US20100320079A1

US20100320079A1 - Anodizing and plating system and method

Info

Publication number: US20100320079A1
Application number: US12/803,072
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew John Nosti
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-06-19
Filing date: 2010-06-18
Publication date: 2010-12-23
Also published as: US20150090585A1

Abstract

An anodizing or plating system is provided that has a bath with an electrolytic solution into which a production part is at least partially disposed. For the anodizing process, an anodizing monitoring device is present and has a control panel at least partially disposed within the electrolytic solution. A power source for forming an electrical circuit between the power source, the bath, the production part, and the anodizing monitoring device is present. The production part and the anodizing monitoring device are arranged in parallel relationship to one another in the electrical circuit.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/218,495 filed on Jun. 19, 2009 and entitled, “Anodizing and Plating System and Method.” U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/218,495 is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and method for anodizing and plating. More particularly, the present application involves an anodizing and plating system and method that results in the formation of an accurate and even coating without the need to calculate the area of the part being anodized.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide surface treatments to metal parts during their manufacture in order to enhance their functionality or cosmetic appearance. For example, some properties of metal parts that may be improved through application of surface treatments include hardness, corrosion resistance, color, wear, heat resistance, and electrical conductivity. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that is used to treat the surface of metal parts.
The anodizing process involves the provision of a reaction medium that is an electrolytic solution. The solution used may be of various types. For example, the electrolytic solution utilized in anodizing processes may be chromic acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, an organic acid such as sulfosalicylic acid, or a borate or tartrate bath. A voltage source is provided and a cathode may be connected to its negative terminal. The cathode is disposed within the electrolytic solution. The component to be treated is generally connected to the positive terminal of the voltage source and serves as the anode in the system. The component to be treated, which may be an aluminum part in various anodizing processes, is likewise placed within the electrolytic solution. Current may then be passed through the electrolytic solution which may cause hydrogen to be released at the cathode and oxygen to be released at the anode. This causes a build up of aluminum oxide at the surface of the aluminum part to be treated.
In order to create a coating with a desired thickness and/or consistency, the amount of current applied is dependent upon the area of the component to be treated. For most anodizing applications, the amount of current per square decimeter of surface area is generally within the range of 0.3 to 3.0 amps. However, in order to anodize using constant current the surface area of the treated part must be known. For complex geometries this information may be difficult or time consuming to obtain. The operator may thus forego anodizing by constant current density and instead use constant voltage as the requirement of surface area is not needed. However, the level of resistance to the passage of electrical current increases as the thickness of the generated oxide increases. Anodizing via constant voltage will only be able to overcome a certain level of resistance thus causing a decay of the current density as the amount of time increases. The current density decay increases the amount of time needed to form an oxide of a desired thickness on the treated component. Further, the use of constant voltage causes the resulting oxide to be less consistent and causes a larger variance in thickness. Although anodizing through the use of constant current density can achieve an improved resulting product versus anodizing by way of constant voltage, constant current density anodizing is often disfavored due to the requirement of knowing the surface area of the component to be treated. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, which makes reference to the appended Figs. in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an anodizing system in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an anodizing monitoring device in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the anodizing monitoring device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a spacer in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the spacer of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a plating system in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.
It is to be understood that the ranges mentioned herein include all ranges located within the prescribed range. As such, all ranges mentioned herein include all sub-ranges included in the mentioned ranges. For instance, a range from 100-200 also includes ranges from 110-150, 170-190, and 153-162. Further, all limits mentioned herein include all other limits included in the mentioned limits. For instance, a limit of up to 7 also includes a limit of up to 5, up to 3, and up to 4.5.
The present invention provides for an anodizing system 10 for use in anodizing production parts 26. The anodizing system 10 includes an anodizing monitoring device 30 that is arranged in parallel in an electrical circuit with one or more production parts 26 to be anodized. The anodizing monitoring device 30 includes an amp meter 32 that may be monitored by an operator. The operator may apply voltage to the electrical circuit to cause anodizing of the production parts 26 and monitor the amp meter 32 until a desired amount of amperage is achieved. Electrical energy may continue to be applied until a desired coating of the production parts 26 is reached. Constant current may thus be applied in the anodizing process without the need to calculate the area of the production parts 26 being treated.
An anodizing system 10 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 1. A bath 12 is provided that includes an electrolytic solution 14. The electrolytic solution 14 may be any type of substance used in anodizing processes. For example, the electrolytic solution 14 may be chromic acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, or sulfosalicylic acid in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. The anodizing system 10 may also include an anode bar 16 and a cathode 18 that together with a power source 28 and the electrolytic solution 14 function to complete an electrical circuit. Implementation of the electrical circuit may cause oxygen in the electrolytic solution 14 to be removed and subsequently combined with material on the production part 26 to form an oxide coating. In accordance with certain exemplary embodiments, the electrolytic solution 14 is sulfuric acid, and the production part 26 is aluminum in which the anodizing process forms an aluminum oxide coating on the production part 26.
The anodizing system 10 may include a rack 20 that functions to hold production parts 26. The rack 20 includes a hook 22 that is used to suspend the rack 20 from a bus bar 24 running above the bath 12. The production parts 26 are anodized by the anodizing system 10 and are held by the rack 20 so that they are immersed within the electrolytic solution 14. In certain exemplary embodiments, the rack 20 may serve as the anode bar 16 in the anodizing system 10. As a result, the rack 20 is made of a material that is conductive enough to carry current sufficient for performing anodizing. In these arrangements, the connection between the rack 20 and the power source 28 may be located along a stem 21 of the rack 20 above and outside of the electrolytic solution 14. Further, the electrical connection may be at the hook 22 such that the power source 28 extends through or at the bus bar 24. As at least a portion of the rack 20 is located within the electrolytic solution 14, an oxide layer may likewise be formed on the rack 20 during anodizing. The oxide layers formed on the production parts 26 and the rack 20 should both be compatible with the particular type of electrolytic solution 14 used so that dissimilar metals are not present within the bath 12. The rack 20 may be made of aluminum, titanium, tantalum or zirconium in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
Any number of production parts 26 may be mounted onto the rack 20. For example, the rack 20 may hold from 1-100 production parts 26 in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. The production parts 26 can be attached to the rack 20 through mechanical fasteners or may be secured thereon through a spring or frictional engagement. It is to be understood that the arrangement of the rack 20 shown in FIG. 1 is only exemplary and that racks 20 of other shapes, sizes and configurations can be used in the anodizing system 10.
The anodizing system 10 includes a power source 28 that is connected to an anode bar 16. The anode bar 16 may be made of a variety of materials such as aluminum, titanium, copper, or combinations of these materials in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. The anode bar 16 and the bus bar 24 may be the same component in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. In other arrangements, the anode bar 16 may be a separate component from the bus bar 24.
The anodizing system 10 also includes a cathode 18 that forms a part of the electrical circuit. The cathode 18 may be made of aluminum, graphite, lead, stainless steel, or combinations of these materials in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. The cathode 18 is shown as being attached to the side wall of the tank 13 of the bath 12 and located partially within the electrolytic solution 14. The power source 28 is connected to the cathode 18 at a portion of the cathode 18 that is within the electrolytic solution 14. However, the electrical line physically attaching the cathode 18 to the power source 28 may be attached at a location outside of the electrolytic solution 14 in other arrangements. Although shown as being attached to the side wall of the tank 13, the cathode 18 need not be attached to the side wall of the tank 13 in other exemplary embodiments. In certain arrangements, the cathode 18 is the tank 13. Here, the power source 28 is connected directly to the tank 13 and the tank 13 functions as the cathode 18 in the electrical circuit. The anode bar 16 may serve as the positive electrode and the cathode 18 may serve as the negative electrode in the electrical circuit. Voltage and current from the power source 28 may thus flow through the anode bar 16, the electrolytic solution 14, and the cathode 18 and return to the power source 28. Passage of electrical energy in the anodizing system 10 causes an oxide to be built upon the production part 26 due to the interaction of the electrical energy, electrolytic solution 14, and material making up the surface of the production part 26.
The anodizing system 10 features an anodizing monitoring device 30 that is arranged in parallel with the production parts 26 that are being monitored. As such, the production parts 26 and the anodizing monitoring device 30 are in parallel relationship with respect to one another in the electrical circuit making up the anodizing system 10. The production parts 26 and the anodizing monitoring device 30 share the same voltage that is output from the power source 28. Further, the current passed through the production parts 26 and the current passed through the anodizing monitoring device 30 add to the total current generated by the power source 28. Additionally, the resistances imparted by the production parts 26 and the anodizing monitoring device 30 diminish to equal the total resistance. The anodizing monitoring device 30 may be placed into parallel relationship with the production parts 26 by way of connection to the anode bar 16.
The anodizing monitoring device 30 may be made out of a variety of materials in accordance with different exemplary embodiments. For example, the anodizing monitoring device 30 can include aluminum or titanium. The portions of the spline 36 that are immersed within the electrolytic solution 14 may be made completely out of aluminum or titanium. Further, the entire spline 36 can be made out of aluminum or titanium in other embodiments of the anodizing monitoring device 30. The spline 36 can be adjustable so that its length may be capable of being increased or decreased for use with different sized tanks 13 and for different levels of electrolytic solution 14 as desired. The surface of the spline 36 may be coated with PVC plastisol to prevent the spline 36 from building an oxide layer during the anodizing process. One inch of the spline 36 extending down from the amp meter 32 need not be coated with PVC plastisol. Further, certain portions of the spline 36 located at the spacer 40 and the bolt 42 need not be coated with PVC plastisol as these areas may not be exposed during the anodizing process to the electrolytic solution 14. The anodizing monitoring device 30 includes an amp meter 32 that is capable of reading the current present in the anodizing monitoring device 30. The amp meter 32 may have a range of 0 to 50 amps in accordance with one exemplary embodiment. The amp meter 32 can be analog or digital in various embodiments of the anodizing system 10 and may be located above the surface of the electrolytic solution 14.
A shunt 58 may be mounted in the amp meter 32 to allow the current flowing through the anodizing monitoring device 30 to be read. In this regard, the resistance of the shunt 58 is known and is generally very small so that the load on the electrical circuit will not be disrupted. The shunt 58 is placed in series with the load through the anodizing monitoring device 30 so that all of the current to be measured by the shunt 58 will flow therethrough. The voltage drop across the shunt 58 is proportional to the current across the shunt 58 and the current can be measured as the resistance of the shunt 58 is a known value. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, a voltmeter such as a millivolt meter can be connected to the shunt 58 to read the voltage drop across the shunt 58 and convert this value to the measured current through the shunt 58 and hence through the anodizing monitoring device 30.
A control panel 38 may be attached to the anodizing monitoring device 30 and can be a material that is the same type of material as the production part 26 being anodized. In accordance with other exemplary embodiments, the material making up the control panel 38 is not the same as the material making up the production part 26 but is instead a material that has a similar anodizing response as that of the production part 26. For example, the production part 26 may be made of aluminum and the control panel 38 may be an aluminum alloy in accordance with one exemplary embodiment. The control panel 38 has an outer surface onto which an oxide is formed in the same way as the oxide formed on the production part 26 so that the control panel 38 and the production part 26 exhibit a similar anodizing response. The control panel 38 may be rectangular in shape and may have sides that are from 6 inches to 24 inches in length in certain embodiments. In other embodiments the sides of the control panel 38 may be up to 36 inches. In yet other arrangements, the control panel 38 need not be rectangular or square in shape but may be variously shaped. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the control panel 38 is 8.6 inches by 8.6 inches square and both sides of the control panel 38 are exposed and have oxide coated thereon during the anodizing process. The area of the control panel 38 is thus easily measured by the operator so that the correct amount of time at a particular current density can be calculated. Since the control panel 38 is in series with the production parts 26 in the electrical circuit, the same amount of oxide thickness will be imparted onto the production parts 26 as the control panel 38 during the anodizing process. The control panel 38 may provide 1 square foot of area so that the amount of amps illustrated on the amp meter 32 is in effect is the amps per square foot or current density on the control panel 38. This amount may then be taken as the amount of current imparted to the production parts 26. The control panel 38 may be referred to as a control density monitoring panel in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments.
FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the mounting of the control panel 38 to the anodizing monitoring device 30. A space 56 is present between the control panel 38 and the spline 36 of the anodizing monitoring device 30. The space 56 is sized so as to reflect the type of material making up the rack 20 to which the production parts 26 are mounted. The space 56 can be formed through the use of a spacer 40 that is located between the control panel 38 and the spline 36. Apertures may be present in both the spline 36 and the control panel 38 and these two parts may be attached to one another through use of a bolt 42 disposed through the apertures and fastened by use of a nut 44. Although attached, the spacer 40 is located between the control panel 38 and spline 36 so that the control panel 38 and spline 36 are attached to and spaced from one another. The spacer 40 may be made of aluminum when the production parts 26 are aluminum and may be another material such as titanium or copper when these other materials are present on the rack 20. The space 56 allows for the backside, and hence both sides, of the control panel 38 to be anodized during the process as the backside of the control panel 38 is not shielded from current if it were instead placed up against the spline 36. The size of the spacers 40 may be the same when different materials are used such that a consistent space 56 is present when different materials are anodized by the anodizing system 10.
The power source 28 may be activated so that a desired amount of amps are measured at the amp meter 32. The user may know the desired amount of amps that the particular production parts 26 will take based upon experience and rack 20 design. For example, a general guide is to use 30 amps per square foot for all alloys except 2000 and 7000 series which will instead be 24 amps per square foot. The anodizing monitoring device 30 is on the same electrical circuit as the production parts 26 and is in parallel relation thereto so that the current density at the amp meter 32 that can be measured is the same current density that is applied to the production parts 26. Again, the amp meter 32 measures current but this value can be easily translated into current density as the area of the control panel 38 is 1 square foot thus the amount of amps measured at the amp meter 32 is also the amount of current density in amps per square foot. The current and the current density may be the same between the production parts 26 and the anodizing monitoring device 30.
The control panel 38 may be mounted to the spline 36 before the anodizing monitoring device 30 is placed into the bath 12. In this regard, the control panel 38 may be fully submersed within the electrolytic solution 14. A portion of the spline 36 can be within the electrolytic solution 14, and a portion of the spline 36 may be above the surface of the electrolytic solution 14. The amp meter 32 may be located completely above the bath 12 so that no portion of the amp meter 32 is submerged in certain embodiments. As shown, the amp meter 32 is connected to the spline 36 by bolts 48 and 50. The anodizing monitoring device 30 may have a hook 34 that is attached to the spline 36 by way of bolts 46 and 50. However, it is to be understood that the hook 34 need not be a separate component but can be integrally formed with the spline 36 in other arrangements. The hook 34 can be placed over the bus bar 24 so that the anodizing monitoring device 30 can be properly located and placed within the anodizing system 10. An insulator 60 may be present between the hook 34 and the spline 36 to prevent or minimize heat transfer between these two components. Further, an optional insert 74 can be located between the bus bar 24 and the hook 34 and will contact both the bus bar 24 and the hook 34 when present. The insert 74 may function to help stabilize the position of the device 30 on the bus bar 24. However, it is to be understood that the insert 74 need not be present in other embodiments, and the hook 34 may be directly attached to the bus bar 24 without any insert therebetween.
An operator that wishes to anodize production parts 26 using the anodizing system 10 may first select a control panel 38 that is made of the same or similar material as the production parts 26. A spacer 40 can be selected based upon the type of rack 20 that is present in the anodizing system 10. For example, the rack 20 may be an aluminum rack 20 and the spacer 40 may be designed particularly for use with aluminum racks 20 so that the correct amount of space 56 is realized. Alternatively, the rack 20 may be a titanium rack 20 and the operator will then select a different spacer 40 so that again the proper amount of space 56 is achieved. If not all ready done, the control panel 38 may be cleaned and any protective coatings thereon are removed. The control panel 38 may be initially applied with a protective coating to prevent corrosion and scratches prior to use and this protective coating must be removed and the surface generally cleaned with a solvent before use. The spacer 40 can be located against the spline 36 and the operator may dispose the bolt 42 through the spacer 40 and through the center aperture of the control panel 38. The bolt 42 may include titanium threads in one embodiment that are ½×13. The nut 44 can be placed onto the bolt 42 and these components can be tightened to force the control panel 38 against the spacer 40 which is likewise pulled against the spline 36. Four holes may be disposed through the control panel 36 and may have bolts placed therethrough and secured to the spline 36 in order to assist in alignment of the control panel 38. In other versions, only a single hole may be present, and in still other versions no holes used for alignment of the control panel 38 are present.
The rack 20 and the anodizing monitoring device 30 may then be positioned into the anodizing system 10 so that the production parts 26 and the control panel 38 are immersed within the electrolytic solution 14. The hooks 22 and 34 can be placed onto the bus bar 24 so that the rack 20 and anodizing monitoring device 30 are properly located.
The user may then apply electrical energy by way of the power source 28. Initially, the voltage of the power source 28 may be set to its maximum value and the current may be set to 0 amps. The normal maximum voltage of the power source 28 may be in the range of 75-100 volts in accordance with different types of power sources 28. The power source 28 may include a rectifier and it may be turned on to ramp-raise the amount of current supplied by the power source 28 to the electrical circuit. The current may be ramp-raised at a slow rate based on the particular alloy of the production part 26. Certain alloys may be more sensitive to the effects of current passing therethrough and must have the current gradually increased thereon in order to minimize or reduce these effects. The current may be ramp-raised until the amp meter 32 on the anodizing monitoring device 30 reaches the desired amount of amperage.
The process may be run for an amount of time necessary to reach a desired thickness of coating formed on the production parts 26 based upon the 720 rule. The 720 rule may establish a good starting point that can be adjusted depending on the specific production parts 26 being processed. The 720 rule is based on the fact that it may take some materials 720 amp minutes per square foot to produce 1.0 mil of coating. However, this is not the case for 2xxx materials and certain casting alloys. The 720 rule works well for type II and type III coatings and most wrought alloys. To determine the time necessary to treat the production parts, 720 is divided by the current density in amps per square foot and this value produces 1.0 mil of coating. If 0.5 mil of coating is desired, the number obtained through dividing 720 by the current density is multiplied by 0.5. Once the necessary amount of time is calculated, the anodizing system 10 is run to the calculated amount of time and the amp meter 32 is checked to make sure the desired amount of constant amps are maintained. If the amount of amps is observed to increase or decrease from the desired amount, the rectifier of the power source 28 can be adjusted to correct for this variance. Although described as using the 720 rule, it is to be understood that the amount of time needed to run the anodizing process may be calculated through a different method in accordance with other exemplary embodiments.
After the desired amount of time has expired, the power source 28 is shut down and the production parts 26 and the anodizing monitoring device 30 are removed from the electrolytic solution 14. The thickness of the coating formed on the production parts 26 may be verified. The control panel 38 may be discarded. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the coating formed on the control panel 38 may be removed and the control panel 38 may be subsequently cleaned and reused in the anodizing system 10 in a subsequent process. Additionally, the rack 20 can be stripped of any coating formed thereon through use in the anodizing system 10. The coating formed on the rack 20 may be removed through use of stripping solutions and treatment. If the exposed material is titanium, this material may not need to be stripped after processing. If the control panel 38 is made from aluminum, the control panel 38 may be discarded after processing or may be stripped and reused if desired.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the anodizing system 10, the anodizing monitoring device 30 includes a sending unit (not shown) that is configured to send a signal to a remote sensor (not shown) that may be in communication with the power source 28. This signal can be read and the rectifier of the power source 28 may be controlled automatically in response thereto. Such an arrangement will eliminate the need of the operator to manually control the current density. In other arrangements the signal is sent from the anodizing monitoring device 30 to the power source 28 and the user may read the output at this location instead of having to look at the anodizing monitoring device 30 that may be located in an inaccessible or inconvenient location.
The anodizing system 10 may thus control the rate of coating material deposited onto the production parts 26 through the use of current. The resulting coating may be more accurate and even versus other anodizing systems that employ constant voltage. Further, use of constant current results in faster deposition rates of the coating versus those making use of constant voltage. Removal of the need to calculate the area of the production parts 26 being processed may also result in a time savings and hence a cost savings.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a spacer 40 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment. The spacer 40 has a generally cylindrical shape with a central aperture 72 located about a central axis that extends completely through the spacer 40. The central aperture 72 may be internally threaded in order to receive external threading of the bolt 42 as previously discussed. A middle portion 62 of the spacer 40 has a larger outer diameter than two end portions 64 and 66 that are located on opposite sides of the middle portion 62 in the axial direction. An O-ring 68 may surround end portion 64 so as to be located completely around the circumference of the end portion 64. The O-ring 68 may extend in the axial direction a lesser amount than the end portion 64. However, it is to be understood that the O-ring 68 can be variously sized in accordance with other exemplary embodiments. An O-ring 70 may be located on the end portion 66 and can be arranged in a manner similar to O-ring 68 that is associated with end portion 64.
The spacer 40 can be placed against spline 36 so that end portion 64 is received within an aperture of spline 36. The O-ring 68 can be compressed between the middle portion 62 and spline 36 and may be in contact with both of these components. The control density monitoring panel 38 may be placed over the end portion 66 so that the end portion 66 is at least partially disposed through an aperture of the control density monitoring panel 38. The O-ring 70 will be compressed between the control density monitoring panel 38 and the middle portion 62 and will contact both of these elements. The O- rings 68 and 70 may prevent the electrolytic solution 14 from contacting certain portions of the spacer 40, spline 36, and control density monitoring panel 38 so that these certain portions are not anodized during the process. A nut 44 and bolt 42 may be employed as previously discussed to connect and fasten the aforementioned parts together and to provide force sufficient to compress the O- rings 68 and 70 and effect sealing. The axial length of the middle portion 62 corresponds to the space 56 so that the space 56 is equal to the axial length of the middle portion 62.
Although described as being an anodizing system 10, it is to be understood that the system 10 may be a plating system 10 and may be used in a plating process as well in accordance with other exemplary embodiments. FIG. 6 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the plating system 10. The plating process functions to deposit metal in the electrolytic solution 14 onto the surface of the production parts 26. The spline 36 may be made of copper when the system 10 is configured as a plating system 10. The anodizing monitoring device 30 may be referred to as a plating monitoring device 30 when the plating process is performed but it is to be understood that this is only for terms of convenience and the actual part may function in the same manner. The polarity of the system 10 may be changed when the system 10 is configured as a plating system 10 such that the bus bar 24 is the cathode 18 and the tank 13 of the bath 12 or another object in the electrolytic solution 14 is the anode 16. The system 10 may be run in a similar manner as previously discussed in order to perform the plating process.
While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An anodizing system, comprising:

a bath that has a tank and an electrolytic solution;

a production part at least partially disposed within the electrolytic solution;

an anodizing monitoring device having a control panel, wherein the control panel is at least partially disposed within the electrolytic solution; and

a power source for imparting electrical energy to form an electrical circuit that includes the electrolytic solution, the production part, and the anodizing monitoring device in order to anodize the production part.

2. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 1, where the production part and the anodizing monitoring device are arranged in parallel relationship to one another in the electrical circuit.

3. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the anodizing monitoring device has an amp meter for use in measuring the amount of amperage in the anodizing monitoring device when the power source causes the electrical circuit to be formed.

4. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the control panel has an area of one square foot that is anodized along with the production part during anodizing of the production part, wherein the amp meter measures the amount of current through the anodizing monitoring device such that the output of the amp meter in amps is also the amount of current density in amps per square foot, wherein the current and current density through the control panel are the same as the current and current density through the production part, and wherein the amp meter is monitored such that constant current is applied during anodizing of the production part without the need to calculate the surface area of the production part.

5. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control panel is made of a material that has a similar anodizing response as that of the production part.

6. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the control panel is made of the same material as the production part.

7. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an anode bar that is part of the electrical circuit and that is in electrical communication with a stem of the anodizing monitoring device, wherein at least a portion of the stem of the anodizing monitoring device is coated with polyvinyl chloride plastisol; and

a rack that has a stem that is part of the electrical circuit, wherein the production part is carried by the rack, and wherein the stem of the rack is in electrical communication with the anode bar.

8. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a cathode that serves as a negative electrode of the electrical circuit is part of the electrical circuit and is attached to an inner surface of the tank of the bath and is at least partially submerged in the electrolytic solution.

9. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the anodizing monitoring device has a stem, and further comprising a spacer that is positioned between the stem and the control panel such that the control panel is spaced from the stem and does not contact the stem.

10. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a rack that forms part of the electrical circuit and that carries the production part, wherein the spacer, the production part, and the control panel are made of the same material, and wherein the spacer is selected based upon the type of rack that is present.

11. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the spacer defines a central aperture therethrough that receives a bolt used for effecting attachment of the control panel and spacer to the stem, wherein the spacer has a first O-ring that engages a first end portion of the spacer, and wherein the spacer has a second O-ring that engages a second end portion of the spacer, and wherein a middle portion of the spacer has an axial length that is equal to the distance the control panel is spaced from the stem.

12. An anodizing system, comprising:

a bath that has a tank and an electrolytic solution;

a production part disposed within the electrolytic solution;

an anodizing monitoring device having a control panel, wherein the control panel is disposed within the electrolytic solution and is made of a material that has a similar anodizing response as that of the production part, wherein the anodizing monitoring device has an amp meter and a stem, wherein the amp meter is capable of measuring the amount of current through the anodizing monitoring device, wherein a portion of the stem is located outside of the electrolytic solution;

a rack that is at least partially located within the electrolytic solution, wherein the rack has a stem that is at least partially located outside of the electrolytic solution, wherein the rack carries the production part;

an anode bar in electrical communication with the rack and the anodizing monitoring device; and

a power source for imparting electrical energy to form an electrical circuit that includes the anode bar, the electrolytic solution, the production part, the rack and the anodizing monitoring device, wherein constant current is applied by the power source in order to anodize the production part, wherein the production part and the anodizing monitoring device are arranged in parallel relationship to one another in the electrical circuit.

13. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the control panel is made of the same material as the production part.

14. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the stem of the rack has a hook on a terminal end that is hooked onto the anode bar, wherein the anodizing monitoring device has a hook that is in electrical communication with the stem of the anodizing monitoring device and is hooked onto the anode bar, and wherein the control panel has an area of one square foot that is anodized along with the production part during anodizing of the production part, wherein the amp meter measures the amount of current through the anodizing monitoring device such that the output of the amp meter in amps is also the amount of current density in amps per square foot, wherein the current and current density through the control panel are the same as the current and current density through the production part, and wherein the amp meter is monitored such that constant current is applied during anodizing of the production part without the need to calculate the surface area of the production part.

15. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 12, wherein a cathode that serves as a negative electrode of the electrical circuit is part of the electrical circuit and is attached to an inner surface of the tank of the bath and is submerged in the electrolytic solution.

16. The anodizing system as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

the anodizing monitoring device has a spacer that is positioned between the stem of the anodizing monitoring device and the control panel such that the control panel is spaced from and does not contact the stem of the anodizing monitoring device, wherein the spacer is selected based upon the type of rack that is present and is made of the same material as the control panel; and

wherein the spacer defines a central aperture therethrough that receives a bolt used for effecting attachment of the control panel and spacer to the stem of the anodizing monitoring device, wherein the spacer has a first O-ring that engages a first end portion of the spacer, and wherein the spacer has a second O-ring that engages a second end portion of the spacer, and wherein a middle portion of the spacer has an axial length that is equal to the distance the control panel is spaced from the stem of the anodizing monitoring device.

17. A plating system, comprising:

a bath that has a tank and an electrolytic solution;

a production part at least partially disposed within the electrolytic solution;

a plating monitoring device having a control panel, wherein the control panel is at least partially disposed within the electrolytic solution; and

a power source for imparting electrical energy to form an electrical circuit that includes the electrolytic solution, the production part, and the plating monitoring device in order to plate the production part.

18. The plating system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the production part and the plating monitoring device are arranged in parallel relationship to one another in the electrical circuit.

19. The plating system as set forth in claim 18, further comprising:

a cathode bar that is part of the electrical circuit and that is in electrical communication with a stem of the plating monitoring device, wherein the cathode bar serves as a negative electrode of the electrical circuit;

a rack that has a stem that is part of the electrical circuit, wherein the production part is carried by the rack, and wherein the stem of the rack is in electrical communication with the cathode bar; and

an anode that serves as a positive electrode of the electrical circuit and that is part of the electrical circuit, wherein the anode is attached to an inner surface of the tank of the bath and is at least partially submerged in the electrolytic solution.

20. The plating system as set forth in claim 19, wherein the control panel has an area of one square foot that is plated along with the production part during plating of the production part, wherein the amp meter measures the amount of current through the plating monitoring device such that the output of the amp meter in amps is also the amount of current density in amps per square foot, wherein the current and current density through the control panel are the same as the current and current density through the production part, and wherein the amp meter is monitored such that constant current is applied during plating of the production part without the need to calculate the surface area of the production part;

wherein the plating monitoring device has a spacer that is positioned between a stem of the plating monitoring device and the control panel such that the control panel is spaced from and does not contact the stem of the plating monitoring device, wherein the spacer is selected based upon the type of rack that is present and is made of the same material as the control panel; and

wherein the spacer defines a central aperture therethrough that receives a bolt used for effecting attachment of the control panel and spacer to the stem of the plating monitoring device, wherein the spacer has a first O-ring that engages a first end portion of the spacer, and wherein the spacer has a second O-ring that engages a second end portion of the spacer, and wherein a middle portion of the spacer has an axial length that is equal to the distance the control panel is spaced from the stem of the plating monitoring device.