JP6325787B2 - Chemical processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a chemical processing apparatus.

  In recent years, so-called flexible circuit boards in which a wiring circuit is formed on an insulating substrate having flexibility have been increasingly used in electronic devices such as liquid crystal televisions and mobile phones.

  As a plating apparatus used for the manufacture of such a flexible circuit board, a plating apparatus that sandwiches and conveys the upper end of a work with a plurality of clamps, supplies power to the work, and performs an electroplating process on the surface of the work passing through the plating tank Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the plating apparatus according to Patent Document 1, power is supplied to a work having a metal thin film on the surface from a clamp that contacts a rail connected to a power source via a power supply brush.

JP 2006-193794 A

  However, in the plating apparatus according to Patent Document 1, the current flowing through the clamp varies due to variations in contact resistance between the power supply brush and the clamp, and an excessive current may flow instantaneously through the clamp. If an excessive current flows through the clamp, the metal thin film in the vicinity of the power feeding portion held by the clamp at the upper end of the workpiece may be melted. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the current flowing through the workpiece within a range in which the metal thin film does not melt, and it may be difficult to increase productivity by increasing the current flowing through the workpiece through the clamp.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above, Comprising: It aims at providing the chemical processing apparatus excellent in productivity.

According to the chemical processing apparatus of one aspect of the present invention,
A chemical processing apparatus for performing an electrochemical treatment on the surface of a sheet-like workpiece to be conveyed,
A plurality of clamps for holding an upper end portion in a vertical direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece and energizing the workpiece with a current supplied from a power source;
Energizing means for energizing at least six of the plurality of clamps by directly connecting adjacent clamps to each other ;
An electrode connected to the power source;
A plurality of power supply brushes connected to the electrodes and supplying power to the clamp;
Pressing means for pressing the power supply brush downward from the upper side toward the clamp,
The clamp sequentially contacts the plurality of power supply brushes while conveying the workpiece,
The contact surface of the power supply brush with the clamp has a chamfered portion at an upstream end in the transport direction.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, a chemical processing apparatus excellent in productivity can be provided.

It is a figure which illustrates schematic structure of the chemical processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which illustrates the schematic structure of the clamp and electric power feeding mechanism which concern on embodiment. It is a side view which illustrates schematic structure of the clamp and electric power feeding mechanism which concern on embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the relationship between the number of the clamps supplied with electricity, and the dispersion | variation in the electric current actual value which flows into a clamp.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a chemical processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the chemical processing apparatus 100 includes a work supply apparatus 1, a work collection apparatus 2, a pretreatment tank 3, a plating tank 4, a posttreatment tank 5, an endless belt 12, pulleys 13 and 14, and a clamp 15. Then, electroplating is performed on the surface of the workpiece 10 that is the object to be processed. In the drawings shown below, the X direction is the conveying direction of the workpiece 10 between the pulley 13 and the pulley 14 and the longitudinal direction of the plating tank 4, the Y direction is the short direction of the plating tank 4, and the Z direction is the vertical direction. is there.

  The workpiece 10 is a long sheet-like object to be processed, and is formed of various materials such as a resin material. Moreover, when the electroplating process is performed, the workpiece 10 needs to be energized as a cathode, and a seed layer made of a conductor such as a metal thin film is formed on the surface. Note that the seed layer is formed on one side of the workpiece 10 when plating is performed on one side of the workpiece 10, and is formed on both sides of the workpiece 10 when plating is performed on both sides.

  The workpiece supply apparatus 1 is a supply unit that supplies the workpiece 10 to the chemical processing line of the chemical processing apparatus 100, and sends out the workpiece 10 wound in a roll shape by a plurality of conveying rollers.

  The workpiece recovery device 2 is a recovery unit that recovers the workpiece 10 that has been subjected to chemical processing in the chemical processing apparatus 100. Contrary to the workpiece supply device 1, the workpiece recovery device 2 winds and recovers the workpiece 10 in a roll shape.

  The pretreatment tank 3 is a treatment tank that performs a pretreatment for the electroplating process on the workpiece 10. For example, a treatment for cleaning the surface of the workpiece 10 or a treatment for improving the wettability of the surface of the workpiece 10 is performed.

  The plating tank 4 is a chemical processing tank that applies an electroplating process to the workpiece 10. The plating tank 4 can store a plating solution, and the surface of the workpiece 10 is plated by performing an electroplating process by immersing the workpiece 10 in the plating solution. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the example in which the plating tank 4 is installed as a chemical processing tank, the chemical processing tank which performs other electrochemical processes, such as electrolytic etching, may be provided, for example.

  The plating tank 4 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends long along the conveyance direction of the workpiece 10. With such a shape, electroplating processing time in the plating tank 4 is ensured, and sufficient electroplating processing can be performed in one tank, thereby improving productivity. The plating tank 4 is provided with a slit-like inlet that is long in the Z direction on the right side in FIG. 1, and a slit-like outlet that is long in the Z direction on the left side like the inlet. The workpiece 10 enters the plating tank 4 from the entrance on the right side in FIG. 1 and is discharged from the exit on the left side after being immersed in a plating solution and subjected to electroplating.

  The post-treatment tank 5 is a treatment tank that performs, for example, cleaning or the like as a post-treatment of the workpiece 10 that has been subjected to the electroplating process. The cleaning in the post-treatment tank 5 may be, for example, water washing or chemical solution cleaning using a chemical solution.

  The endless belt 12 is an endless metal belt made of, for example, stainless steel, and a plurality of clamps 15 are fixedly provided at predetermined intervals and are wound around pulleys 13 and 14. At least one of the pulleys 13 and 14 is rotationally driven, and the endless belt 12 rotates as the pulleys 13 and 14 rotate.

  The plurality of clamps 15 provided on the endless belt 12 are clamp means for holding the upper end portion of the workpiece 10 sent out from the workpiece supply device 1, and rotate together with the endless belt 12 to convey the workpiece 10. The clamp 15 passes through the pretreatment tank 3, the plating tank 4, and the posttreatment tank 5 while holding the workpiece 10, and opens the workpiece 10 after a predetermined treatment is performed. The workpiece 10 released from the clamp 15 is taken up and collected by the workpiece collection device 2.

  In addition to the clamp 15 that holds the upper end of the workpiece 10, a clamp that holds the lower end of the workpiece 10 may be provided. By adopting a configuration in which both ends of the workpiece 10 are held, the workpiece 10 is prevented from being wrinkled or loosened, and the electroplating process can be performed more uniformly.

  In the chemical processing apparatus 100 having the configuration described above, first, the work 10 is sent out from the work supply apparatus 1, and a plurality of clamps 15 provided on the endless belt 12 hold and convey the upper end of the work 10. The workpiece 10 is conveyed while being held by the clamp 15, and is subjected to each treatment through the pretreatment tank 3, the plating tank 4, and the posttreatment tank 5. The workpiece 10 that has undergone a series of chemical treatments is released from the clamp 15, wound around the workpiece collection device 2, and collected. The surface of the workpiece 10 is plated by the above operation in the chemical processing apparatus 100.

  2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating schematic configurations of the clamp 15 and the power feeding mechanism 30 according to the embodiment. 2 is a front view of the clamp 15 and the power feeding mechanism 30, and FIG. 3 is a side view.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chemical processing apparatus 100 is provided with a plurality of clamps 15 having the same configuration, and each of the plurality of clamps 15 includes a positioning roller 17, a belt fixing plate 18, a base plate 19, and a rotation support. A plate 21, a work holding plate 23, and a power supply terminal 24 are provided. Note that the clamp 15 is not limited to the configuration according to the present embodiment as long as the workpiece 10 is held and conveyed and the workpiece 10 can be energized from the power feeding mechanism 30.

  The positioning rollers 17 are provided on both surfaces of the belt fixing plate 18 and, for example, come into contact with the upper surface of a positioning member provided in the plating tank 4 so that the workpiece 10 is conveyed at an appropriate position with respect to the liquid level of the plating solution. The position (height) of the clamp 15 is determined as described above.

  The belt fixing plate 18 is provided with positioning rollers 17 on both sides, and an endless belt 12 (not shown) is fixed to the back side in FIG. The clamp 15 is fixed to the endless belt 12 by a belt fixing plate 18 and moves along with the rotating endless belt 12. Further, the upper end side of the belt fixing plate 18 is bent in a substantially horizontal direction, and a contact surface 16 that contacts the power supply brush 32 of the power supply mechanism 30 is provided.

  The base plate 19 is fixed to the lower end portion of the belt fixing plate 18, and is electrically connected to the base plate 19 of the other clamp 15 by the electric wire 25.

  The rotation support plate 21 is provided so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 22 and is urged counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by a spring or the like, for example. Further, the rotation support plate 21 is provided with a roller 20 at an upper end portion and a work holding plate 23a at a lower end portion.

  When the roller 20 is pressed toward the base plate 19 in the vicinity of the workpiece supply device 1, the rotation support plate 21 rotates clockwise around the rotation shaft 22 together with the workpiece holding plate 23a, and the workpiece holding plate 23a. , 23b are opened. In this state, after the workpiece 10 is supplied from the workpiece supply device 1 between the workpiece holding plates 23a and 23b, the pressed roller 20 is released, and the rotation support plate 21 and the workpiece holding plate 23a are shown in FIG. The workpiece 10 is clamped between the workpiece holding plates 23a and 23b. When the roller 20 is pressed again in a state where the workpiece 10 is sandwiched and the rotation support plate 21 and the workpiece holding plate 23a are rotated, the workpiece holding plates 23a and 23b are opened and the workpiece 10 is released.

  As described above, the work holding plate 23 a is provided at the lower end of the rotation support plate 21, and is provided so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 22 together with the rotation support plate 21. The work holding plate 23 b is provided at the lower end of the base plate 19. The work holding plates 23 a and 23 b are provided with power supply terminals 24 facing the lower ends of the work holding plates 23 a and 23 b, respectively. As described above, the work holding plates 23a and 23b can be opened and closed to hold or release the work 10 when the work holding plate 23a rotates together with the rotation support plate 21.

  The belt fixing plate 18, the base plate 19, the work holding plate 23, and the power supply terminal 24 of the clamp 15 are each formed of a conductor such as metal, for example, and current supplied from a power supply mechanism 30 connected to a power source (not shown). The work 10 is energized.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the power supply mechanism 30 includes a cathode bus bar 31, a power supply brush 32, and a pressing spring 33.

  The cathode bus bar 31 is a rectangular plate-like electrode that is long in the X direction and is connected to a power source (not shown) via a rectifier. For example, the cathode bus bar 31 is fixed to the upper part of the plating tank 4. A plurality of power supply brushes 32 are provided below the cathode bus bar 31.

  The power supply brush 32 is a power supply unit that sequentially contacts the contact surface 16 of the clamp 15 that passes under the cathode bus bar 31 and supplies power to the clamp 15 from a power source. The power supply brush 32 is pressed toward the clamp 15 by a pressing spring 33 as pressing means provided between the power supply brush 32 and the cathode bus bar 31. Even if the positions of the clamps 15 in the Z direction vary, the power supply brush 32 is pressed by the pressing spring 33 so that the contact area with the contact surface 16 of each clamp 15 is kept constant.

  The power supply mechanism 30 has the configuration described above, and supplies power to the clamp 15 from a power source (not shown) via the cathode bus bar 31 and the power supply brush 32.

  Here, the base plate 19 of the clamp 15 is provided with an electric wire 25, and the base plate 19 of the plurality of clamps 15 is energized by the electric wire 25. The electric wire 25 is an energizing means for energizing the base plate 19 of at least two clamps 15. When the base plates 19 of the plurality of clamps 15 are energized by the electric wires 25, variations in current supplied from the clamps 15 to the workpiece 10 are reduced.

  Next, the measurement result of the current that actually flows through the clamp 15 will be described.

In the measurement of the current, the length of the plating tank 4 in the X direction was 14.5 m, a platinum coating with a thickness of 10 μm was formed on the surface of the power supply terminal 24, and the contact area between the power supply terminal 24 and the workpiece 10 was 18 mm ^2. The chemical processing apparatus 100 in which the endless belt 12 was provided with a plurality of clamps 15 at intervals of 75 mm was performed. In addition, the number of clamps 15 that are energized by the electric wire 25 using a plating solution in which sulfuric acid 120 g / L, copper sulfate 120 g / L, chlorine 50 mg / L, and a plating brightener made by Cookson Electronics Co., Ltd. are bathed at 20 mg / L. And the value of the current flowing through the clamp 15 when the electroplating process with a thickness of 4 μm was performed on the workpiece 10 was measured. The current value flowing through the clamp 15 was measured using an oscilloscope DL750 manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation and a clamp-on AC / DC HiTester 3285 manufactured by Hioki Electric Co., Ltd.

  FIG. 4 is a measurement result in the chemical processing apparatus 100 described above, and shows the relationship between the number of clamps 15 that are energized and the variation in the actual measured value of current flowing through the clamps 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the electric wire 25 is not provided and the clamp 15 is not energized by the electric wire, there is a large variation in the current flowing through the clamp 15 with respect to the set value, and the maximum reaches 181% of the set value. Current is generated. When such a large current flows through the clamp 15, the seed layer on the surface of the workpiece 10 may be dissolved in the vicinity of the power supply terminal 24.

  On the other hand, the dispersion | variation in the electric current which flows into the clamp 15 is reduced by connecting the some clamp 15 with the electric wire 25 and supplying with electricity. As the number of the clamps 15 to be energized is increased, the variation in the current flowing through the clamps 15 is reduced. Since the electric wire 25 energizes the eight clamps 15, the maximum current flowing through the clamps 15 is suppressed to 111% with respect to the set value.

  In this way, by energizing the plurality of clamps 15 with the electric wires 25, variations in the current flowing through the clamps 15 are suppressed, and the possibility that the seed layer on the surface of the workpiece 10 is melted is also reduced. Therefore, it is possible to increase the set value of the current passed through the clamp 15 in the electroplating process, improve the plating process speed, and increase the productivity.

  For example, when the electric wire 25 is not provided and the clamp 15 is not energized by the electric wire, the production speed under the above conditions is 3 m / min at the maximum. However, since the electric wire 25 energizes the eight clamps 15, a large current can be applied to the clamps 15, the production speed can be increased to 5 m / min, and the productivity can be improved by 66%. .

  As described above, according to the chemical processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when the plurality of clamps 15 are energized by the electric wires 25, variation in the current flowing through the clamps 15 is reduced, and the seed on the surface of the workpiece 10 is seeded. The possibility of the layer dissolving is reduced. Therefore, the set value of the current passed through the clamp 15 can be increased, and the chemical processing apparatus 100 excellent in productivity is provided.

  The chemical treatment apparatus according to the embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made within the scope of the present invention.

10 Work 15 Clamp (Clamping means)
16 Contact surface 25 Electric wire (energization means)
31 Cathode busbar (electrode)
32 Power supply brush (power supply means)
33 Pressing spring (pressing means)
100 chemical treatment equipment

Claims (5)

A chemical processing apparatus for performing an electrochemical treatment on the surface of a sheet-like workpiece to be conveyed,
A plurality of clamps for holding an upper end portion in a vertical direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece and energizing the workpiece with a current supplied from a power source;
Energizing means for energizing at least six of the plurality of clamps by directly connecting adjacent clamps to each other ;
An electrode connected to the power source;
A plurality of power supply brushes connected to the electrodes and supplying power to the clamp;
Pressing means for pressing the power supply brush downward from the upper side toward the clamp,
The clamp sequentially contacts the plurality of power supply brushes while conveying the workpiece,
The chemical processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the power supply brush with the clamp has a chamfered portion at an upstream end portion in the transport direction. The contact surface of the clamp with the power supply brush has an inclined portion inclined downward from an upstream side to a downstream side in the transport direction at an end portion on the downstream side in the transport direction. The chemical processing apparatus according to 1. A chemical processing apparatus for performing an electrochemical treatment on the surface of a sheet-like workpiece to be conveyed,
A plurality of clamps for holding an upper end portion in a vertical direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece and energizing the workpiece with a current supplied from a power source;
Energizing means for energizing at least six of the plurality of clamps by directly connecting adjacent clamps to each other ;
An electrode connected to the power source;
A plurality of power supply brushes connected to the electrodes and supplying power to the clamp;
Pressing means for pressing the power supply brush downward from the upper side toward the clamp,
The clamp sequentially contacts the plurality of power supply brushes while conveying the workpiece,
The chemical contact is characterized in that the contact surface of the clamp with the power supply brush has an inclined portion inclined downward from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction at the downstream end in the transport direction. apparatus.   4. The chemical treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second clamp that holds the lower end portion of the workpiece in the vertical direction. 5.   The chemical processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical process is an electroplating process.

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