Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Electrolytic
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-03
2001-10-23
Gorgos, Kathryn (Department: 1741)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Electrolytic
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of wet plating, and more specifically, processing apparatus for manipulating the parts being processed, typically by electroplating.
Small parts are often electroplated and are typically manually inserted and removed from each one of a number of processing stations in a production line, each station facilitates use of a mating fixture having an perforated horizontally oriented rotating barrel or basket for supporting and tumbling the parts being electroplated in the plating electrolyte, A particular layer is electroplated on the parts at certain processing stations, and stations are also provided for cleaning, rinsing, other processing, and drying the parts. Typically, the stations utilize perforated rotating barrels or baskets submerged and horizontally positioned in the electrolytic plating solution, such barrels having covers or doors for preventing the parts from falling out of the barrels. These doors have caused problems including part trappage and jamming, door warpage and door clamp replacement. The apertures in the barrel walls permit replenishment of the plating solution, but the perforated barrel walls still present detrimental mechanical impedance to solution flow. Also, the perforated barrel walls block a clear line of sight between the anode and cathode which further impedes maximum plating efficiencies. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,823 to Lazaro et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,951 to Tscherwitschke et al. While Clayton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,258 mentions prior art tilted open-ended barrels in col. 1, this is in connection with mechanical plating processes. Mechanical plating involves mechanical transfer of metal from one part to another that is not relevant to and outside the scope of the present invention,
Further detrimental aspects of the aforesaid prior art electroplating apparatus can involve damage to the parts being plated due to insertion and removal of the parts to and from the barrels and wasted labor in performing these parts transfer steps. Typically, after wet processing, including rinsing, the parts are removed from the rotating barrels by being dumped into drying baskets to facilitate the drying of the parts before packing. Again, this handling of the parts increases labor costs and can result in further damage to the dumped parts.
SUMMARY OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
It is thus the principal object of the present invention to provide a more efficient, labor saving liquid plating portable processing fixture that can be employed within existing industry standard equipment, yet greatly reduce the disadvantages of the prior art method mentioned herein above. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a novel fixture is supplied having a plurality of rotating cylindrical perforated baskets with their axes of rotation at an acute angle of twenty to seventy degrees from t he vertical; sixty to sixty-five degrees being most preferred. This angular orientation results in the elimination of the need for the cover or door for preventing the parts from falling out of the basket and all of the attendant previously described disadvantages of such a cover or door. Due to the resulting open top of the barrel, the flow of liquid plating solution is enhanced which decreases processing time. Also, manual insertion of the parts into the basket via the open top is made easier since the parts can't fall out, and no door or cover, required by prior art barrels, need be opened or closed; cleaning by spraying of the parts is also facilitated. The acute angle of the rotational barrel axis has the further advantage over the prior art of providing a clear line of site, through the open top of the baskets, between the anodes within the plating bath, external of the baskets, and the parts being plated, to additionally enhance plating efficiencies, in contrast with positioning the prior art perforated barrel wall in the line of sight.
Furthermore the novel basket fixture can be configured to be readily lifted out of one industry standard wet processing station and inserted into the next industry standard wet station and finally into the standard spin-drier station, for processing without removing the parts from one basket and re-inserting them into the basket of the adjacent station. Hence, labor costs are greatly reduced and the possibility of parts being damaged upon such transfer is minimized. No significant alteration of the industry standard station equipment is required using the fixture of the invention. The open top design of the baskets provide a venue for better rinsing of parts, thereby providing savings in water usage and waste treatment, also without requiring alterations to the existing processing machinery. Since plural baskets, typically two, are used in each fixture, which fixture can “travel” from one processing station to the next by transfer means such as a hoist, different parts may be processed at the same time, without co-mingling. The use of plural baskets in the same “travelling” fixture also results in the ability to process small to large lot sizes, on the same machinery, at the same time, allowing test runs to be ran side by side with production processing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1555891 (1925-10-01), Taylor
patent: 4162951 (1979-07-01), Tscherwitschke et al.
Gorgos Kathryn
Nicolas Wesley A.
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