Treatment for electroplating racks to avoid rack metallization

• US 9,809,899 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Macdermid Acumen Incorporated (Element Solutions Inc)
• Original Assignee: Macdermid Acumen Incorporated (Element Solutions Inc)
• Inventors: Herdman, Roderick D., Pearson, Trevor, Chapaneri, Roshan V., Hyslop, Alison
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Edna
• Application Number:
  US14/454,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20160040315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 205159, 205167, 205169
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 181/00 Coating compositions based on macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing sulfur, with or without nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only; Coating compositions based on polysulfones; Coating compositions based on derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1653 Two or more layers with at least one layer obtained by electroless plating and one layer obtained by electroplating
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/2086 with use of organic or inorganic compounds other than metals, first
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/22 Roughening, e.g. by etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/30 Activating or accelerating or sensitising with palladium or other noble metal
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/08 Supporting racks , i.e. not for suspending
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/34 Pretreatment of metallic surfaces to be electroplated

Abstract

A method of coating an electroplating rack used for supporting non-conductive substrates during a plating process. The method comprises the steps of contacting at least a portion of the electroplating rack with a plastisol composition, the plastisol composition having dispersed therein an effective amount of an additive; and heating the electroplating rack with the plastisol composition thereon to a suitable temperature and for a sufficient time to cure the plastisol and form a solid insulating coating on the electroplating rack. The coated electroplating rack may then be used for mounting non-conductive substrates for subsequent metallization steps.

Claims

1. A method of metallizing non-conductive substrates, the method comprising the steps of:

a) mounting a non-conductive substrate to be metallized on one or more electroplating racks, wherein the one or more electroplating racks are coated with a plastisol composition to form a solid insulating coating on at least a portion of the one or more electroplating racks, the plastisol composition having dispersed therein an effective amount of an additive having the structure;

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plastisol composition is a PVC plastisol.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of zinc dimethyl-dithiocarbamate, zinc diethyldithiocarbamate, zinc dibutyldithiocarbamate, zinc ethylphenyldithiocarbamate, zinc dibenzyldithiocarbamate, zinc pentamethylenedithiocarbamate, nickel dibutyl dithiocarbamate, nickel dimethyldithiocarbamate, zinc diisononyldithiocarbamate, and combinations of one or more of the foregoing.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the additive comprises nickel dimethyldithiocarbamate.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the additive is present in the plastisol composition at a concentration in the range of about 1% to about 20% by weight.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the additive is present in the plastisol composition at a concentration in the range of about 5% to about 15% by weight.