JPH1025598A - Plating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plating device with which the constitution of the compact device and the consequent reduction of an equipment cost are possible by bringing an unloading section and a loading section in proximity to each other and surely managing unloading and loading work with a smaller number of persons. SOLUTION: This plating device has the loading section 1, a treating section 3 which includes a plating cell, the unloading section 2 and a work transporting means 4 which hangs works between these sections and transports the works. This work transporting means has jigs traveling along the loading section, the treating section and the unloading section. These jigs has holding sections which freely attachably and detachably hold works and an electrode section which is freely attachable and detachable to and from the works.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plating apparatus for performing, for example, solder plating on an exterior part of a semiconductor lead frame.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 4, when a solder plating is applied to an exterior portion of a semiconductor lead frame, a processing section 20 such as a degreasing cleaning tank, an etching tank, a plating tank, a neutralization processing tank, a drying furnace, etc. And the lead frame is sequentially moved to these devices so that these processes are continuously performed. For transport, for example, run a wire or chain conveyor on the plating tank, attach a hanging jig that also serves as an electrode to suspend the lead frame,
The movement between the tanks is performed by moving the jig up and down. Since the electrodes are also plated in the plating step, a peeling (electrolysis) tank 23 is disposed between the unloading section 21 and the loading section 22 as shown in FIG.

[0003]

In the prior art as described above, since the peeling process is performed between the unloading section 21 and the loading section 22 as described above, the unloading section and the loading section are shown in the drawing. I have to leave. as a result,
Two workers are required to manage the unload section and the load section. In addition, since the lead frame is taken in and out of the tank before and after the peeling process, the device configuration becomes complicated,
There were inconveniences, such as a large installation space.

According to the present invention, the unloading section and the loading section are brought close to each other, so that unloading and loading operations can be reliably managed by a small number of people, and the equipment cost can be reduced by making the apparatus compact. It is an object to provide a plating apparatus.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a load section, a processing section including a plating tank, an unload section, and a work transfer means for suspending and transferring a work between these sections. The work transfer means includes a jig that travels along the loading section, the processing section, and the unloading section, and the jig includes a holding section that detachably holds the work, A plating apparatus comprising: an electrode unit. As a result, the work is held by the holding portion, and thus the work and the electrode portion are separated, and a current is applied to the electrode portion to perform electrolysis, thereby performing a step of removing plating adhered to the electrode portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a load section, a processing section including a plating tank, an unload section, and a work transfer means for suspending and transferring a work between these sections. The plating apparatus is characterized in that the load section is arranged adjacent to the load section, and a stripping tank for stripping the plating of the electrode is arranged downstream of the load section. Thus, the loading and unloading operations can be performed collectively by disposing the loading unit and the unloading unit close to each other. Further, since the work of attaching and detaching the work is reduced, the work can be reduced and the apparatus can be made more compact.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the plating apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the work transfer means holds the surface of the substantially flat work in a traveling direction. As a result, an efficient plating apparatus utilizing the floor area can be provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the work transfer means has a cam mechanism for mechanically controlling a holding portion and / or an electrode portion of the jig. Since the plating apparatus is described, a reliable control operation can be performed by a simple mechanism.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2,
One embodiment of the plating apparatus of the present invention will be described.
This apparatus is arranged along two rows of processing lines having a U-shape as a whole. A loading section 1 and an unloading section 2 are arranged on the open end side thereof, and a processing tank including a plating tank therebetween. The configuration is such that the unit 3 is arranged. A work such as a lead frame is held on the upper side of
Is provided with a transport device 4 for sequentially transporting the paper.

The transport device 4 has an endless chain (circular traveling portion) 5 supported by guide rails arranged along the processing line so as to run along the processing line. At both ends of the processing line, sprocket wheels 6 that are driven to rotate in a horizontal plane are installed, and a chain 5 is wound around the sprocket wheels 6. The drive device (not shown) of the sprocket wheel 6 is provided with an indexing mechanism for intermittently moving the chain at a constant time pitch in this example. A work holding jig 7 as shown in the figure is attached to the chain 5 at predetermined regular intervals.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the jig 7 has a pair of a fixed plate 8 attached to the chain 5 and one hook 9 provided to be suspended from the fixed plate 8. Arms 10 and 11 are provided. The hook 9 is formed with a bent portion 12 that supports the lower end of the work W. The two pairs of arms 10 and 11 are urged inward by spring members, respectively, and are provided with link mechanisms so as to be freely opened and closed.

That is, the upper holding arm 10 is for mechanically holding the work W and is urged by the coil spring 13, while the lower electrode arm 11 is an electrode for supplying electricity to the work. , Which are urged by a coil spring 15 and are linked to the open / close bar 14. It slides on a power supply rail arranged along the guide rail. Each of the link mechanisms is controlled by a cam follower arranged along a guide rail, and at a predetermined position, the arm 10,
11 is designed to open and close. Also, the electrode arm 1
1 is controlled in a similar manner. Further, a cam mechanism for inclining the workpiece W together with the jig 7 to the side in order to get over the wall between the processing tanks of the processing section 3 is provided.

In the processing section 3, immediately after the load section 1 (downstream with respect to the flow of the work), there is disposed a peeling tank 16 for removing plating adhered to the electrodes. The tanks are arranged sequentially. As such a treatment tank, a water washing, degreasing, etching step, which is a previous step for cleaning the surface to be plated,
Then, steps such as a plating step, post-washing, and drying are appropriately arranged as necessary. In the loading unit 1 and the unloading unit 2, containers for accommodating the work are placed, and a stage for exchanging the work between the container and the transfer device 4 is provided.

Next, the operation of the plating apparatus configured as described above will be described. Jig 7 attached to chain 5
Is driven intermittently by the driving device. A semiconductor lead frame, which is a work, is attached to a jig 7 in the load section 1. That is, the work W is held with its lower end in contact with the bent portion 12, its side portion in contact with the holding arm 10, and its back surface in contact with the hook 9, with its surface oriented in the traveling direction and its longitudinal direction oriented up and down. By holding in this manner, many works W can be processed with a small floor area.

Next, the work W is moved to the peeling tank 16 and immersed therein. Here, the electrode arm 10 is not closed and does not contact the work W. Here, an electrolysis step is performed by applying a potential opposite to that of the plating step. Thereby, the plating metal attached to the electrode arm 10 in the plating process is dissolved in the solution and removed.

After the peeling process for a predetermined time, the work W
Moves to the downstream side, where pretreatment steps such as water washing, degreasing, and etching are sequentially performed. Further, the work W moves to the plating tank, where the electrode arm 11 closes and comes into contact with the work W, and is energized to perform the plating process. The workpiece W is further moved to another processing unit 3, and after performing processes such as post-washing and drying, the workpiece W is further moved to the unloading unit 2. In the unloading section 2, the electrode arm 11 and the holding arm 10 are opened, and the work W is removed and stored in the container. The emptied jig 7 moves to the loading section 1, where it holds a new work W, moves to the peeling tank 16, and repeats the above steps.

As described above, in this apparatus, the holding arm 10 for applying the load of the work W and the electrode 11 for energization are separately provided on the jig 7 for suspending the work W.
The peeling step can be performed while holding the work W. Therefore, since the peeling process can be performed after loading the work, the unloading section 2 and the loading section 1 can be adjacent to each other, and the operator can perform the loading and unloading operations and the management thereof collectively. . Furthermore, since the peeling step and the plating or the pretreatment step can be continued, the work of attaching and detaching the work W to and from the jig 7 can be omitted, and the overall apparatus can be made compact.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform the step of removing the plating metal adhered to the electrode portion while holding the work by the holding portion. Therefore, an electrode peeling step can be performed after loading, and the unloading section and the loading section can be arranged close to each other. Therefore, unloading and loading operations can be reliably managed by a small number of people, and the entire apparatus can be made compact to reduce equipment costs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a plating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a plan view and FIG. 2B is a front view of a jig as a main part of the plating apparatus of FIG.

3A is a side view and FIG. 3B is a rear view of a jig which is a main part of the plating apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a conventional plating apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Load part 2 Unload part 3 Processing part 4 Work conveyance means 7 Jig 10 Holding part 11 Electrode part W Work

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A load section, a processing section including a plating tank, an unload section, and a work transfer section for suspending and transferring a work between these sections, wherein the work transfer section includes the load section, the processing section, A plating apparatus, comprising: a jig running along an unloading section, the jig having a holding section for detachably holding the work, and an electrode section capable of coming into contact with and separating from the work. 2. A load section, a processing section including a plating tank, an unload section, and a work transporting means for suspending and transporting a workpiece between these sections, wherein the unload section and the load section are adjacent to each other. Placed,
A plating apparatus, characterized in that a stripping tank for stripping plating of an electrode is disposed downstream of the load section. 3. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work transport means holds the surface of the substantially flat work in a traveling direction. 4. The plating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said work transport means has a cam mechanism for mechanically controlling a holding portion and / or an electrode portion of said jig.