JPH10273799A - Automatic plating method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic plating method by which labor and time are saved without needing replacement of a part items and to furnish its device. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a plating tank 9 filled with a plating soln., an anode 11 set in the plating tank 9, a cathode 14 furnished outside the plating tank 9, coupled slits 13 provided to the wall of the plating tank 9 and a sealing means 15 for preventing the leakage of the plating soln. outside the plating tank 9. A material 12 to be plated is brought into contact with the cathode 14 and passed through the slits 13 and the plating tank 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic plating method and apparatus for automatically plating an object to be plated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional plating method will be described with reference to a perspective view of FIG. 21 and a longitudinal front view of FIG. A frame-shaped cathode 4 is suspended from the hook 3. An object 6 to be plated is attached to the cathode 4 by a fixing jig 5.

The fixing jig 5 is made of copper, nickel, or the like in accordance with the type of plating. As shown in FIG. 23, the fixing jig 5 sandwiches the upper edge and the lower edge of the workpiece 6 from above and below. 24, and a configuration in which the vicinity of the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the object 6 to be plated are sandwiched from both sides as shown in FIG. In FIG. 23, reference numeral 7 denotes an insulator attached to a side of the fixing jig 5 that is not in contact with the object 6 to be plated.

[0004]

In such a plating method, energization of the plating object 6 is related to the contact surface with the fixing jig 5, but each fixing jig 5 and the plating object 6 Since the contact area with the fixing jig is extremely small, it is necessary to use many fixing jigs 5 in order to increase the contact area. Therefore, in the conventional plating method, it takes time and effort to fix the object 6 to be plated, and there is a problem in an operation process.

Furthermore, in the conventional plating method, the fixing jig 5 is also plated. In particular, as shown in FIGS. Since the layer 8 is formed, the elasticity of the fixing jig 5 is lost, and the energizing performance is reduced.
Had to be discarded after several uses and had a problem that it could not withstand long-term use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem and to provide an automatic plating method and apparatus which does not require labor and does not require replacement of parts.

[0006]

According to the present invention, an anode is provided inside a plating tank, and a cathode is provided outside the plating tank. An object to be plated is passed through a slit provided in the plating tank in a liquid-tight manner.
An automatic plating method, wherein the plating solution is continuously fed into the plating tank in contact with the cathode, and after plating, continuously sent out of the tank through a slit provided in the plating tank in a liquid-tight manner. A plating tank filled with, an anode provided in the plating tank, a cathode provided outside the plating tank, a pair of slits provided on a tank wall of the plating tank, and provided in the slit. Liquid-tight means for preventing the plating solution from leaking out of the plating tank, and an automatic plating apparatus, characterized in that an object to be plated contacts the cathode and passes through the inside of the plating tank through a slit. The apparatus further includes a compartment provided in the plating tank, a second cathode provided in the compartment, and a pair of second slits provided on a chamber wall of the compartment. The second slit provided in the second slit. A liquid-tight means for preventing the liquid from entering the compartment, wherein the object to be plated passes through the compartment through the second slit and also comes into contact with the second cathode, and the anode has a swing mechanism. Or a rotary feed mechanism for a plating object having a notch hole, or a receiving table for the plating object provided at a lower portion in the plating tank, and a plating object provided above the receiving table. And a shielding plate having a slit through which the light passes. In the method and apparatus of the present invention, the cathode is outside the plating tank and is not immersed in the plating solution, and the object to be plated contacts the cathode and passes through the plating tank through the slit, so that a fixing jig is not required. No effort is required, and no extra plating layer is formed.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of FIG. 1, in which a plating bath 10 is provided inside a plating tank 9 (see FIG. 2). And a plurality of anodes 11 are provided inside the plating tank 9 so as to be immersed in the plating solution 10. This anode 11
Has a tubular shape, the tip of which is sealed, and a myriad of small-diameter holes formed in the surface on the cathode side. A plating solution is sprayed from these holes. The anode is made of titanium or the like, and the surface of the anode or the inner layer surface is covered with platinum. The range may be within the range immersed in the plating solution.

In order to allow the object to be plated 12 to enter the inside of the plating tank 9 from outside the plating tank 9 and to pass again between the plurality of anodes 11 to the outside of the plating tank 9, the tank of the plating tank 9 is used. The wall is provided with a pair of slits 13 (see FIG. 1) in the vertical direction.

A cathode 14 is provided outside the plating tank 9 near the slit 13 so that the cathode 14 can be in contact with the plating object 12 passing through the slit 13 outside the plating tank 9. In the vicinity of the slit 13 inside the tank 9, a liquid-tight means such as a rubber roller, an elastic plastic roller, or a sealed bag roller is used to prevent the plating solution 10 from leaking from the slit 13 to the outside of the plating tank 9. 15 are provided.

The plating object 12 that has entered the inside of the plating tank 9 through one slit 13 is fed toward the other slit 13 by a ring-shaped rotary feed mechanism 16. The rotary feed mechanism 16 is used to
And is rotationally driven via a transmission chain 18 from a drive chain 17 which is circulated and driven by a motor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, below the rotary feed mechanism 16, a receiving table 19 for supporting the weight of the object 12 is provided along the lower edge of the object 12.
An air injection pipe 20 for stirring the plating solution 10 is provided below the base 9 in parallel with the pedestal 19.

A plate-shaped swinging mechanism 21 is connected to the upper ends of the plurality of anodes 11, and the swinging mechanism 21 horizontally reciprocates by a motor 22 to swing the anodes 11 to form a plating solution. 10 is agitated. However, the sway of the liquid alone does not sufficiently remove the air in the through hole. The smaller the diameter of the hole, the more the liquid enters from both sides of the substrate, the more the air in the hole will be trapped, and this air will act like a weir and hinder the wetting of the hole wall, preventing liquid intrusion. And no plating is performed.

In order to prevent such a problem, a method of applying an ultrasonic wave to the substrate surface for forcibly removing air and inflowing a liquid is employed. That is, the frequency is 20 kHz to 30 kHz.
400k ferrite or nickel as z oscillator
Hz to 500kHz Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)
And the ultrasonic generators 40 are installed on both sides of the cathode so that the direction of ultrasonic waves strikes the substrate surface. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 23 denotes a plating solution supply pipe, and reference numeral 24 denotes a drain pipe connected to a filtration device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cathode 14 provided outside the plating tank 9 is a cylindrical cored bar 2 as shown in FIG.
5, a ring-shaped conductor 26 is fitted on the outer periphery of a cylindrical core 25 as shown in FIG. 4, and a ring-shaped conductor 26 is formed along the core 25 as shown by a two-dot chain line. The position of which can be changed by sliding the conductor 26 of
As shown in FIG. 5, a conductor 26 obtained by adding a cushioning property to a divided conductor 26 with a spring 27, or a conductor having a conductor 26 fixed in a spiral shape to the outer periphery of a cylindrical core 25 as shown in FIG. Can be.

The rotary feed mechanism 16 described above includes:
As shown in FIG. 7, the ring-shaped circumferential section is made semicircular, or as shown in FIG. 8, the ring-shaped circumferential section is made acute, so that the area of the rotary feed mechanism 16 in contact with the workpiece 12 is minimized. Then, the plating of the object to be plated 12 is made to have a uniform and smooth surface. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of notches 28 are formed in the rotary feed mechanism 16 so that the plating solution 10 is stirred by the rotation of the rotary feed mechanism 16.

Further, as the above-mentioned pedestal 19, for example, a vinyl chloride resin is used, and as shown in FIG. 10A, grooves for supporting the object to be plated 12 correspond to types of plating such as copper foil and nickel foil. A metal foil 29 is fixed, and a shielding plate 31 having a slit 30 for passing the plated object 12 is provided directly above the receiving table 19.
Do not go straight. In the configuration shown in (a), the plating object 12 slides on the metal foil 29, but when the cut surface of the plating object 12 is rough, the sliding is poor.
A problem may also occur in energization. Then, as shown in (b), the lower end of the object to be plated is supported by a V-shaped roller, and the upper surface thereof can be smoothly moved by rotating the conductive belt. (C) is to move with a conductive roller having a V-shaped guide groove, and (D) is to hold the lower end of the object to be plated with V-shaped from both sides so that it can be smoothly moved by the conductive roller. It was made. Next, the operation of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described.

The inside of the plating tank 9 is filled with the plating solution 10, and the driving chain 17 is driven to circulate clockwise in FIG.
4 to a DC power supply.

In this state, the object to be plated 12 is inserted between the cathodes 14, 14 in the upper part of FIG. 1, and the object to be plated 12 is passed through the slit 13 and the liquid-tight means 15, 15 into the plating tank 9. As it is inserted, the object to be plated 12 is sent downward by the rotary feed mechanism 16 in FIG. 1 while sliding on the receiving table 19 in FIG. After passing through the inside of the plating tank 9, it passes through the space between the liquid-tight means 15, 15 and the slit 13 shown in FIG. 1 and goes out of the plating tank 9, and then the cathodes 14, 14 shown in FIG. It is taken out from between. While one or both of the upper cathode 14 and the lower cathode 14 in FIG. 1 is in contact with the surface of the plating object 12 while the plating object 12 is passing through the inside of the plating tank 9, Thing 1
The plating is performed while 2 passes through the inside of the plating tank 9. The liquid level of the upper surface of the cathode substrate was adjusted by the adjusting plate 39, and the liquid level was about 50 mm from the substrate height.
Set above. (4) in the figure is a partition plate.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional front view of FIG.
1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The anode 11 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 has a cage shape,
Although the configuration in which metal balls 32 for anodes such as copper and nickel corresponding to the type of plating are inserted as shown in FIG. 12 is only different from the embodiment of FIGS. When a metal ball for an anode is used, if the metal ball is exposed on the liquid surface, a metal oxide film is formed, which hinders plating. To prevent this, the anode cage is adjusted up and down at the same time as the liquid level is adjusted so that the metal balls do not always come out of the liquid surface, or the liquid surface of the anode cage is covered with a closed container or the like, and the metal balls are exposed to air. I do not touch it.

A shield plate is attached between the upper part of the anode cage in the anode bag and between the cages. When the anode cage swings, the shield plate also moves at the same time, so that the liquid swing operation is efficiently performed. ing. The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example of the embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the slits 13
A compartment 33 made of an electrically insulating material such as glass fiber reinforced resin is provided in the plating tank 9 so as to be positioned on a line connecting the plating tank 9. A pair of slits 34 are provided in the longitudinal direction so as to be arranged on the same plane as the slits 13.

A liquid-tight means 35 is provided near the slit 34 to prevent the plating solution 10 from entering the compartment 33 through the slit 34.
A second cathode 36 is provided in the compartment 33 in which 0 does not enter so as to be aligned on the same plane as the slit 34.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example of the embodiment of the present invention, in which an anode 11 is in a cage shape, and an anode metal ball 32 can be inserted therein. Other than that, the configuration is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. As the liquid-tight means 35 and the second cathode 36 provided in the compartment 33 in FIGS. 13 and 14, those having the structures shown in FIGS. 15 to 20 can be used.

FIG. 15 shows an example in which a rubber roller, a resilient plastic roller, a sealed bag roller, or the like is used as the liquid-tight means 35, and a plate spring bent in a semicircle is used as the second cathode 36. FIG. 16 shows a case where a plurality of elastic rubber plates are used
Used a copper brush.

FIG. 17 shows a case in which a plurality of elastic rubber plates are used as the liquid-tight means 35, and a plate spring bent in a semicircle is used as the second cathode 36. FIG. 18 shows an inner compartment 37 made of an electrically insulating material such as glass fiber reinforced resin in a compartment 33 to form a double compartment, and a rubber roller as a liquid-tight means 35 for the slit 34 and an elasticity A slit 38 having a liquid-tight means 35 is also provided in the inner compartment 37 so as to be arranged on the same plane as the slit 34 by using a plastic roller, a sealed bag roller or the like having a spring. A second cathode 36 is provided.

FIG. 19 shows a liquid-tight means 3 in which elastic rubber or plastic plates are opposed to each other at an inclined angle.
20 attached to the slit 34 as FIG.
Is a plate made of elastic rubber or plastic arranged in the same plane, opposed to each other, and attached to a slit 34 as a liquid-tight means 35.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 having such a structure is suitable for plating an object 12 having a short length.
3. The object 12 to be plated put into the plating tank 9 through the space between the liquid-tight means 15, 15 enters the inside of the compartment 33 through the slit 34 of the compartment 33, and enters the inside of the compartment 33. After coming into contact with the second cathode 36, it comes out of the compartment 33 and passes through the inside of the plating tank 9 again, goes out of the plating tank 9 and comes into contact with the cathode 14.

Therefore, the object to be plated 12 before passing through the plating tank 9 is either the cathode 14 or the second cathode 3.
6 is in contact with any one of the plating objects 9, even if the object 12 is short.
Will be plated while passing through the inside of the.

[0030]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the object to be plated can be continuously fed into the plating tank without being individually attached to the jig, and can be continuously sent out after plating. It can be carried out.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the object to be plated can be made to pass through the plating tank at the same potential as the cathode without using a fixing jig. Liquid-tight means is attached to the slit provided in the tank wall, so that the plating solution does not leak to the outside of the plating tank, and since the cathode is provided outside the plating tank, an excess plating layer is formed. There is no effect.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the object to be plated is also in contact with the second cathode inside the plating tank, the object to be plated having a short length can be plated. Because it is provided in a compartment where plating solution does not enter,
The second cathode also has the effect that no excess plating layer is formed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the plating solution is stirred by the anode, there is an effect that even plating can be performed. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the plating solution is further stirred by the rotation of the rotary feed mechanism, there is an effect that extremely uniform plating can be performed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the weight of the object to be plated is supported by the pedestal, and furthermore, there is a shielding plate above the pedestal so that the plating solution does not directly hit the pedestal. An excess plating layer is not formed, and an object to be plated can be smoothly moved inside the plating bath.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a cathode used in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the embodiment of the cathode used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing still another example of the embodiment of the cathode used in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing still another example of the embodiment of the cathode used in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of an embodiment of a rotary feed mechanism used in the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing another example of the embodiment of the rotary feed mechanism used in the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional plan view of FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional front view showing an example of an embodiment of a pedestal of a plating object and a shielding plate used in the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional front view of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of an embodiment of a compartment used in the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional plan view showing another example of the embodiment of the compartment used in the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example of the embodiment of the compartment used in the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional plan view showing still another example of the embodiment of the compartment used in the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of a liquid-tight means used in the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional plan view showing another example of the liquid-tight means used in the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional plating apparatus.

FIG. 22 is a vertical sectional front view of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 22.

24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 22, showing an example different from that of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 24;

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Plating tank 10 Plating solution 11 Anode 12 Plated object 13 Slit 14 Cathode 15 Liquid tight means 16 Rotary feed mechanism 19 Receiving stand 21 Swing mechanism 30 Slit 31 Shield plate 33 Partition chamber 34 Slit 35 Liquid tight means 36 Second cathode

Claims (6)

[Claims] An anode is provided inside a plating tank, and a cathode is provided outside the plating tank. An object to be plated is continuously contacted with the cathode through a slit provided in the plating tank in a liquid-tight manner. An automatic plating method characterized in that the liquid is fed into a plating tank, and after plating, is continuously sent out of the tank through a slit provided in the plating tank in a liquid-tight manner. 2. A plating tank filled with a plating solution, an anode provided in the plating tank, a cathode provided outside the plating tank, and a pair of slits provided in a tank wall of the plating tank. And a liquid-tight means provided in the slit to prevent the plating solution from leaking out of the plating tank, wherein the object to be plated contacts the cathode and passes through the plating tank through the slit. Features automatic plating equipment. 3. A compartment provided in a plating tank, a second cathode provided in the compartment, a pair of second slits provided in a chamber wall of the compartment, And a liquid-tight means provided in the second slit to prevent the plating solution from entering the compartment, so that the object to be plated passes through the compartment through the second slit and also contacts the second cathode. 3. The automatic plating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein 4. The automatic plating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a swing mechanism is connected to the anode. 5. The automatic plating apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a rotary feed mechanism for rotating a workpiece having a cutout hole. 6. A plating apparatus comprising: a receiving plate for an object to be plated provided at a lower portion in a plating tank; and a shielding plate provided above the receiving table and having a slit for passing the object to be plated. 6. The automatic plating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the automatic plating apparatus is used.