JPH0578886A - Partial plating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To partially plate a member to be plated formed on a hoop material or the hoop material to be plated in uniform thickness with improved productivity. CONSTITUTION:The region of the member to be plated formed on a hoop material 1 including its tip is exposed from a fixed mask window 81a, and a plating soln. having an anode potential is injected from a nozzle 45 opposed to the window 81a to plate the region to be plated. The windows 81a are formed at the different corresponding positions in the cross direction of the window 81a so that the length of the opening in the hoop material moving direction is inversely proportional to the density of the current between an anode 46 provided to the nozzle 45 and the region to be plated exposed from the window 81a, and the length of the opening at the position in the cross direction, where the current density is minimized, is controlled to the length sufficient to secure a requisite plating thickness.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a partial plating device for a member to be plated or a hoop material formed on a hoop material, and particularly to improve productivity by performing partial plating treatment of a required thickness on a required plating area. The present invention relates to a partial plating device.

In the process of manufacturing a tongue-shaped connection terminal such as a connector terminal, for example, an electrode film for improving connection characteristics in a required region of a connection terminal base material formed continuously on a strip-shaped hoop material in a comb blade shape. The method of forming a continuous partial plating process is often used.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example, a case where a member to be plated is a connector terminal continuously formed in a hoop material in a comb-like shape and a part of the tip side of the connector terminal is plated with gold (Au) will be described. To do.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a required plating area of a member to be plated, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a conventional partial plating apparatus and its plating method, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining problems. In FIG. 2, comb-shaped terminal members 1a are punched and formed on the hoop material 1 at a constant pitch interval p, for example, by a continuous press machine, and the connecting members 1a of each terminal member 1a have the terminal members 1a. The guide holes 1b serving as the feed guides when continuously forming are formed at the pitch p.

The hatched area A in the figure represents the required gold (Au) plating area. FIG. 3 shows an apparatus and a plating method for plating the hoop material 1, (3-1) is an external view of the apparatus, and (3-2) is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the apparatus cut along a to a '. Is.

In the drawing, the plating apparatus 2 includes two drive wheels 3 for moving the hoop material 1 described with reference to FIG. 2 at a predetermined moving speed by hooking the hoop material 1 in the guide hole 1b provided in the connecting portion 1 '.
It is composed of a plating processing part 4 fixedly positioned in an intermediate region of the two driving wheels 3 and a dish-shaped casing 5 for arranging the two driving wheels 3 and the plating processing part 4 at predetermined positions. Has been done.

The two drive wheels 3 are fixed to a rotary shaft 31 which penetrates the bottom surface of the housing 5 while keeping the liquid, and the other end of the rotary shaft 31 is a drive mechanism portion (not shown). Is engaged with and can rotate at a predetermined rotation speed.

Further, the plating portion 4 includes a mask portion 41 made of an insulating material which is arranged so as to straddle the hoop material 1 along the longitudinal direction from the side where the terminal member 1a is formed, and the mask portion 41.
A nozzle housing box 42 fixed to one side of 41.

The mask portion 41 is a nozzle housing box.
42 On the fixed surface side, with a width d corresponding to the length of the required plating area A of the terminal member 1a, a length L set from the rotational speed of the drive wheel 3 and thus the moving speed of the hoop material 1 and the required plating thickness. Is formed in the casing 5 so that the required masking area A of the hoop material 1 which is moved by the drive wheel 3 and the width d of the mask window 41a substantially match. ing.

Therefore, only the required plating area A of the hoop material 1 moving inside the mask portion 41 is exposed in the mask window 41a. Further, inside the nozzle housing box 42, at a position facing the mask window 41a of the mask portion 41, a fan-shaped plan view is formed to eject a plating solution 44 sent through a pipe 43 by a pump (not shown) in a fan shape. The nozzle 45 is attached, and an anode electrode 46 connected to a "+" side potential of, for example, 2 to 3 V is arranged inside the vicinity of the opening end side of the nozzle 45 along the longitudinal direction thereof.

Therefore, the hoop member 1 which is meshed with the two drive wheels 3 and passes through the inside of the mask portion 41 is engaged with a drive mechanism portion (not shown) and is rotated in the R direction by the drive wheel 3 in the arrow B direction. When moved, the required plating area A of the terminal member 1a of the hoop material 1 is sequentially exposed in the mask window 41a of the mask portion 41.

Therefore, when a plating solution 44 such as a cyan gold solution is ejected from the nozzle 45, the potential difference between the hoop material 1 at the ground potential and the anode electrode 46 through the driving wheel 3 causes the mask window 41a to exit. Exposed hoop material 1
The required plating area A can be subjected to gold plating as shown by the dot area A'in the figure.

In the plating process in this case, the nozzle 45
Since it is surrounded by the nozzle housing box 42 described above, the plating solution 44 ejected in a fan shape whose tip spreads from the nozzle 45 does not come into contact with the hoop material 1 exposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the mask portion 41. Since only the time zone exposed to the mask window 41a can be used as the plating time, the good quality plating can be performed over the entire length of the hoop material 1.

The rotation speed of the drive wheel 3, in other words, there is an advantage that plating processing of any thickness can be performed by changing the moving speed of the hoop material 1 in the B direction.

[0015]

FIG. 4 for explaining the problem
(A) is a view of the mask window portion of FIG. 3 viewed from the nozzle side, (b) is a schematic side view of (a) showing the state of current density during plating, [Fig. 4] is a cross-sectional view showing a state of plating thickness after plating.

In the mask window 41a of the mask portion 41 described in FIG. 3A, the required plating area A including the tip 1a 'of the terminal member 1a of the hoop material 1 is sequentially moved as indicated by arrow B. Exposed.

In this case, the current density of the current flowing between the anode electrode 46 mounted in the vicinity of the opening of the nozzle 45 and the required plating area A of the hoop material 1 and thus the terminal member 1a is shown by the schematic curve b in (b). Thus, the tip 1a 'of the terminal member 1a is maximized and becomes smaller toward the base.

On the other hand, the plating thickness is generally proportional to the current density. Therefore, the plating layer formed in the required plating area A of the terminal member 1a exposed in the mask window 41a shown in (a) is
As shown in the dot area C in (c), the tip portion 1a 'is formed in an inverted wedge shape that is thickest and becomes thinner toward the base portion.

However, the required plating area (between p ₁ and p _{2 in the} figure) of the terminal member 1a corresponding to the width of the mask window 41a must be ensured to have a predetermined plating thickness t. Therefore, if at least the plating thickness t is secured at the p ₂ point on the base side of the required plating area, the plating thickness T at the tip portion 1a ', that is, the p ₁ point becomes thicker than the required thickness t and always "T>t". Is established.

In this case, "Tt", in other words, the hatched area C'in the figure can be said to be an extra plating layer that exceeds the required thickness t. There is a problem that productivity cannot be expected to be improved because the plating is performed up to C '.

[0021]

Means for Solving the Problems The above problem is solved by exposing a required plating area including a tip of a member to be plated formed on a hoop material or a required plating area including an end side of the hoop material from a fixed mask window. The plating solution having an anodic potential is jetted from a nozzle facing the mask window to a required plating area exposed from the mask window of the hoop material which moves in the longitudinal direction while being sequentially exposed to the mask window. A partial plating apparatus for continuously performing a predetermined plating process on a required plating area, wherein the mask window has an opening length in the hoop material moving direction exposed from the anode electrode and the mask window provided in the nozzle. It is formed so as to be inversely proportional to the current density of the current flowing between it and the region at different positions in the width direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hoop material of the mask window, and the current density is maximum. Is achieved by the opening length less co required partial plating system plating thickness is formed to a length sufficient to ensure that the configuration of the width direction position is.

[0022]

When the plating processing time is set so as to be inversely proportional to the current density acting on the required plating area, the thickness of the plating within the required plating area can be made substantially constant.

According to the present invention, the conventional rectangular mask window has the same opening length as that of the conventional mask window at the base of the required plating area of the terminal member, that is, the position corresponding to point p _{2 in} FIG. 4 is formed so that the opening length at the position corresponding to the point p _{1 of} 4 is shorter than that of the base portion to form a partial plating apparatus.

This means that the time zone exposed from the mask window of the terminal member sequentially moving in the mask portion is longer at the base of the required plating area and becomes shorter toward the tip. Therefore, since the plating thickness of the terminal base material in the required plating area can be made substantially constant, an extra plating layer is not formed and the productivity can be improved.

[0025]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a partial plating apparatus according to the present invention, (1-1) is an external view of the apparatus, and (1-2) is an example of the shape of a mask window viewed from the nozzle side. FIG.

In the drawing, the case where the same terminal member as that in FIG. 3 is plated is taken as an example, and therefore the same objects as those in FIG. 3 are represented by the same symbols. In (1-1) of FIG. 1, the partial plating apparatus 7 is obtained by replacing the mask section 41 of the partial plating apparatus 2 described in FIG. 3 with the mask section according to the present invention. They are exactly the same.

Therefore, explanations other than those relating to the present invention are omitted to avoid duplication. That is, the partial plating device 7 includes two driving wheels 3 arranged in the dish-shaped casing 5 as described with reference to FIG. 3 and a plating process fixedly positioned in the middle of the two driving wheels 3. The masking portion 81 is made of an insulating material and is formed so as to straddle the hoop material 1 of FIG. 2 along the longitudinal direction from the terminal member 1a forming side. It is composed of a nozzle housing box 42 fixed to one side of the portion 81.

In particular, in this case, the mask window 81a formed on the fixed surface side of the nozzle housing box 42 of the mask portion 81 is
As shown in the enlarged view (1-2), for example, the entire length L is equal to the mask window 41a of FIG. 3, and only the width d is formed in a stepwise shape in which d ₁ → d ₂ → d is sequentially increased.

Therefore, the terminal member 1a of the hoop material 1 which moves inside the mask portion 81 is plated in the time zone in which the required plating area corresponding to the width d ₁ passes the entire length L and the width "d". _The area corresponding to ₂ −d ₁ ″ is plated in the time zone that passes the length of L ₁ , and the area corresponding to the width “d−d ₂ ” is plated in the time zone that passes the length of L _2. The Rukoto.

On the other hand, the required plating area of the terminal member 1a is shown in FIG.
As described above, since the current density increases toward the tip 1a ', it is possible to reduce the time required to form the required plating thickness, but in this case, the fluctuation of the current density depends on the terminal to be plated. It depends on the shape and width of the member 1a, the pitch between adjacent terminals, and the like.

Therefore, the above-mentioned result obtained by experimentally confirming the variation of the current density corresponding to the target member to be plated.
Mask window formed based on d ₁ , d ₂ and L ₁ , L ₂
In the hoop material 1 that moves inside the mask portion 81 having 81a,
By ejecting a plating solution such as a cyan gold solution from the nozzle 45 described in FIG. 3, the hoop material 1 at the ground potential and the anode electrode 46 provided at the opening of the nozzle 45 are driven through the drive wheel 3. The required plating area A of the hoop material 1 exposed from the mask window 81a due to the potential difference can be subjected to a required gold plating treatment with a substantially uniform thickness.

When the width of the terminal member 1a is widened and the distance between the adjacent terminals disappears, when the vicinity of the edge including the edge of the hoop material 1 is plated along the longitudinal direction. Since it corresponds, by using the mask window 81a, the hoop material can be plated with high productivity.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the required plating area including the tip of the member to be plated formed on the hoop material or the required plating area including the edge of the hoop material is partially plated with a uniform thickness. As a result, it is possible to provide a partial plating apparatus with improved productivity.

In the above embodiment, the case where the member to be plated is the terminal base material formed in the hoop material in the shape of a comb blade is taken as an example, but the tip portion where the concentration of the current density is likely to occur during the plating process or The same effect can be obtained with a member to be plated having any shape as long as the edge is exposed to the mask window.

In the description of the present invention, the case where the opening shape of the mask window is formed stepwise is taken as an example, but the opening shape may be formed in a triangular shape corresponding to the variation of the current density. It is clear that the effect of is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a partial plating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a required plating area of a member to be plated.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conventional plating apparatus and partial plating method.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hoop material 1a Terminal member 1a 'Tip part 3 Drive wheel 5 Housing 7 Partial plating device 8 Plating processing part 42 Nozzle housing box 45 Nozzle 46 Anode electrode 81 Mask part 81a Mask window

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. While exposing a required plating area including a tip portion of a member to be plated formed on the hoop material (1) or a required plating area including an edge of the hoop material from a fixed mask window (81a). The mask window (81) is provided in the plating required area exposed from the mask window (81a) of the hoop material (1) which moves in the longitudinal direction.
Partial plating device for ejecting a plating solution having an anode potential from a nozzle (45) located facing a) and continuously performing a predetermined plating treatment on the required plating area which is sequentially exposed to the mask window 81a. The mask window (81a) has an opening length in the hoop material moving direction between the anode electrode (46) of the nozzle (45) and a required plating area exposed from the mask window (81a). At a widthwise position at which the current density is minimum, which is formed so as to be inversely proportional to the current density of the current flowing in the mask window (81a) at the corresponding position in the width direction orthogonal to the hoop material moving direction. The partial plating apparatus is characterized in that it has a small opening length and is formed to have a length sufficient to secure a required plating thickness.