Apparatus for electroplating

• US 5,476,578 A
• Filed: 09/30/1994
• Issued: 12/19/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rick Joel Smith Md
• Original Assignee: Electroplating Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Van Anglen, Erik S., Forand, James L., Keeney, Harold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mee, Brendan
• Application Number:
  US08/316,530
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 204/207, 204/208, 204/209, 204/206, 204/289, 205/130, 205/129, 205/93
• US Class Current: 204/207
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/005 Contacting devices
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/10 Agitating of electrolytes; Moving of racks
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/22 Electroplating combined with mechanical treatment during the deposition
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/611 Smooth layers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/0621 In horizontal cells

Abstract

A continuous strip is electrolytically coated in an electrolytic coating bath using a thin flexible or resilient dielectric wiping blade to wipe bubbles of hydrogen from the surface, sever dendritic material, if such is present as the coating thickens, and to remove a surface layer of partially depleted electrolytic solution, replacing with fresh solution and to stabilize strip portions extending between support rolls. The resilient dielectric wiper blade is preferably used with perforated anodes which allow fresh electrolytic solution to flow into the space between the anodes and the strip surface after being expelled by passage of the strip past the wiping blade. The orifices in the anode may be differentially sized to eliminate cavitation behind the wiping blades. The wiping blades may be chevron shaped to increase the wiping effect and pumps may be used to increase the flow of electrolytic solution into and out of the space between the anodes and the strip. Chevron shaped wiping blades may be used to increase the wiping effectiveness and continuous movable wiping blades may be used to provides additional wiping surface as the original wiping surface wears down. The wiping blades may also be angularly oriented with respect to the strip to increase the wiping effectiveness.

Claims

1. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible metallic substrate comprising:

(a) means to pass a longitudinally extended cathodic workpiece having at least one surface to be coated through containment means for a body of electrolytic solution containing metallic ions to be plated out upon and bathing such surface to be coated,

(b) an anode mounted closely adjacent the pass line of said cathodic workpiece within said containment means in contact with said electrolytic solution,

(c) at least one elongated resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means arranged generally transversely of said longitudinally extended cathodic workpiece to resiliently contact the surface to be coated of the cathodic workpiece along an extended narrow contact interface between said surface of the workpiece and the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means while submersed in the body of electrolytic solution,

(d) means to move the longitudinally extended cathodic workpiece past the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means, and

(e) means to replenish electrolytic solution within the body of solution to prevent said body of electrolytic solution from becoming depleted of coating metal ions at the electrolyte-cathode interface.

2. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 1 additionally comprising:

(f) a series of openings in the anode through which electrolytic solution may freely pass.

3. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 2 wherein the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means comprises a strip of resilient plastic resistant to the electrolytic solution mounted with its extended narrow contact side deflected against the surface to be coated,

4. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 1 wherein the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means comprises a strip of plastic resistant to the electrolytic solution resiliently mounted to bear directly upon the surface to be coated.

5. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 3 wherein the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means is between one-eighth and one-thirty-second inch in thickness.

6. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 4 wherein a resilient biasing means is in contact with the narrow surface contact dielectric means to bias said dielectric means against the surface to be coated.

7. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 4 in which the resilient biasing means biases the narrow surface contact dielectric means about an angle to contact the surface to be coated.

8. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 4 wherein there are a plurality of resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means positioned at intervals along an extended anode assembly.

9. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 8 wherein the plurality of resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means are positioned on both sides of the elongated flexible substrate.

10. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 9 wherein the plurality of resilient narrow surface contact means are positioned at an acute angle with respect to travel of the strip.

11. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 10 wherein the plurality of resilient narrow surface contact means are movable longitudinally along their length to at least periodically contact fresh unworn surfaces against the surface of said elongated flexible substrate.

12. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 10 additionally comprising exhaust manifold means adjacent to the downstream ends of the angled narrow surface contact means to actively draw away electrolytic solution passing to the downstream end of the resilient narrow surface contact means.

13. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 9 wherein the plurality of resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means on both sides of the elongated flexible substrate are paired with each other on both sides.

14. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 2 wherein the openings in the anode are positioned in the anode assembly in a staggered arrangement with respect to one another to effectively equalizer the time during which any given portion of the elongated flexible substrate passes open and closed portions of the anode relative to other portions of the elongated flexible substrate.

15. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 14 wherein the openings in the anode are larger directly behind the narrow surface contact dielectric means with regard to passage of the elongated flexible substrate than in front of said narrow surface contact dielectric means.

16. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 15 wherein the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means have a chevron configuration.

17. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 16 wherein the chevron configuration of the resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means is modified to provide a curved apex to such configuration.

18. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 16 wherein there are a series of chevron configured resilient narrow surface contact dielectric means some of which have truncated open apexes.

19. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coatings of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 18 in which a consecutive series of chevron configured extended surface contact dielectric means have a series of decreasing widths of truncated open apexes.

20. An improved arrangement for electrolytic coating of an elongated flexible substrate in accordance with claim 17 additionally comprising:

(g) pump means attached to manifold means arranged adjacent the elongated flexible substrate and perforated anodes in a position to draw electrolytic solution actively from the sides of the configuration of extended surface contact dielectric means.

21. An improved wiping means for wiping the surface of continuously extended workpieces during electrolytic coating comprising:

(a) an extended plastic blade having a narrow coating surface contact portion on one side and a mounting portion generally opposed thereto,

(b) a transversely extended flange as part of the mounting portion of the blade arranged and adapted to interengage with a mounting track for such blade,

(c) said blade including resilient characteristics in the narrow coating surface contact portion including a restricted contact area for contacting an electrolytic coating surface.

22. An improved wiping means in accordance with claim 21, wherein the restricted contact end is also the resilient end.

23. An improved wiping means in accordance with claim 22 wherein the plastic blade is linearly extended and arranged and constructed for progressive transverse passage across the work piece surface while supported in a mounting track.

24. An improved wiping means in accordance with claim 23 wherein the plastic blade extends across the strip from side to side at an acute angle with respect to the movement of the strip material.

25. An improved wiping means in accordance with claim 22 wherein the mounting portion of the plastic blade has a T-section configuration and the mounting track has a corresponding configuration.

26. An improved wiping means in accordance with claim 25 wherein the mounting track has at least a partially curved configuration and the narrow coating surface contact portion is periodically slit in the resilient section to allow the surface contact portion of the blade to flex.

27. An improved electrolytic coating surface wiper and anode for electrolytic coating continuous strip material comprising:

(a) an anode having a plurality of orifices through the anode through which electrolytic solution can effect substantially free passage,

(b) the anode being sectionalized into separate sections with flanges at least at one end of the sections,

(c) dielectric resilient wiping blade means mounted between the flanges of adjacent sections of the anode,

(d) securing means to secure the flanges of adjoining sections of anode together with the wiping blade means between them into a unitary structure,

(e) the dielectric resilient wiping blade means having a chevron configuration with the apex of said chevron arranged and adapted to be oriented opposite the direction of movement of continuous strip material being coated.

28. An improved electrolytic coating surface wiper and anode for electrolytic coating continuous strip material in accordance with claim 27 wherein the chevron configuration of the dielectric resilient wiping blades is modified to have a rounded apex portion facilitating passage of a continuous section of wiper blade past the such apex.

29. An improved electrolytic coating surface wiper and anode arrangement for electrolytic coating continuous strip material in accordance with claim 27 additionally comprising pump and manifold means arranged and adapted for drawing away from the sides of the continuous strip electrolytic solution from between the strip and the anodes to encourage passage of electrolytic solution into the space between the strip and the anodes through the openings extending through the anodes.