JPH02153089A - Method and device for producing stripe-plated strip - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a stripe-plated strip having high dimensional accuracy by defining a surface to be plated with masking tapes, forming work section with the side wall and open end of a plating vessel, spouting a plating soln., sucking and recovering the used plating soln. CONSTITUTION:When a strip 1 is stripe-plated, a surface 3 to be plated is defined with masking tapes 2. The width of the open end 9 of a plating vessel 6 is made larger than that of the surface 3 and a work section is formed with the open end 9 and the side wall of the vessel. A plating soln. 4 is spouted from a nozzle 5 toward the surface 3 and the used plating soln. is sucked and recovered with a sucking and recovering system. A stripe-plated strip is efficiently produced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing striped plating strips that are efficient and economically effective.

[Conventional technology and problems] High reliability is required for electronic component materials such as lead frames for ICs, and it is common practice to plate their bonding surfaces and electrical contacts with expensive precious metals such as gold. It is. The striped metal plate was developed to plate such precious metals to the minimum necessary extent, and to reduce the cost of materials as well as the use of limited resources.

In the conventional stripe plating described above, as shown in Fig. 3, only the plated surface 3 of the strip 1 to be plated is blocked, and all other surfaces are blocked off with a resist agent or masking tape 2, etc., and the entire surface is submerged in a plating solution. Generally, the electrolytic solution near the surface 3 to be plated was stirred for plating.

However, such conventional methods have several problems as described below.

(1) Since areas other than the surface to be plated are masked using, for example, masking tape, a large amount of masking tape is required compared to the size of the plating surface, which inevitably increases the cost. Moreover, such masking tape is a consumable item that cannot be reused after one use, and cannot be ignored in terms of cost reduction.

(2) Since this is a plating method in which the plating bath is immersed and run, a lot of plating solution is carried out, which is uneconomical. Furthermore, the amount of plating solution used is large.

(3) When an object whose surface other than the surface to be plated is masked is passed through a plating tank or through guide rolls, tears may occur due to cracks at the ends of the slits in the separated plating strips that pass through. The liquid may penetrate and cause displacement plating, resulting in poor appearance.

On the other hand, a plating method using a mechanical mask has been proposed in which no masking tape is used at all, only a mechanical mask is used, and plating is performed by spraying a plating solution onto the surface to be plated. (For example, Utility Model Application Publication No. 50-95414, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5
2-74536, Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-40918) However, in this mechanical mask plating method, at least during plating, a mechanical mask is brought into contact with the strip to be plated in a stationary state, and the outline of the surface to be plated is drawn on the mechanical mask. The main target is so-called spot plating, in which a plating solution is sprayed to selectively plate a part of the strip to be plated. In the case of stripe plating, it is practically necessary to continuously move the strip to be plated through the plating plate. For this reason, when stripe plating is performed using the mechanical mask method, the following problems arise, making it even more difficult to put it into practical use.

(1) If the gap between the material to be plated and the mask material is not completely sealed, the plating solution will ``seep'', making the boundaries of the plating unclear and reducing dimensional accuracy.
In the case of stripe plating, since the material to be plated is in a running state, it is very difficult to achieve this perfect seal.

(2) If the plating boundary becomes unclear, it may be necessary to peel off the boundary a little over the entire plating group in order to achieve dimensional accuracy.

(3) In order to avoid the above problems, if you try to seal well using a sealant, the sealant that is tightly adhered may damage the material surface, or the sealant will become worn out, causing problems. This can easily result in incomplete sealing.

(4) In order to prevent the above-mentioned scratches, it is possible to deliberately stop the relative movement of the material to be plated and the sealant before plating, but this would require too much work to obtain long plating strips. This must be intermittent, and joints are formed in each plated area, making it impossible to maintain dimensional accuracy.

(5) It is very difficult to accurately maintain the relative positional relationship between the mask and the surface to be plated of the material to be plated in a traveling state, and therefore it is impossible to ensure the dimensional accuracy of stripe plating.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention aims to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art as described above and provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing striped plating strips with high efficiency at low cost and capable of maintaining high dimensional accuracy. It is something.

[Summary of the Invention] That is, the gist of the present invention is to define the outline of the plating surface by a mask made of masking tape with the minimum necessary width, and to use the side wall and opening edge of the plating bath to define the outline of the plating surface. A plating work zone is formed in the area including the flanged surface, thereby separating areas other than the work zone from contact and splashing of the plating solution, and plating by spraying the plating solution and discharging the used plating solution. This makes it possible to obtain striped plating strips with extremely good dimensional accuracy while minimizing the consumption of masking tape by eliminating the need for masks in areas other than the plating work area.

[Example] The present invention will be explained below based on Examples.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view showing how striped plating strips are manufactured by the method according to the present invention using the apparatus according to the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 indicates a plating strip, and 2 a masking tape. In the present invention, the masking tape 2 completely covers the surface other than the plating surface 3, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. Instead of putting it away, as shown in Figure 2, we use two masking tapes 2 whose width is smaller than the width of the strips 1 to be plated, and sufficiently form the plating contour on the surface 3 to be plated. However, no masking is performed on the outer surface of the plating strip 1 other than the minimum necessary mask surface. Masking tape 2 was originally one piece (at the time of supply), but it was cut just before or after it was pasted on strip 1 to be plated, and the part that corresponded to the surface to be plated was cut out, resulting in the final state of being pasted. It was made into two pieces. To give one specific example, in FIG. 2, 0.
5mm thick, 70IIl-width plated steel strip 1 to 6Ill
When plating a single silver stripe with a width of I1 and a thickness of 4 μm, the conventional masking tape method uses adhesive-backed plastic tape with a thickness of 30 μm and a width of 80+U on each side of the strip (the masking method The part of the masking tape that corresponds to the plating surface is cut off immediately before or after pasting.
It is sufficient to use a tape that is 16 mm thick and wide.

In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the tape in this case also cuts off the part corresponding to the surface to be plated immediately before or after pasting.
Leave two 5ma wide tapes with an interval of 6a+a+.

In the case of this embodiment, the toxicity of the masking tape is significantly reduced to 1/10 compared to the conventional example.

In FIG. 1, the opening surface 9, which is the opening edge of the plating tank 6, and the side wall are used to prevent the plating solution from scattering to the non-mask area. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the width of the opening surface 9 of the plating tank 6 is configured to be larger than the width of the surface to be plated 3 whose outline is defined by the masking tape 2, and the width of the opening surface 9 of the plating tank 6 is larger than the width of the surface 3 to be plated whose outline is defined by the masking tape 2. The side walls are used to form a work area for plating work.

By the way, it is very difficult to maintain the positional accuracy of the plating strips 1 in the width direction with high accuracy while traveling in such a work area, and in that sense, as described above, the masking tape 2 is applied to the position. The width of the opening surface 9 of the plating bath 6 is configured to be larger than the width of the surface to be plated 3 whose outline has been determined, and the plating position is configured so that it does not change even when the plating strip 1 moves slightly. In the case of stripe plating, this is extremely important in actual work, especially to ensure dimensional accuracy in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the dimensional accuracy of stripe plating will not be affected by the opening surface of the plating tank 6, and the masking tape 2
This will be determined by the adhesion accuracy.

On the other hand, the plating solution is supplied by an injection method instead of the immersion method. (In this respect, the known mechanical mask method is directly adopted). That is, the opening of the nozzle 5 is installed facing the plating surface 3 of the strip 1 to be plated as shown in FIG. It is sprayed and supplied toward the wave plating surface 3. At this time, either the nozzle 5 itself is made of metal and used as an anode, or the nozzle 5 is made of an insulating material, and an electrode material placed in the supply path of the plating solution 4 or in the plating tank 6 is used as the anode. However, if the side to be plated 3 is used as a cathode, the necessary plating can be performed. here,
Plating may be performed using either a soluble anode method or an insoluble anode method.

While the plating solution 4 is injected and supplied as described above, the used plating solution is sucked and collected by the suction recovery system 8. In this case, masking tape 2
By introducing air in the direction of the arrow through the small gap that exists between the plating tank 6 and the opening edge of the plating tank 6 (this gap includes gaps that may be formed without special consideration), the plating solution can be sucked. In addition to facilitating recovery, it is possible to reliably prevent the plating solution from leaking out of the plating tank through the gap. Air can be introduced by reducing the pressure inside the plating tank 6 as shown in FIG. 1, or by providing a cover 10 and increasing the air pressure inside the plating tank 6 as shown in FIG. This can also be done by making the external pressure near the masking tape 2 higher than the internal pressure of the plating tank 6. In any case, since the pressure inside the plating tank is lower than the pressure outside the plating tank, the air flow described above has a large effect on preventing the plating solution from leaking from the gap between the masking tape 2 and the opening edge of the plating tank. effective. Further, if an air layer exists between the masking tape 2 and the edge of the plating tank opening, there is no need to worry about accidentally damaging the masking tape 2 when the plating strip 1 moves.

The collected liquid 4 is subjected to gas-liquid separation,
Since it can be cleaned and reused for circulation, it not only does not require a large amount of plating solution unlike the conventional immersion method, but also eliminates the need to take out the plating solution and achieve sufficient plating with the minimum amount of plating solution required. It is possible to do this.

Furthermore, the nozzle 5 for spraying the plating solution 4 does not have a single passage as shown in FIG. 1, but has a double nozzle consisting of an inner nozzle 51 and an outer nozzle 52 as shown in FIG. If the outer passage 5b is configured as a double passage, and one passage is used for plating solution injection and the other passage is used for plating solution suction and recovery, it is possible to change the old and new plating solution on the plating surface. Since it is possible to quickly tamp down and constantly supply new plating solution to the plating surface, it is useful not only for improving the plating speed but also for significantly improving the quality of the plating layer.

Regarding the configuration of the nozzle 5 for this purpose, in addition to having the inner and outer nozzles have a similar structure as shown in Figure 4, it is also configured with a special structure such as a non-similar structure, and an optimal configuration is found for stirring the plating solution and replacing the old and new solutions. You can also do that.

What is shown in FIG. 5 shows an improved example of such a nozzle 5, in which a plurality of inner nozzles 51 are accommodated in one outer nozzle 52. Such a nozzle is installed with the longitudinal direction of the outer nozzle opening aligned with the longitudinal direction of the stripe plating, and as the plating strip is moved, new plating solution is always sprayed from the inner nozzle opening onto the same plating surface. Even if the running speed of the plating strip is increased, a good plating layer can be formed, which also leads to improved mass productivity.

In the above embodiments, the number of stripes in the stripe plating strips is one. However, the number of stripes is not limited to one, and as shown in FIG.
It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the production of a striped plating strip or a plurality of striped plating strips.

In the above description, the supply means for plating strips and masking tape, the pre-treatment means, the adhesion means, the means for transporting the plated strips masked in this way onto the plating calibration opening, and the masking tape Post-processing means such as peeling are omitted, but these means realize the technical idea of the present invention as described above.
It is within the scope of those skilled in the art to design and configure it in various ways,
This does not in any way impede the completion of the present invention (1. Although the pressure roll 7 is shown in FIG.
It is expected that it will be able to move while ensuring the flatness of the plate, withstand the injection pressure of the plating solution, and improve the quality of the plating layer. You can install boards etc. as necessary.

Furthermore, the meaning of the stripes in the striped plating strips according to the present invention is not limited to stripes in the strict sense. It goes without saying that the concept includes plating patterns that are formed by moving in the longitudinal direction of a long strip, such as pattern plating in which spots or other patterns are formed by punching out masking tape.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As detailed above, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be exhibited.

(1) The plating solution supply method is an injection method, and compared to the conventional immersion method, the amount of plating solution used is small, and there is almost no need to take out the plating solution, so the effect on cost reduction is extremely clear. It is.

(2) The plating equipment itself can be made more compact and the line length can be shortened compared to conventional methods, which greatly contributes to the effective use of space.

(3) Compared to the conventional dip plating method, the amount of masking tape used is the minimum necessary, and the cost reduction effect is very large. This is a remarkable effect unique to the present invention.

(4) Since the masking tape separates the striped plating surface, the dimensional accuracy and clarity of the plating surface can follow the characteristics of the masking tape, and there is no leakage or unexpected leakage at the boundary like mechanical masking. There is no damage, and in that sense it can be called revolutionary.

(5) According to the present invention, it is not limited to stripe plating in the strict sense, but if masking tape is punched out and used, various types of turn plating are possible, and long objects can be manufactured freely. It has a large cathode.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view showing an embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a masking method according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a conventional masking method, and FIGS. The figure is a partial sketch showing two embodiments of the nozzle according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing another embodiment for introducing high-pressure air according to the present invention, and FIG. It is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing another example in the case of two stripe plating. : Plating strip, : Plating surface, : Nozzle, : Suction recovery system, : Cover 2 masking table, 4 2 Plating solution, 6: Plating tank, 9: Opening surface, No. 2121 No. 3121, Cover, Sana 2: Maskin γ Thea 3; ame 7%! [i 4: Megged 5: / Suru 6: Me, 58t 8: 0 Anti-draw Al Matama q: r @ Mouth i S: Nos゛1 and 5α: Nai committee IIi road

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A masking tape with a width smaller than the width of the plating strip running in the longitudinal direction is pasted, leaving the plating surface of the plating strip running in the longitudinal direction. Plating is carried out by running a contoured strip to be plated over the opening surface of a plating tank via a masking tape, and spraying a plating solution toward the surface to be plated;
On the other hand, a method for producing a striped plating strip in which the spent plating solution that has been sprayed is collected by suction. 2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the opening width of the plating tank is formed to be larger than the width of the surface to be plated whose outline is defined by pasting masking tape. 3. Claims 1 or 2, in which the nozzle used for spraying the plating solution is configured with dual passages, an inner and outer passage, one of which is used for injection and the other one for suction of the plating solution. The manufacturing method described in. 4. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the nozzle for spraying the plating solution is used as an anode, and the strip to be plated is used as a cathode. 5. The nozzle for spraying the plating solution is insulative, the electrode material placed in the plating solution supply path or the plating tank is used as an anode, and the strip to be plated is used as a cathode. The manufacturing method according to any one of Item 4. 6. Consisting of a plating bath and an auxiliary device, the auxiliary device includes a means for supplying a long strip to be plated and a masking tape having a width smaller than the width of the strip to be plated, and a means for applying masking tape to the supplied strip to be plated. The plating tank includes a means for adhering the masking tape to define the outline of the surface to be plated, a means for sending the adhered strip to be plated onto a plating tank, and a means for peeling off and removing the masking tape after plating. An opening surface having a width larger than the width of the surface to be plated whose outline is determined by adhesion, a nozzle capable of spouting a plating solution in the direction of the opening, and a recovery means for collecting the spouted plating solution by suction. An apparatus for manufacturing striped plating strips, comprising: 7. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle is configured with a double inner and outer passage. 8. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the nozzle has a plurality of inner passages. 9. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the inner and outer passages of the nozzle are similar. 10. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the inner and outer passages of the nozzle are not similar.