JP6737527B2 - Surface treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a surface treatment device or the like that intermittently conveys a work.

Patent Document 1 discloses a plating apparatus that intermittently conveys a work in a plating tank containing a plating solution and supplies a current between an anode and a work (cathode) at each stop position to plate the work. .. In this device, a cyclic intermittent transfer device (sprocket and chain) for intermittently transferring a work to a plating tank and another pretreatment tank and/or posttreatment tank arranged upstream and/or downstream of the plating tank. Is used to intermittently convey the work.

In particular, in this plating apparatus, the current amount supplied to the work is integrated at each stop position in the plating tank, and when the integrated value reaches the required current amount of the work by the control device, the lifting device is driven, The hanger that supports and conveys the work is moved above the plating tank to de-energize the work. Thereby, for example, the amount of current to a large number of small-lot works can be individually adjusted, and the plating film thickness can be individually adjusted for each work.

Japanese Patent No. 2727250

2. Description of the Related Art As an electrolytic plating apparatus, there is known one in which a nozzle tube for discharging a plating solution toward a work is fixedly arranged in a plating tank. No nozzle pipe is used in the plating apparatus of Patent Document 1, and there is no recognition of the problem when the nozzle pipe is arranged in the plating tank that is intermittently transported.

Further, the plating apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a circulating type intermittent transfer device (sprocket and chain) for intermittently transferring a work to a plating tank and another processing tank , and an elevating mechanism for individually raising and lowering a jig (hanger) for each work. Since and are used, the device becomes large-scale. In addition, since the throughput is affected by the total length of the plating tank, whether it is intermittent transfer or continuous transfer, it is necessary to prepare a lineup of various plating apparatuses with different total lengths of plating tanks. At that time, the entire device including the circulating intermittent transfer device must be redesigned.

At least one aspect of the present invention can ensure in-plane uniformity of a workpiece to be processed even if a nozzle tube that discharges the processing liquid toward the workpiece to be processed is intermittently stopped in the processing tank. An object is to provide an intermittent transfer type surface treatment device.

Another at least one aspect of the present invention is an intermittent transfer type surface treatment apparatus capable of controlling current to a work and intermittent transfer over the entire length of the processing tank by connecting processing tank units having a common structure. The purpose is to provide.

(1) One aspect of the present invention is
A treatment tank containing a treatment liquid,
At least one anode disposed in the processing bath,
At least one cathode rail,
A plurality of jigs for suspending and holding a plurality of works immersed in the processing liquid, and contacting the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of works as cathodes are provided in the processing tank. An intermittent transport device for intermittently transporting the plurality of stop positions as start points and/or end points,
In the plan view, at least one is disposed between the work stopped at each of the plurality of stop positions and the at least one anode in plan view, and a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the treatment liquid onto the work. With a tube,
A moving mechanism that moves each of the plurality of nozzle tubes in a scanning manner with respect to the corresponding workpiece that is intermittently stopped,
The present invention relates to a surface treatment device having.

According to one aspect of the present invention, at least one nozzle tube corresponding to the stop position of the work can be scanned and moved with respect to the work that is intermittently stopped. As a result, a region which becomes a shadow of the nozzle tube located between the work and the anode in a plan view and interferes with the electric field between the anode and the cathode moves with the scanning movement of the nozzle tube. Therefore, the region where the electric field is blocked by the nozzle tube is not fixed, and the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece to be processed is improved.

(2) In one aspect (1) of the present invention, the moving mechanism circulates at least once in a length range corresponding to at least a horizontal width of each of the plurality of works stopped at the plurality of stop positions. The plurality of nozzle tubes can be moved to scan. This improves the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece to be processed. In particular, it is preferable to circulate and scan the nozzle tube at least once from the initial position to return to the initial position. This is because the shadow of the nozzle tube is made almost uniform within the work surface.

(3) In one aspect (1) or (2) of the present invention, the plurality of nozzle tubes are at least 2 arranged at respective positions facing each of the plurality of works stopped at the plurality of stop positions. A plurality of nozzle pipes may be included, and the at least two nozzle pipes may include a plurality of ejection ports of the processing liquid at different positions in the vertical direction. By scanning and moving the at least two nozzle tubes with respect to the work, unevenness in which the processing liquid is not directly jetted is reduced, and the in-plane uniformity of the processed work is improved.

(4) In one aspect (1) to (3) of the present invention, the processing tank includes a plurality of divided processing tanks connected to each other, and the two adjacent divided processing tanks pass the plurality of works. The one anode, the at least one cathode rail, the at least one nozzle tube, the intermittent transfer device, and the moving mechanism, which are communicated through an opening, are arranged for each of the plurality of divided processing tanks, and The at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail provided in each of the plurality of divided treatment tanks can be connected to at least one rectifier. In this way, it is possible to easily construct an intermittent transfer type surface treatment apparatus having a treatment tank of a length suitable for the user's request by adjusting the number of divided treatment tanks without redesigning the entire apparatus. ..

(5) Another aspect of the present invention is
A surface treatment apparatus in which a plurality of treatment units are connected,
Each of the plurality of processing units is
A divided processing tank in which the processing liquid is stored,
At least one anode arranged in the divided treatment tank,
At least one cathode rail,
A plurality of jigs for respectively holding a plurality of works immersed in the treatment liquid and contacting the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of works as cathodes are provided in the divided treatment tanks. An intermittent transfer device for intermittently transferring the start position and/or the end position of
At least one rectifier connected to the at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail;
Have
Two adjacent divided treatment tanks relate to a surface treatment apparatus which communicates with each other through an opening through which the plurality of works pass.

According to another aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of processing units independently has a split processing tank, one anode, at least one cathode rail, an intermittent transfer device, and at least one rectifier. .. For this reason, it is possible to easily construct an intermittent transfer type surface treatment apparatus having a treatment tank of a length suitable for a user's request by adjusting the number of treatment units without redesigning the entire apparatus. ..

(6) In another aspect (5) of the present invention, the intermittent transfer device includes a pusher that is provided with a plurality of pushing pieces and is driven forward and backward, and the pusher has the plurality of pushing pieces when the forward movement is performed. The plurality of jigs are pushed to move the plurality of work pieces forward, and when the work pieces are retracted, the plurality of push pieces are disengaged from each other and the plurality of push pieces are released from their initial positions. May be returned to. In this way, the plurality of jigs are simultaneously moved by one step in the divided processing tanks or between the adjacent divided processing tanks by the pusher and intermittently conveyed.

(7) In another aspect (5) of the present invention, the intermittent transfer device includes a pusher that is provided with a plurality of pushing pieces and is driven to move back and forth and is driven up and down, and the plurality of pushing pieces are of the pusher. Including a recess in which a plurality of pushed pieces provided in the plurality of jigs are arranged by one of the raising and lowering operations, and the plurality of pushed pieces are separated from the recess by the other of the raising and lowering operations of the pusher, In the pusher, the plurality of pushing pieces push the plurality of pushed pieces to move the plurality of works forward during forward movement, and stop the plurality of works when forward movement stops, The pushing piece may be returned to the initial position when retracted while being separated from the recess. In this way, the plurality of jigs are simultaneously moved by one step in the divided processing tanks or between the adjacent divided processing tanks by the pusher and intermittently conveyed. In particular, the plurality of jigs can be stopped at predetermined positions by the engagement of the recessed portion and the pushed piece, and higher-speed intermittent feeding becomes possible.

(8) In one aspect (4) and other aspects (5) to (7) of the present invention, the at least one rectifier includes a plurality of rectifiers that match the number of the plurality of stop positions, and the at least one rectifier is provided. The cathode rail of the book includes a plurality of electrically conductive portions that are respectively in contact with the plurality of jigs that are stopped at the plurality of stop positions and that are electrically insulated, and the plurality of conductive portions are respectively the plurality of conductive portions. It may be connected to the rectifier. In this case, the cathode sides of the plurality of works are insulated and connected to the plurality of rectifiers, respectively, so that the currents flowing through the plurality of works can be individually controlled.

(9) In another aspect (8) of the present invention, the at least one anode includes a plurality of anodes corresponding in number to the plurality of stop positions, and the plurality of anodes are respectively connected to the plurality of rectifiers. It In this way, the cathode and the anode are insulated for each of the plurality of works, so that complete individual power supply can be performed for each work.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of the plating process part in the plating apparatus of the intermittent conveyance system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view of one processing unit of the plating apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship between the workpiece stopped in one processing unit, and an anode. It is a perspective view of a conveyance jig which conveys a work. It is a figure which shows typically the connection of the conductive part on an anode, a cathode rail, and a rectifier. 6A and 6B are a front view and a sectional view of the cathode rail. It is a figure which shows typically the state which the electric power receiving part of a conveyance jig transfers the electroconductive part of the cathode rail between cells. FIG . 6 is a plan view showing a nozzle tube which is horizontally reciprocally moved in a cell. It is a figure which shows the arrangement pitch of the ejection port of a nozzle tube. It is a figure which shows an example of the intermittent conveyance apparatus arrange|positioned for every processing unit. 11A and 11B are views showing another example of the intermittent transfer device arranged for each processing unit. It is a figure which shows the modification of the conveyance jig suitable for an intermittent conveyance system. It is a figure which shows the modification of the conveyance jig which added the cleaning function of the cathode rail.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unreasonably limit the content of the present invention described in the claims, and all the configurations described in the present embodiment are indispensable as means for solving the present invention. Not necessarily.

1. Multiple Processing Units FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an intermittent transfer type plating apparatus (a surface processing apparatus in a broad sense) according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the plating apparatus 1 is configured by connecting a plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n (n is an integer of 2 or more) with a plating processing unit for plating a work 2 such as a circuit board. The plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n may have substantially the same structure. In each of the plurality of processing units 3-1 to 3-n, at least one, for example, four works 2 in FIG. 1 can be intermittently stopped. FIG. 1 shows a work 2 of the maximum size, and the plating apparatus 1 has general versatility capable of processing the work 2 of the maximum size or less.

The work 2 is intermittently conveyed in the direction A from the current stop position to the next stop position by the intermittent transfer device described later. In the present embodiment, one work 2 is stopped in each processing unit, for example, at four locations. The carry-in unit 4 into which the work 2 is carried in by the downward movement in the B direction may be connected to the upstream side of the most upstream processing unit 3-1. When the work 2 in the processing unit 3-1 is intermittently transported, the work 2 in the carry-in unit 4 is also intermittently transported and moved to the processing unit 3-1. A unloading unit 5 that raises the workpiece 2 horizontally moved from the processing unit 3-n in the C direction and unloads the workpiece 2 may be connected to the downstream side of the most downstream processing unit 3-n. Before the work 2 in the processing unit 3-n is intermittently transferred, the work 2 in the carry-out unit 5 is carried out upward. However, the carry-in unit 4 and/or the carry-out unit 5 may be omitted. In this case, the work 2 is lowered to the most upstream stop position of the processing unit 3-1 and the work 2 at the most downstream stop position of the processing unit 3-n is raised and carried out.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the processing unit 3-1 having the same configuration as the processing units 3-2 to 3-n. The processing unit 3-1 has a divided processing tank 6 in which a plating solution (processing solution in a broad sense) is stored. The work 2 is immersed in the plating solution in the divided treatment tank 6. The division processing tank 6 is a substantially box-shaped body having an open upper side, and openings 6A and 6B are provided in the upstream and downstream partitions, respectively, and between adjacent units (processing unit, carry-in unit or carry-out unit). The work 2 is allowed to move horizontally.

In the present embodiment, at least one anode 20 is provided on at least one side of the front surface and the back surface of the workpiece 2 at a plurality of, for example, four stop positions in the processing unit 3-1. In the present embodiment, an anode 20A facing the front surface of each one work 2 at each stop position and an anode 20B facing the back surface of the work 2 are provided. Each of the anodes 20 (20A, 20B) may include a plurality of split anodes that are electrically connected to each other. In this embodiment, the split anode 20A1 (20B1) on the upstream side and the split anode 20A2 (20B2) on the downstream side are split. The anode 20 may include three or more divided anodes, but since they are electrically connected to each other, they can be regarded as one anode.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the anodes 20A1 and 20A2 (20B1 and 20B2) arranged in the processing unit 3-1 and the work 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the work 2 is held by the transfer jig 30. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the anodes 20 (20A, 20B) is arranged at a position facing the work 2 at the four stop positions. In short, as shown in FIG. 2, it suffices if a uniform electric field can be formed between the work 2 set as the cathode and the anode 20. The anode 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a rectangular outline regardless of the shape of the anode 20, but the outline in plan view may be circular. The anode may be an insoluble anode or a soluble anode.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to have the shielding plate 23 that partitions one processing unit 3-1 into four cells 11-1 to 11-4. In each of the cells 11-1 to 11-4, the anodes 20 (20A1, 20A2, 20B1, 20B2) are arranged on both sides of the work 2 in a plan view. The shield plate 23 is provided to shield the influence of the electric field (the electric field between the anode and the cathode shown by the arrow in FIG. 2) between the adjacent cells. An opening 23A through which the work 2 passes is formed in the shielding plate 23.

2. Transport Jig FIG. 4 shows an example of the transport jig 30. The transfer jig 30 includes a horizontal arm section 300, a vertical arm section 310, a work holding section 320, a guided section 330, a power-supplied section 340, and a pushed piece 350. The horizontal arm unit 300 extends along a direction B orthogonal to the intermittent transport direction A. The vertical arm unit 310 is suspended from and held by the horizontal arm unit 300. The work holding unit 320 is fixed to the vertical arm unit 310. The work holding unit 320 includes an upper frame 321 and a lower frame 322 supported by the upper frame 321 so as to be vertically movable. The upper frame 321 is provided with a plurality of clampers 323 that clamp the upper part of the work 2. The lower frame 322 is provided with a plurality of clampers 324 that clamp the lower part of the work 2. A downward tension is applied to the work 2 by a lower clamper 324. However, the lower frame 322 and the clamper 324 may be omitted when the work 2 is thick or when power is not supplied from the bottom of the work 2.

The guided portion 330 is arranged along the processing units 3-2 to 3-n, and is guided by, for example, a guide rail (not shown) divided for each of the processing units 3-2 to 3-n to carry and cure. The tool 30 is linearly guided. The guided portion 330 may include a roller 331 that is in rolling contact with the top surface of the guide rail, and a roller 332 that is in rolling contact with both side surfaces of the guide rail (only the roller that is in rolling contact with one side surface is shown in FIG. 4).

The power-supplied part 340 contacts the cathode rail described in FIGS. 5 and 6, and sets the work 2 as a cathode via the horizontal arm part 300, the vertical arm part 310, and the work holding part 320 of the transfer jig 30. To do. The power-supplied part 340 includes two contacts 342 and 343 supported on the upstream side and the downstream side of the support arm 341 extending along the intermittent transport direction A. The contacts 342 and 343 are supported by the support arm 341 via a parallel link mechanism, and are biased by springs so as to be pressed against the cathode rail. The two contacts 342 and 343 are electrically connected to at least one of the clampers 323 and 324 to set the work 2 as a cathode.

The pushed piece 350 is fixed to, for example, the vertical arm portion 310, and is arranged vertically above the work holding portion 320 with the pushed piece 350 vertical. The pushed piece 350 is pushed from the direction C in the figure by an intermittent transfer device described later to transmit the intermittent transfer force to the transfer jig 30. The transfer jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is provided with an engaged portion 360 used during continuous transfer, and the transfer jig 30 can be used for both intermittent transfer and continuous transfer.

3. Cathode Rail and Rectifier As shown in FIG. 5, each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n (FIG. 5 shows only two processing units) has at least one cathode rail 40. A plurality of cathode rails 40 may be arranged in parallel in parallel with the transport direction A. In this case, the plurality of cathode rails 40 may be connected to the same rectifier, or may be connected to different rectifiers and the current value may be independently controlled for each power feeding site. In this embodiment, one cathode rail 40 is provided. One cathode rail 40 is preferably divided into a plurality of divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n (FIG. 5 is divided into two divided cathode rails 40-1 and 40-40). -2 is shown), and are continuously connected in the transport direction A. Each of the divided cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n has a space (non-conductive portion) 42 on the insulating rail 41, and the work 2 is stopped, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A. It has a total of four conductive parts 43, one for each cell. Each of the four conductive parts 43 holds the work 2 at the four stop positions of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n and stops the power-supplied part 340 ( The two contacts 342, 343) are electrically connected. Note that FIG. 5 shows the liquid level L of the plating liquid contained in each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, and the work 2 is immersed in the plating liquid. As shown in FIG. 6B, partition walls 44, 44 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the cathode rail 40, and a non-oil conductive fluid (for example, water) 45 is held on the conductive portion 43. You can With this configuration, the electrical contact between the power-supplied part 340 (the two contacts 342 and 343) and the conductive part 43 can be more reliably ensured via the conductive fluid 45. However, the conductivity of water is much lower than the conductivity of the conductive part 43 made of metal, so that the insulating property between the adjacent conductive parts 43 and 43 is maintained. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the bolts 46 for fixing the conductive portion 43 on the insulating rail 41 can be arranged on both sides of the traveling path of the power-supplied portion 340. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a counterbored hole for the bolt in the conductive portion 34, and the factor that causes resistance can be eliminated.

Each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n has a total of four rectifiers 50 (one rectifier 50 is shown in FIG. 5), one for each cell in which the work 2 is stopped. Each one positive terminal 51 of the four rectifiers 50 is connected to the anode 20 (20A1, 20A2, 20B1, 20B2) arranged in each cell. Each one negative terminal 52 of the four rectifiers 50 is connected to the conductive portion 43 corresponding to each cell of the split cathode rails 40-1 to 40-n.

4. Current control when the work is stopped At four stop positions (cells) of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, the current flowing through the four works 2 is one rectifier 50 provided for each cell. Are independently controlled by each of the. In addition, since the cathodes are insulated from each other and the anodes are insulated from each other between the cells, it is possible to separately insulate each one work 2 and individually control the power supply to the works 2 by each rectifier 50. In addition, by separating the electric field between the cells by the shield plate 23, the influence between the cells is eliminated and individual power supply for each work 2 is secured. Thereby, the plating quality of the work 2 can be improved.

When the intermittent transfer method of the present embodiment is compared with the conventional continuous transfer method, the positional relationship between the workpiece (cathode) that is continuously transferred and the fixed anode constantly changes, whereas the intermittent transfer method of the present embodiment is stopped. The work (cathode) 2 can be directly opposed to the anode 20. As described above, the positional relationship between the cathode and the anode is constant while the work 2 is stopped, and each work is subjected to the same plating condition. Therefore, it is expected that the plating quality is improved. In particular, when the work 2 is stopped, the contact resistance does not fluctuate, so that precise current control becomes possible. Further, there is a counterbore hole for a fixing bolt in the middle of a long cathode rail used for continuous transportation, and the resistance value of the cathode rail varies from place to place and does not result in uniform resistance. Therefore, the current flowing through the work differs depending on the position during the continuous transfer of the work, but such a problem can be solved in the intermittent transfer. Further, in the present embodiment, the plating quality is not adversely affected by the continuous transfer speed of the work as in the continuous transfer.

However, the work 2 may be intermittently conveyed without necessarily performing the complete individual power supply as described above. That is, one or both of the cathode and the anode may be common (common cathode and/or common anode) in the four cells 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n.

5. Current control during intermittent transfer of work While the work 2 is intermittently transferred between cells, the rectifier 50 supplies current to the work 2. At this time, at least one of the two contacts 342 and 343 of the transfer jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is in contact with the conductive portion 43 on the cathode rail during the intermittent transfer. That is, even if the contact 342 on the transport upstream side contacts the insulating rail 41 at the position of the interval 42, the contact 343 on the transport downstream side contacts the conductive portion 43. Similarly, even if the contact 343 on the transport downstream side contacts the insulating rail 41 at the position of the gap 42, the contact 342 on the transport upstream side contacts the conductive portion 43 of the adjacent cell. In these processes, the contact 343 on the downstream side of the transport contacts the conductive portion 43 of the cell 11-1, for example, and the contact 342 on the upstream side of the transport contacts the conductive portion 43 of the cell 11-2. In this case, the work 2 is supplied with current from the two rectifiers 50 corresponding to the cells 11-1 and 11-2. The state of the process of moving between cells (transit state) is schematically shown in FIG. 7, the power-supplied part 340 of the transport jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is schematically shown, and the power-supplied part 340 is in contact with the conductive part 43 of the upstream cell and the conductive part 43 of the downstream cell. .. Here, if the work 2 is intermittently conveyed while maintaining the output of the rectifier 50 when the work 2 is stopped, a transient double current is supplied to the work 2 in transit which is connected to the two rectifiers 50. There is a risk of flowing. In particular, the slower the intermittent transport speed, the greater the effect of the transient current.

In the present embodiment, any one of the following two current controls is adopted during the intermittent transfer of the work 2. When the intermittent transfer speed is relatively slow, the output (for example, 100%) of the rectifier 50 when the work 2 is stopped is gradually reduced (for example, gradually reduced to 50%) in order to reduce or prevent the above-described transient current. It is gradually increased (returned to 100%) later. When the intermittent conveyance speed is relatively high, the transient current flows for a very short period and can be ignored. Therefore, in that case, it is not necessary to control the output of the rectifier 50 to be different between when the work 2 is stopped and when the work 2 is intermittently conveyed. For example, assuming that the width of the workpiece 200 in the transport direction is 800 mm, the intermittent transport speed is 12 m/min, and the width of the power-supplied part 430 schematically shown in FIG. 7 in the transport direction is 60 mm, the intermittent transport time is 5 sec. The time required for the power feeding section 430 to transfer the conductive section 43 between cells (time during which transient current can flow) is only 0.3 sec.

6. Moving Scanning of Nozzle Tube In each of the four cells 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n, as shown in FIG. At least one nozzle tube 60 may be further provided between the front surface and the back surface) and the anode 20. Since the nozzle tubes 60 block the electric field formed between the work (cathode) 2 and the anode 20, the number of nozzle tubes 60 is preferably small even when a plurality of nozzle tubes 60 are provided. The nozzle tube 60 has a plurality of ejection ports 60A for ejecting the plating solution, as shown in FIG. The vertical pitch P of the ejection port 60A of the nozzle tube 60 shown in FIG. 9 is smaller than the pitch (for example, 7.5 mm) used in the conventional continuous transfer system, and should be not less than the outer diameter of the ejection port 60A and not more than 5 mm. You can This is to increase the amount of plating liquid supplied per unit time. In addition, it is preferable that the pitch P is small in order to evenly supply the plating liquid to small-sized chips and dense patterns. In FIG. 9, the nozzle tubes 60 on the front and back sides of the work 2 are opposed to each other with the work 2 interposed therebetween, but they may be provided at non-opposing positions. If they are opposed to each other, it is possible to prevent the work 2 from being deformed by hydraulic pressure, and if they are not opposed to each other, it is easy to supply the plating liquid to the through holes of the work 2. Note that the nozzle tubes are also provided in the continuous transfer method, but the number of nozzle tubes is as large as a dozen or more per processing unit.

Although a large number of nozzle tubes are fixed in the continuous transfer system for workpieces, in the present embodiment employing the intermittent transfer system, the four cells 11-1 to 11-4 of each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n are provided. Thus, at least one nozzle tube 60 is horizontally scanned and moved, for example, in the directions of arrows A1 and A2 in FIG. 8 (both parallel to the intermittent transport direction A). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9, the plating liquid can be uniformly ejected onto the entire surface of the work 2. Further, the moving speed of the nozzle tube 60 can be made higher than the moving speed of the work 2 in the continuous transfer system (for example, 0.8 m/min). This makes it possible to increase the amount of plating liquid supplied per unit time. It should be noted that when the work speed is increased in the continuous transfer system, the overall length of the processing tank becomes long and the device becomes large, but the device does not become large in the intermittent transfer as in the present embodiment.

Although a reciprocating mechanism of the nozzle tube 60 is not shown, a known mechanism for reciprocating linear movement (for example, a pinion-rack mechanism driven by a reversible motor, a piston-crank mechanism, etc.) can be adopted. The reciprocating mechanism can move the two nozzle tubes 60 so as to circulate and scan at least once the length range corresponding to at least the horizontal width of the work 2 stopped in each cell. This improves the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece 2 to be processed. In particular, it is preferable that the nozzle tube 60 be circulated and scanned at least once from the initial position to return to the initial position. This is because the shadow of the nozzle tube 60 is substantially uniformized within the work surface. It should be noted that the nozzle tube 60 may continue the reciprocal scanning movement during the operation of the apparatus, or may stop the reciprocating scanning movement during the intermittent transfer of the work 2.

According to this embodiment, at least one nozzle tube 60, for example, two nozzle tubes 60 can be scanned and moved with respect to the work 2 that is intermittently stopped, corresponding to the stop position of the work 2. As a result, a region that is a shadow of the nozzle tube 60 positioned between the work 2 and the anode 20 in plan view and that interferes with the electric field between the anode and the cathode moves as the nozzle tube 60 moves. Therefore, the area where the electric field is blocked by the nozzle tube 60 is not fixed, and the in-plane uniformity of the workpiece 2 to be processed is improved. The scanning movement direction of the nozzle tube 60 is not limited to the horizontal direction. For example, the nozzle tube 60 may be arranged horizontally and moved by scanning in the vertical direction, and the scanning movement direction may be any direction such as horizontal or vertical.

The nozzle tube 60 has a well-known structure and can entrain and eject the plating liquid in the vicinity of the ejection port 60A in the split processing tank. Therefore, the plating liquid rich in metal ions near the anode 20 can be ejected toward the work 2, and the throughput is improved.

The scanning movement of the nozzle tube 60 can be widely applied to the intermittent transfer type surface treatment apparatus, and the structure like the above-described embodiment, that is, the connection structure of a plurality of processing units, the cathode division structure, and the anode division is not necessarily required. It is not limited to the structure, the structure including an intermittent transfer mechanism using a pusher described later, or the like.

7. Intermittent Transport Device for Each Processing Unit In the present embodiment, it is preferable to provide an intermittent transport device for each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n. This is because it is not necessary to redesign the intermittent transfer device even if the number n of processing units is changed. If the convenience is not sought, the cyclic intermittent transfer device as in Patent Document 1 may be used, or one intermittent transfer device shared by the processing units 3-1 to 3-n may be used. The intermittent transfer device described below is not necessarily limited to one that connects a plurality of processing units to form a plating tank.

As the intermittent transfer device provided for each of the processing units 3-1 to 3-n, the one shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 can be adopted. The intermittent transfer device shown in FIG. 10 is composed of a pusher 70 which is driven forwards and backwards in forward and backward directions A1 and A2 parallel to the intermittent transfer direction A by, for example, an air cylinder. The pusher 70 has pushing pieces 71 at four locations. The four pushing pieces 71 can push the pushed pieces 350 (see FIG. 4) of the four transport jigs 30. The four pushing pieces 71 are rotationally biased in the clockwise direction D in FIG.

In the pusher 70, the four push pieces 71 push the pushed pieces 350 of the four transport jigs 30 during forward movement in the direction A1 to intermittently transport the four workpieces 2. When the pusher piece 71 comes into contact with the pushed piece 350 when the pusher 70 retreats in the direction A2, the pusher piece 71 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow D against the biasing force in the arrow D direction. By doing so, the pushed piece 350 is returned to the initial position without being disturbed. In this way, the four works 2 in each processing unit 3-1 to 3-n are simultaneously moved one step by the pusher 70 and intermittently conveyed. Thereby, three work 2 other than the most downstream position of the processing unit is moved one step in the same process unit, the same or workpiece 2 that was in the most downstream position in the preceding processing unit in the processing unit of a subsequent stage Moved to the most upstream position. In this way, the four workpieces 2 held by the four transport jigs 30 are intermittently transported with the four stop positions in the processing unit as start points and/or end points.

Since the intermittent transfer device shown in FIG. 10 only pushes the transfer jig 30, the stop position of the transfer jig 30 cannot be controlled. This intermittent transfer device can be used when the intermittent transfer speed is relatively low and the inertial force of the transfer jig 30 that keeps moving forward even after the pushing operation of the pusher 70 is stopped does not occur. Alternatively, the intermittent transfer device is also adopted when at least one of the guide rollers 331 and 332 of the transfer jig 30 is provided with the brake mechanism described in the international patent application PCT/JP2018/020119 by the applicant of the present application. be able to.

The intermittent transfer device shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B includes a pusher 72 which is provided with four pushing pieces 73 and is driven to move back and forth (driving in the directions A1 and A2) and driven up and down (driving in the direction of arrow E). .. The four pushing pieces 73 include, for example, a concave portion 73A having an upward opening into which the pushed piece 350 of the transport jig 30 is fitted. As shown in FIG. 11A, when the pusher 72 is raised, the pushed pieces 350 of the carrying jig 30 are fitted into the four recesses 73A. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the pusher 72 is advanced in the A1 direction, the four transfer jigs 30 are simultaneously intermittently transferred by one step. Further, when the forward movement of the pusher 72 is completed, the stop position of the pushed piece 350 is uniquely determined by the recess 73A. Then, the pusher 72 is lowered, further retracted, and returned to the initial position. In particular, by engaging the recessed portion 73A and the pushed piece 350, it is possible to stop the plurality of transport jigs 30 at predetermined positions, and it is possible to perform higher-speed intermittent feeding.

Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications can be made without departing from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, a term described in the specification or the drawings at least once together with a different term having a broader meaning or the same meaning can be replaced with the different term in any place in the specification or the drawing. Further, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a modified example in which the work holding part 320 of the transfer jig 30 shown in FIG. 4 is changed to a work holding part 320A. In FIG. 12, a dummy processed object is placed in a square frame area surrounded by hatching surrounding the work 2. A section 80 is provided. The dummy processed portion 80 is a region to be surface-treated (plated) together with the work 2. The dummy processed portion 80 is connected to the power feeding portion 81 shown in FIG. By electrically connecting the power feeding portion 81 to the power fed portion 340 shown in FIG. 4, the dummy treated portion 80 is set as a cathode similarly to the work 2.

Since the peripheral edge of the work 2 is located inside the dummy processed portion 80, the peripheral edge of the work 2 does not become an edge. Therefore, since the electric field is not concentrated on the periphery of the work 2, a thick film portion called a so-called dock bone does not occur. The in-plane uniformity of the work 2 is improved by setting the electric resistance of the dummy processed portion 80 to be substantially the same as the electric resistance in the surface of the work 2. The plating apparatus 1 has a stripping tank in the subsequent step of the plating processing section, and the transport jig 30 is put into the stripping tank after plating to strip the plating. At that time, the plating formed on the dummy processed portion 80 is also peeled off, so that the transport jig 30 can be reused repeatedly.

Figure 13 shows a conveying jig 30A to the power-supplied portion 340 which is a modified example of adding a cleaning function of the cathode rails 40 of the conveying jig 30 shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the contacts 342 and 343, the support arm 341 supports at least one rail cleaning unit 344 that contacts the cathode rail 40 and cleans the cathode rail 40. The rail cleaning unit 344 shown in FIG. 13 includes an abrasive material such as a scraper 344A for polishing the conductive portion 43 of the cathode rail 40 to scrape off a deposited layer (for example, an oxide film on the conductive portion), and a brush 344B for discharging polishing powder and dust. At least one or both of these are included. The brush 344B can be provided on the downstream side of the scraper 344A. The cleaning parts 344 (344A, 344B) are pressed against the cathode rail 40 by the same structure as the contacts 342, 344.

By using the transfer jig 30A having the cleaning unit 344 shown in FIG. 13 as at least one of many transfer jigs that are circulated in the plating apparatus 1, the cathode rail 40 is cleaned while the plating apparatus 1 is operating. In addition, it is possible to prevent power failure. As a result, it is possible to suppress problems such as an increase in the electric resistance value of the conductive portion 43 of the cathode rail 40, and to reduce the maintenance frequency that was conventionally performed once a week.

The transfer jig 30A shown in FIG. 13 is not limited to the intermittent transfer type surface treatment apparatus described above, but may be used in a continuous transfer type surface treatment apparatus having a cathode rail on which the conductive portion 34 is continuously provided. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Surface treatment device, 2 workpieces, 3-1 to 3-n Treatment tank (divided treatment tank), 20 (20A1, 20A2, 20B1, 20B2) Anode, 30, 30A Transfer jig, 40, 40-1, 40- 2 cathode rail (split cathode rail), 41 insulating rail, 42 spacing (non-conductive portion), 43 conductive portion, 50 rectifier, 51 positive terminal, 52 negative terminal, 60 nozzle tube, 60A jet outlet, 70, 72 pusher (intermittent Transport device), 71, 73 pusher piece, 73A recess

Claims (9)

A treatment tank containing a treatment liquid,
At least one anode disposed in the processing bath,
At least one cathode rail,
A plurality of jigs for suspending and holding a plurality of works immersed in the processing liquid, and contacting the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of works as cathodes are provided in the processing tank. An intermittent transport device for intermittently transporting the plurality of stop positions as start points and/or end points,
In the processing tank, at least one is disposed between the work stopped at each of the plurality of stop positions and the at least one anode in a plan view, and a plurality of jetting the treatment liquid to the plurality of works. Nozzle tube,
A moving mechanism that moves each of the plurality of nozzle tubes in a scanning manner with respect to the corresponding workpiece that is intermittently stopped,
A surface treatment apparatus comprising: In claim 1,
The movement mechanism moves the plurality of nozzle tubes so as to circulate and scan at least once a length range corresponding to at least the horizontal width of each of the plurality of works stopped at the plurality of stop positions. A surface treatment device characterized by the above. In claim 1 or 2,
The plurality of nozzle tubes includes at least two nozzle tubes arranged at respective positions facing the plurality of works stopped at the plurality of stop positions,
The surface treatment apparatus, wherein the at least two nozzle tubes include a plurality of ejection ports of the treatment liquid at different positions in the vertical direction. In any one of Claim 1 thru|or 3,
The processing tank includes a plurality of divided processing tanks connected to each other, and two adjacent divided processing tanks are communicated with each other through an opening through which the plurality of works pass,
The one anode, the at least one cathode rail, the at least one nozzle tube, the intermittent transfer device, and the moving mechanism are arranged for each of the plurality of divided processing tanks,
The surface treatment apparatus, wherein the at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail provided in each of the plurality of divided treatment tanks are connected to at least one rectifier . A surface treatment apparatus in which a plurality of treatment units are connected,
Each of the plurality of processing units is
A divided processing tank in which the processing liquid is stored,
At least one anode arranged in the divided treatment tank,
At least one cathode rail,
A plurality of jigs for holding the plurality of works immersed in the processing liquid and contacting the at least one cathode rail to set the plurality of works as cathodes are provided in the divided processing tanks. An intermittent transfer device for intermittently transferring horizontally with the stop position as the start point and/or the end point without being accompanied by a lifting operation ,
At least one rectifier connected to the at least one anode and the at least one cathode rail;
Have
A surface treatment apparatus, wherein two adjacent divided treatment tanks communicate with each other through an opening through which the plurality of works pass. In claim 5,
The intermittent transfer device includes a pusher having a plurality of pushing pieces and driven to move back and forth,
In the pusher, the plurality of pushing pieces push the plurality of pushed pieces of the plurality of jigs to move the plurality of works forward when moving forward, and the plurality of pushing pieces and the plurality of pushing pieces move backward when moving backward. A surface treatment apparatus, which is released from engagement with a pushed piece and returned to an initial position. In claim 5,
The intermittent transfer device includes a pusher that is provided with a plurality of pushing pieces and is driven to move forward and backward and is driven up and down.
The plurality of pushing pieces include a recess in which a plurality of pushed pieces provided in the plurality of jigs are arranged by one of the raising and lowering operations of the pusher, and the plurality of pushing pieces are provided by the other of the raising and lowering operations of the pusher. The pushed piece is separated from the recess,
In the pusher, the plurality of pushing pieces push the plurality of pushed pieces to move the plurality of works forward during forward movement, and stop the plurality of works when forward movement stops, The surface treatment apparatus, wherein the pushing piece is returned to the initial position when retracted while being separated from the recess. In any one of Claims 4 thru|or 7,
The at least one rectifier includes a plurality of rectifiers corresponding in number to the plurality of stop positions,
The at least one cathode rail includes a plurality of electrically conductive portions that are respectively in contact with the plurality of jigs stopped at the plurality of stop positions and that are electrically insulated, and the plurality of conductive portions are A surface treatment apparatus, each of which is connected to the plurality of rectifiers. In claim 8,
The at least one anode includes a plurality of anodes corresponding in number to the plurality of stop positions, and the plurality of anodes are respectively connected to the plurality of rectifiers.

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