Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Electrolytic
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-20
2001-02-27
Bell, Bruce F. (Department: 1741)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Electrolytic
C204S279000, C204S286100, C204S297090, C204S297100, C204S297140
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193863
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a product conveying mechanism for an electroplating device adapted to electroplate a thin-wall ribbonlike product such as a printed wiring board or a lead frame, which mechanism nips the product in the upper part thereof, suspends it from the nipped part, and conveys the product laterally through an electrolyte solution held in a tank meanwhile feeding an electric current to the product via the upper part thereof.
BACKGROUND ART
The jig which is generally used for fixing in position a thin-wall ribbonlike product such as a printed wiring board or a lead frame has a construction which is composed of a hanger comprising a polar bar connecting part suspended from a cathode bar and possessed of a cross section of the approximate shape of three sides of a square and a main skeletal part, and a rack serving to mount thereon the product suspended from the main skeletal part of the hanger and is adapted to fix the rack to a frame of a rectangular shape and meanwhile keep the boundaries of thin-wall ribbonlike products nipped with a plurality of spring clips attached to the frame. These products are generally electroplated by being placed wholly together with the rack in an electrolyte solution.
This invention has for an object thereof the provision of a product conveying mechanism for an electroplating device which electroplates a thin-wall ribbonlike product such as a printed wiring board given to be plated, which mechanism suspends the product from the upper part thereof nipped with a jig supported laterally movably by a cathode bar and conveys the product laterally in an electrolyte solution held in a tank meanwhile feeding an electric current from the cathode bar via the jig to the product through the upper part thereof.
The invention is particularly directed at providing a product conveying mechanism which is furnished with a jig of striking originality combining the function of nipping a product and the function of feeding an electric current to the product. The jig provided by this invention is intended to allow the attachment and detachment of the thin-wall ribbonlike product to be infallibly attained with ease and ensure infallible supply of an electric current from a cathode bar to the product through the jig serving to nip the product in the upper part thereof.
Another object of this invention is to provide a product conveying mechanism which is furnished with a product sway preventing means adapted to prevent the thin-wall ribbonlike product from swaying while the product nipped in the upper part thereof with the jig is electroplated as laterally conveyed in the electrolyte solution held in a tank.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
This invention consists in providing a product conveying mechanism for an electroplating device which electroplates a thin-wall ribbonlike product such as a printed wiring board given to be plated, which mechanism suspends the product from the upper part thereof nipped with a jig supported laterally movably by a cathode bar and conveys the product laterally in an electrolyte solution held in a tank meanwhile feeding an electric current from the cathode bar via the jig to the product through the upper part thereof,
the product conveying mechanism being composed of the cathode bar having a rectangular cross section and having a difference in the lateral width of the rectangular cross section between the width during the step of releasing the thin-wall ribbonlike product from the nip and the width during the step of nipping the ribbonlike product; a jig supported laterally movably by the cathode bar and adapted to nip the thin-wall ribbonlike product in the upper part thereof, suspend the product from the upper part thereof and feed an electric current to the thin-wall ribbonlike product through the nipped part thereof; and a conveying means furnished with an engaging claw to be meshed with an engaging projection formed on the jig and adapted to move laterally the jig along the cathode bar in consequence of the lateral transfer of the engaging claw,
and the jig, particularly for the purpose of acquiring an ability to combine a function of nipping a product and a function of feeding an electric current to the product, allowing the attachment and detachment of a thin-wall ribbonlike product to be effected infallibly and easily, and ensuring infallible supply of an electric current from the cathode bar via the jig to the product through the nipped upper part of the product,
being composed of a supporting member made of a synthetic resin and inserted around the cathode bar laterally movably along the cathode bar, a first planar contact plate made of a conductive metal material such as stainless steel and adapted to utilize the upper part side thereof as a contact leaf part allowed to establish face contact with one lateral face side of the cathode bar and urged with the spring pressure exerted by a spring member on the one lateral face side of the cathode bar and utilize the lower part side thereof as a nipping leaf part adapted to nip the thin-wall ribbonlike product in the upper part, a second contact plate made of a conductive metal material such as stainless steel and having integrally formed in the shape of the letter L a contact leaf part allowed to establish face contact with the bottom face side of the cathode bar and urged with the spring pressure exerted by a spring member on the bottom face side of the cathode bar and a nipping leaf part opposed to the nipping leaf part of the first contact plate, product nipping spring members adapted to establish close mutual contact between the nipping leaf parts of the first contact plate and the second contact plate and exert the spring pressure on the nipping leaf parts from outside so as to allow the closely contacting nipping leaf parts to nip therebetween the thin-wall ribbonlike product in the upper part thereof, a moving vacant part formed in the supporting member for allowing the lower part of the first contact plate to be moved away from the product nipping position toward the outside, and a pressure imparting means for pressing the cathode bar lateral face contact leaf part of the first contact plate against the one lateral face side of the cathode bar in opposition to the spring pressure of the product nipping spring member urged on the nipping leaf part of the first contact plate, and being so constructed as to effect mutual separation of the nipping leaf parts and consequent release of the thin-wall ribbon product from the nipping leaf parts by pressing the cathode bar lateral face contact leaf part against a gap formed on the one lateral face side of the cathode bar by virtue of the pressure imparting means at the position at which the cathode bar forms a narrowed part of the lateral width and pressing the L-shaped corner part of the second contact plate backward and meanwhile moving the lower part of the first contact plate backward into the vacant place with a stepped part formed at the upper end of the vacant place as a fulcrum.
The pressure imparting means mentioned above constitutes the spring pressure for the cathode bar lateral face pressing spring member serving to exert constantly the spring pressure on the upper part of the first contact plate so as to press the cathode bar lateral face contact leaf part of the first contact plate against the one lateral face side of the cathode bar. Further, the pressure imparting means mentioned above can constitute the operating force for an operating pin moved forward and backward via a through hole formed in the supporting member to reach the cathode bar lateral face contact leaf part and consequently allow the cathode bar lateral face contact leaf part of the first contact plate to be pressed against the one lateral face side of the cathode bar.
Since the cathode bar lateral face contact leaf part of the first contact plate is enabled to establish strong face contact with the one lateral face side of the cathode bar owing to the provision of the spring member for pressing one lateral face of the cathode b
Bell Bruce F.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
LandOfFree
Product conveyance mechanism for electroplating apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Product conveyance mechanism for electroplating apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Product conveyance mechanism for electroplating apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2593766