiece W is performed by the plating apparatus described above. At this time, it is necessary to perform a pre-treatment and a post-treatment on the workpiece W in order to perform plating well and improve the surface properties after plating. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, a pre-processing line 20 and a post-processing line 30 are added to the plating apparatus 10. In the pretreatment line 20, a plurality of tanks 21 for performing degreasing, washing, pickling, and the like are arranged in series. On the other hand, the post-processing line 30 has a plurality of tanks 31 for performing cleaning, chemical conversion, and the like, respectively, arranged in series. Further, between the pre-processing line 20 and the post-processing line 30 and the plating apparatus 10, a transfer device 40 for moving the workpiece W in the lateral direction is provided.

In FIG. 8, a layout in which a pre-processing line 20 and a post-processing line 30 are arranged in parallel on one side of the plating apparatus 10 is adopted. However, without being bound by this,
Pre-processing line 20 and post-processing line 30 are arranged linearly,
It goes without saying that a layout incorporating a plating apparatus in the middle can be adopted. In this case, the plating chamber 20
It is preferable to arrange the intermediate chambers 100 on both front and rear sides of 0 and use them for insertion and discharge.

Next, a plating operation using the above plating apparatus will be described.

The workpiece W to be plated is suspended by a jig 350 and moved by the transfer mechanism 550 to the pretreatment line 20 by the plating apparatus 1.
While being sent toward 0, degreasing, pickling,
Drying or the like is performed, and the surface is conditioned to a surface state suitable for plating.

The pre-processed work W is inserted into the intermediate chamber 100 with the lid 120 opened. In the intermediate chamber 100,
The horizontal member 351 of the jig 350 that hangs the work W is saddle 322
Mounted on Then, after attaching the lid body 120 to the opening 121 and sealing the intermediate chamber 100, the inside of the intermediate chamber 100 is purged of oxygen and moisture by vacuum suction via the exhaust pipe 140 and introduction of inert gas via the intake pipe 141. Maintain an inert atmosphere that does not contain it.

At this time, the bogie 300 is located at the right moving end in FIG. 1, and the movable wall 310 is pressed against the wall 150. Therefore, opening the lid 120 prevents the atmosphere in the intermediate chamber 100 communicating with the atmosphere from flowing into the plating chamber 200 side.

The inside of the intermediate chamber 100 reaches a predetermined inert atmosphere,
At the stage of plating the work W, the cylinder
Driving 400 moves the rod 401 backward. Thereby, the cart 300 is pulled by the rod 401 and moves to the plating chamber 200 side.

In the plating room 200, the jig 350
Is received, and the work W is immersed in a predetermined plating tank 250. Electric power is supplied from the cathode power supply mechanism 600 to the jig 350 that suspends the work W immersed in the plating tank 250. On the other hand, power is supplied to the anode 260 from the power supply device 270. Then, the work W is plated with the work W facing the anode 260.

The plating solution used includes, for example, aluminum halide, alkyl, pyridinium, quaternary ammonium salts, etc. proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 17889/1989 and 272788/1982. Non-aqueous liquids can be used. Such a plating bath is easily changed by oxygen and moisture contained in the atmosphere.
However, as described above, since the plating chamber 200 is shielded from the atmosphere via the intermediate chamber 100, the plating solution is maintained in a stable initial state. Therefore, plating can be performed under the same conditions, and a plated product of constant quality can be obtained.

In addition, it is preferable to prepare a stock solution in which a predetermined component is dissolved at a high concentration, and to control the inflow of this plating solution so that an appropriate amount of the stock solution is supplied to a plating bath. For example, a means is employed in which the components of the plating bath and the amounts thereof are detected, and based on the detection results, the insufficient plating components are supplied through an appropriate flow rate adjusting mechanism. Thereby, the plating tank 25
The plating bath housed in 0 always has constant components and compositions, and plating can be continued under stable conditions.

The plated work W is pulled up from the plating tank 250 by an operation reverse to that at the time of loading, mounted on the carriage 300, and sent to the intermediate chamber 100. Then, open the lid 120 with the opening 12
Remove from 1 and transfer mechanism 550 to intermediate chamber 10
It is discharged from 0 and sent to the post-processing line 30. After being subjected to appropriate treatments such as washing, drying and chemical conversion treatment in the post-treatment line 30, the product is obtained.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the plating apparatus of the present invention, the workpiece to be plated is sent from the intermediate chamber to the plating chamber while basically moving horizontally. Therefore, the height can be particularly suppressed without increasing the size of the apparatus configuration, and the work can be transferred between the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber with a simple driving mechanism. In addition, the movable wall provided on the cart can maintain a state of shutoff between the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber, thereby simplifying the sealing structure for the plating chamber. As described above, since the plating is performed in the plating chamber maintained in an atmosphere shielded from the atmosphere, deterioration of the aluminum plating solution is suppressed, and it is possible to manufacture a constant aluminum plating product under stable conditions. Becomes

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 8 of the aluminum plating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention viewed from the work loading direction, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the anode holder, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the entire plating line incorporating the plating apparatus. 100: Intermediate chamber, 140: Exhaust pipe 141: Intake pipe, 150: Wall 151: Opening, 200: Plating chamber 250: Plating tank 300: Dolly, 310: Movable wall 350: Jig, 400: Cylinder (drive mechanism) 500: Transfer mechanism, W: Work

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Setsuko Takahashi 1-7-1, Takatani-Shimmachi, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd. New Materials Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Masayoshi Tatana 5-5 Ishizu-Nishimachi, Sakai-shi, Osaka (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Asakawa 4-31-16, Daiho, Kanan-cho, Minamikawachi-gun, Osaka (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sugiura 3-10-18 Nishiokamoto, Higashinada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo (72) Inventor Mori Jun Jun 26-1-306, Sakae-cho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka (72) Inventor Tadaaki Narada 24-1-1405, Ikeda-kitamachi, Neyagawa-shi, Osaka (56) References JP-A-53-129130 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) C25D 17/00, 17/06, 3/66

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plating chamber having a plating tank therein, a sealable intermediate chamber horizontally arranged in a horizontal direction of the plating chamber, and an exhaust pipe opened inside the intermediate chamber and connected to a vacuum device. An intake pipe opened to the inside of the intermediate chamber and connected to an inert gas supply source, a bogie on which a jig for suspending a work is mounted, and a movable wall provided on a side portion of the bogie; An opening for bogie passage having a peripheral portion with which a movable wall abuts and formed in a wall separating the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber, and a drive mechanism for laterally moving the bogie between the intermediate chamber and the plating chamber And
A closed aluminum plating apparatus, wherein a transfer mechanism for transferring the jig sent into the plating chamber to the plating tank is provided inside the plating chamber.