US3294663A

US3294663A - Electroplating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3294663A
Application number: US280378A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lazaro Anton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-05-14
Filing date: 1963-05-14
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27

Description

Filed May 14, 1963 INVENTOR. ANTON LAZARO ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,294,663 ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS Anton Lazaro, 2022 N. California Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60608 Filed May 14, 1963, Ser. No. 280,378 Claims. (Cl. 204-213) This application is a continuation-in-part of application 84,910, now Patent No. 3,096,270.

This invention relates to an apparatus for electroplating and is particularly concerned with apparatus of the type in which a plurality of relatively small articles may be placed in a container and immersed in a plating solution while the container is rotated in order to insure a uniform application of the plating solution to the articles.

Prior art devices of this type have always been perforated in order to enable plating fluid to gain entry or exit from the container which is commonly referred to as a plating barrel. Because the only means of entry of plating fluid into a plating barrel of this type is through the perforations, the size of parts being plated determines the size of perforations necessary in said plating barrel to enable the proper amount of plating solution to circulate through the barrel. The use of perforations in the electroplating barrel is particularly disadvantageous when it is desired to electroplate small parts because the parts can be lost in the electroplating solution if the perforations are not small enough. This can happen frequently when utilizing a plating barrel having perforations for electroplating small parts of different sizes. The only way to avoid this is to have a plurality of plating barrels with different size perforations to accomplish immersion of the parts in electroplating solution without losing them in the solution. And to utilize different barrels as a practicality is nearly impossible.

In my prior co-pending application entitled Electroplating Apparatus, Serial No. 84,910, now Patent No. 3,096,270 of which this application is a continuation-inpart, I have provided a solid non-perforated barrel having slot means wherein electroplating fluid can enter and leave a barrel without allowing small articles that are being electroplated to escape. I mentioned that other exhaust means than that which is specifically mentioned in my application can be provided to obtain the above objective. In this application, I teach a different exhaust means to be embodied in my invention to accomplish the stated object of enabling electroplating fluid to enter and leave a barrel without allowing articles that are being electroplated to escape regardless of the size of the articles. Namely I have provided an electroplating device which has in combination, among other things, a slotted electroplating barrel which has non-perforated walls instead of the conventional perforations, inserts are removably mounted into the walls. The inserts comprise fibrous meshed material wherein electroplating fluid can be exhausted without exhausting articles to be electroplated.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electroplating apparatus which has a new and improved electroplating barrel.

It is further an object of this invention to provide an electroplating barrel which can be employed with a number of different sized parts, the limit in size being determined by how big the parts are rather than how small they are.

It is further an object of this invention to provide an electroplating barrel that has means for enabling the electroplating solution to enter and leave the barrel without allowing small sized parts to escape into the electroplating solution.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from reading the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Patented Dec. 27, 1966 FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of my invention embodied in a self contained electroplating apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the electroplating barrel illustrated in FIG. 1 taken on a plane passing through line 33 and looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of the electroplating barrel of my invention which has meshed fibre inserts removably mounted therein to accomplish the objects hereinabove mentioned, and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 4 taken on a plane passing though the line 5-5 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring generally to the figures in the drawing, a new and improved electroplating barrel is shown in combination with a self-contained portable electroplating apparatus. The electroplating barrel is constructed with walls that are non-perforated which are unconnected and overlapped at certain locations to form longitudinal slots therebetween so that when the barrel is rotated in a certain direction, electroplating fluid is caused to enter the barrel through the slots without allowing the parts that are being electroplated to escape therefrom. In addition to the longitudinal slots, the non-perforated walls have other unconnected portions to receive non-perforated fibrous meshed inserts therein at certain locations to enable spent electroplating fluid to be exhausted therefrom without let ting parts to be electroplated to escape.

Referring more specifically to FIGURE 1, an electro plating barrel 10 is embodied in a self-contained portable electroplating device 11. As is illustrated in FIGURE 3 the electroplating barrel 10 has solid

non-perforated walls

13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. Some of the wall sections, such as walls 17, 18 are arranged so that the non-perforated fibrous meshed inserts 20 can be removably fastened thereto to form a barrel that has substantially a polygonal cross section with certain unconnected and overlapped Walls forming slots therebetween. The noted portions 17, 18 are preferably not the overlapping wall sections.

The electroplating barrel 10 can be made of any chemically inert material such as plastic. A pair of elongated

longitudinal slots

22 and 23 are formed between the unconnected and overlapped longitudinal portions of the walls of the barrel 10, these slots being arranged so as to allow electroplating fluid to be admitted to the barrel when it rotates clockwise as indicated in FIGURE 3. As illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the non-perforated fibrous meshed inserts 20 are rectangular in shape and can be constructed by having any chemically inert material, such as plastic 25 sandwiched together with non-perforated fibrous meshed material 20A therebetween. It is however intended that the scope of this invention include other shapes and means for incorporating non-perforated fibrous meshed material into the electroplating barrel, as i1- lustrated, in order that spent electroplating fluid can be exhausted from the barrel without allowing parts to be electroplated to escape therefrom. I prefer the embodiment illustrated because it enables the fibrous meshed material to be replaced periodically as the need arises due to any irregularities of the material. However, the non-perforated fibrous meshed material could be permanently incorporated in a wall of an electroplating barrel The barrel 10 has a pair of hexagonally shaped

flat end walls

27 and 28 in opposing relationship. which are suitably grooved to permanently receive the transverse edges of

longitudinal walls

13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The nonperforated fibrous meshed inserts 20 are received in a pressed fit relationship by the

unconnected shoulder portions

13a, 14a, 15a, 16a of the walls of the barrel 10. The inserts 20 are sized in length to form a press fit with the

end walls

27 and 28. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, both

end walls

27 and 28 have

hub members

30 and 31 attached thereto at the center thereof so that the barrel can be rotatably journalled by the

side members

33 and 34 of the electroplating apparatus. The hexagonal shaped flat end wall 28, which is in close proximity to the side member 33, has a gear 36 fixedly attached thereto, the gear also being made out of a chemically inert material such as plastic. The gear 36 is also journalled by the hub member 31 so that when it is rotatably driven the electroplating barrel is caused to rotate.

The barrel 10 is journalled in

side members

33 and 34, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. The non-perforated fibrous meshed inserts are removably attached to the barrel and are received by the walls of a barrel as illustrated in FIGURES l and 3. The inserts 20 have handles 19 and when the inserts 20 are in position they are held firmly against the shouders of the walls by the

clamps

38 and 39. Therefore when it is desired to put parts to be electroplated in the barrel or to remove the non-perforated fibrous meshed inserts 20 it is merely necessary to dismantle the

clamps

38 or 39 from the walls of the electroplating barrel and remove the inserts 20 by gripping the handles 19. Each of the

longitudinal slots

22 and 23 are formed by the

walls

16 and 14 being overlapped respectively with the Walls 15 and 13, the Walls 15 and 13 being bent inward toward the center of the barrel to prevent parts from escaping through the

slots

22 and 23 when the barrel is being rotated. It will be seen therefore that when parts are placed in the electroplating barrel and the barrel is caused to rotate, electroplating fluid is scooped up by the

slots

22 and 23 and said parts are unable to escape through the slots. Still further the spent electroplating fluid in the barrel is exhausted through the non-perforated fibrous mesh inserts 20. And the parts that are being electroplated are also caused to fall to and lay at the lowest portion of the electroplating barrel.

An electric motor 32 is mounted on the frame 41 above the barrel 10, as shown in FIG. 1. The motor rotatably drives a pinion gear 42 which is attached thereto. The gear forms part of a gear train which comprises the gear 43 and a gear 31. The gear 43 is journalled on a hub member 44 which is fixedly attached to side member 33, and is disposed between the

gears

31 and 42. In order to provide the connection for the articles to be electroplated with an electrical circuit, the barrel 10 is provided with one or more, preferably two, electrodes 48. The electrodes 48 have metallic heads 50 which may be cylindrically shaped and may have conically pointed end portions 51. These electrodes are preferably made of noncorrodible metal, such as nickel, silver, or stainless steel. These electrodes are connected to insulated conductors 57. The insulated conductors protrude through the center of

hub members

30 and 31 to make connection with terminals 59. The terminals 59 fasten the insulated conductors 57 to the frame 41 by being screwed therein.

The electrical energy is furnished to the terminals by an outside source, not shown. When the electrical circuit is completed, the parts to be plated form the circuit between the two electrodes 48 by their contact therewith. The electroplating fluid covers both the electrodes and articles, but the contact resistance between the electrodes and the articles is so much less than the resistance of the electroplating solution that the major part of the current passes through the articles which are to be electroplated, thereby causing electroplating of the parts.

In order that the electroplating apparatus 11 may have its barrel 10 immersed in an electroplating fluid, it has a pair of hooks 61 attached to the

end members

33 and 34 of the frame 41. With this type of construction, the electroplating apparatus may hang from an energized busbar and immerse the electroplating barrel without immersing its motor 32. Handle members 63 are also provided and are attached to frame 41 so that the operator of the electroplating apparatus may grasp the handles to lift the apparatus 11 off of the bus bar and out of the electroplating solution. As seen from FIG. 1, the barrel 10 may be supported by its frame and

members

33 and 34 when it is removed from the electroplating solution. Thus, parts may be added and removed from the barrel 10 without any damage being occasioned by resting the barrel on the ground.

The operation of the electroplating apparatus is substantially as follows:

The barrel 10 may have its non-perforated fibrous mesh inserts removed in order to place a supply of small metal articles in the barrel 10 on a bottom wall member, as shown in FIG. 3. Then one of the inserts 20 may again be secured to the barrel 10 while the barrel 10 is supported on the frame 41 by

side members

33 and 34. The apparatus may then be lifted and placed with its book connectors on a bus bar which can be disposed so that when the electroplating apparatus is suspended from the bus bar, the electroplating barrel will be immersed in a tank of electroplating solution. The motor 32 may then be energized. The barrel 10 will then be rotated at a slow speed in the clockwise direction. Due to the polygonal nature of the barrel, the articles to be electroplated will be caused to tumble over and over in the solution and they are in electrical connection with the electrodes 50. During this time, the electroplating solution is effectively scooped into the barrel through its

elongated slots

22 and 23 by the barrels rotation. By the fluid only being caused to move in one direction and enter the barrel 10 through the elongated slots, the parts to be electroplated do not escape into the solution at the slot openings. The spent electroplating fluid is exhausted from the electroplating barrel through the openings in the non-perforated fibrous meshed material 20a and is redeposited in the electroplating fluid that the barrel 10 is immersed in.

Thus it will be observed that I have invented an improved self-contained portable electroplating apparatus which has solid non-perforated walls and non-perforated fibrous mesh means for exhausting spent electroplating fluid therefrom without allowing parts to be electroplated to escape. Therefore my device can be interchangeably used for electroplating small parts which vary in size. Also the size of the barrel to be used is only governed by how large the parts are rather than how small they are.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and I do not Want to be limited to the concise details of construction set forth but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A self-contained electroplating apparatus comprising: an electroplating barrel having solid non-perforated walls forming the longitudinal sides of said barrel, said non-perforated walls having at least one insert of nonperforated fibrous meshed material incorporated therein, said walls having longitudinal portions that are unconnected and overlapped, said unconnected and overlapped portions forming at least one slot therebetween to admit fluid when rotated in a certain direction without allowing parts to be electroplated to escape from said barrel, whereby spent electroplating fluid can be exhausted from said electroplating barrel through said non-perforated fibrous meshed portions without allowing said parts that are being electroplated to escape.

2. A self-contained electroplating apparatus comprising: an electroplating barrel having solid non-perforated walls forming the longitudinal sides of said barrel, a pair of end walls in opposing relation, each of said wall sides being fixedly attached to a single end wall, said barrel having at least one non-perforated fibrous meshed insert removably attached to said barrel, said walls having longitudinal portions that are unconnected and overlapped, said unconnected and overlapped portions forming at least one slot therebetween to admit fluid when rotated in a certain direction without allowing parts to be electroplated to escape from said barrel whereby spent electroplating fluid can be exhausted from said electroplating barrel through said non-perforated fibrous meshed insert without allowing said parts that are being electroplasted to escape.

3. A self-contained electroplating apparatus, comprising: a pair of end walls in opposing relation, an electroplating barrel having solid non-perforated walls forming the longitudinal sides of said barrel, each of said non-perforated walls transverse sides being fixedly attached to a single end plate, said non-perforated walls having at least one non-perforated meshed insert removably attached thereto, said walls having unconnected and overlapping longitudinal portions that form at least one slot therebetween to admit fluid when rotated in a certain direction without allowing parts to be electroplated to escape from said barrel, said walls also having at least a pair of longitudinal sides with shoulder portions formed thereon, said pair of longitudinal sides being distinct from the said overlapping portions, said non-perforated fibrous meshed insert being rectangularly shaped and removably received by said shoulders of said walls, and clamp means for removably attaching said fibrous meshed insert whereby spent electroplating fluid can be exhausted from said electroplating barrel through said removable non-perforated fibrous meshed portions without allowing parts that are being electroplated to escape and said non-perforated fibrous meshed portions can be replaced.

4. The self-contained electroplating apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said non-perforated wall sides are fixedly attached to only a single end plate.

5. The self-contained electroplating apparatus of claim 1 and a motor associated With said electroplating barrel to rotate said barrel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,956,943 10/1960 Hoegh 204213 3,096,270 7/1963 Lazaro 2042l3 FOREIGN PATENTS 880,843 10/ 1961 Great Britain.

JOHN H. MACK, Primary Examiner.

W. VAN SISE, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A SELF-CONTAINED ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS COMPRISING: AN ELECTROPLATING BARREL HAVING SOLID NON-PERFORATED WALLS FORMING THE LONGITUDINAL SIDES OF SAID BARREL, SAID NON-PERFORATED WALLS HAVING AT LEAST ONE INSERT OF NONPERFORATED FIBROUS MESHED MATERIAL INCORPORATED THEREIN, SAID WALLS HAVING LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS THAT ARE UNCONNECTED AND OVERLAPPED, SAID UNCONNECTED AND OVERLAPPED PORTIONS FORMING AT LEAST ONE SLOT THEREBETWEEN TO ADMIT