Patent Application
20170275775
Metal plating is a process of depositing a metallic material on a surface of an object. Metal plating can change the characteristics of the surface of the object, such as increasing corrosion resistance, increasing surface hardness, increasing or decreasing surface friction, increasing or decreasing surface adhesiveness, increasing aesthetic value, and the like. Many methods have been developed for metal plating, including electroplating and electroless plating. In electroplating, a substrate is provided with an ionic metal and electrons are supplied to cause a film of non-ionic metal to form on the substrate. In electroless plating, the substrate is placed in an aqueous solution where several simultaneous reactions occur without the use of external electrical power to cause a layer of metal to form on the substrate.
Existing metal plating processes are time-consuming and hazardous. Some existing metal plating processes require significant amounts of manual labor for preparation of components to be plated and for finishing the plated components. The preparation and finishing of these components in the existing metal plating processes require manual work by a technician on each component, taking large amounts of time for the labor and exposing the technician to hazardous materials used during the preparation and finishing of the components.
Various examples of the present disclosure provide methods of metal plating that address, among other things, the extraneous manual labor and harmful solutions needed in the finishing process of the prior art metal plating techniques.
In one embodiment, a method of metal plating components includes placing at least one component and at least one spacer on a brochette, placing the brochette with the at least one component and the at least one spacer on a structure, and placing the structure with the brochette into a metal plating tank having a metal plating solution such that the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution. The at least one spacer is configured to mask a portion of the least one component. The at least one component and the at least one spacer are arranged on the brochette such that the at least one spacer prevents the portion of the at least one component from being contacted by the metal plating solution. The method further includes metal plating at least one surface of the at least one component submersed in the metal plating solution, removing the structure with the brochette from the metal plating solution, drying the at least one component on the brochette, and removing the dried at least one component and the at least one spacer from the brochette.
In one example, the method further includes placing the structure with the brochette into a cleaning tank having a cleaning solution such that the at least one component is submersed in the cleaning solution before placing the structure into the metal plating tank. In another example, the at least one component and the at least one spacer are arranged on the brochette such that the at least one spacer prevents the portion of the at least one component from being contacted by the cleaning solution.
In another example, the method further includes rotating the brochette with the at least one component while the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution. In another example, the structure comprises a brochette rotation system configured to rotate the brochette with the at least one component while the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution.
In another example, the method further includes providing an electrical charge to the at least one component while the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution. In another example, the structure comprises at least one support hook configured to be placed on a support structure above the metal plating tank while the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution. In another example, providing the electrical charge to the at least one component comprises providing the electrical charge from the support structure to the structure via the at least one support hook, from the structure to the brochette via a contact point between the structure and the brochette, and from the brochette to the at least one component.
In another example, placing the at least one component and the at least one spacer on the brochette comprises placing the at least one component and the at least one spacer between fasteners on the brochette. In another example, the method further includes applying a compressive force to the at least one component and the at least one spacer on the brochette between the fasteners.
In another example, placing the at least one component and the at least one spacer on the brochette comprises placing the brochette through a bore of the at least one component and a bore of the at least one spacer. In another example, placing the at least one component and the at least one spacer on the brochette further comprises placing a conical section of the spacer into the bore of the at least one component.
In another example, the at least one component comprises a plurality of components. In another example, two of the plurality of components have one or more of different sizes or different shapes. In another example, the plurality of components comprises a first component having a first surface and a second component having a second surface. In another example, placing the at least one component and the at least one spacer on the brochette comprises placing the first component and the second component on the brochette with the first surface facing the second surface. In another example, the placement of the first component and the second component on the brochette with the first surface facing the second surface is configured to prevent the first surface and the second surface from being contacted by the metal plating solution while the first and second components are submersed in the metal plating solution.
In another embodiment, a system for holding at least one component during a metal plating process includes a brochette configured to have the at least one component placed thereon, at least one spacer configured to be placed on the brochette and to mask a portion of the least one component, and a structure configured to hold the brochette with the at least one component and the at least one spacer. The at least one spacer is configured to be arranged on the brochette such that, when the structure with the brochette is placed into a metal plating tank having a metal plating solution such that the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution, the at least one spacer prevents the portion of the at least one component from being contacted by the metal plating solution.
In one example, the system further includes a brochette rotation system configured to rotate the brochette with the at least one component while the at least one component is submersed in the metal plating solution. In another example, the system further includes fasteners configured to exert a compressive force on the at least one component and the at least one spacer on the brochette when the at least one component and the at least one spacer are located between the fasteners on the brochette.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Embodiments of systems and methods are disclosed herein for metal plating using a brochette to hold components and spacers. In some embodiments, the spacers hold the components to the brochette and mask portions of the components during the metal plating process. The systems and methods disclosed herein for metal plating provide advantages over existing metal plating processes.
One existing metal plating process 100 for plating a component (e.g., a bushing) is depicted in
After the component has dried, the wire is then removed from the component and the component is unmasked at block 110. In one example, uninstalling the wire includes removing the wire from a bore in the component. In another example, unmasking the component includes removing masking tape from the component. At block 112, the unmasked component is cleaned. Cleaning the unmasked component includes removing adhesive left on the component by the masking tape. In some examples, cleaning the unmasked component also includes removing metal plating from the surface that was not to be plated (e.g., when a gap existed in the masking tape during the plating process). At block 114, the metal plating on the component is brushed and polished. In some instances, the brushing and polishing is necessitated by the presence of defects in the metal plating, such as contaminants, air pockets, and the like. After the brushing and polishing, the metal plating process 100 of the component is completed and the component is ready to be used.
The metal plating process 100 depicted in
Embodiments of metal plating processes, systems, and apparatuses are described herein that address some of the deficiencies of the metal plating process 100 depicted in
The embodiments of components 120 and 130 are just two examples of components that can be plated in metal plating processes of the present disclosure described below. However, any number of other components can be metal plated in one or more of these metal plating processes. Such components may take any number of forms, shapes and sizes, and such components may have any number of features, such as bores, countersinks, surfaces, ridges, and the like. Various embodiments of metal plating systems and methods are described herein using the examples of the components 120 and 130. However, it should be understood that embodiments of the metal plating systems and methods described herein can be used with any type of component or combination of components.
Referring now to
The brochettes 154a-e are configured to carry a plurality of components, shown as components 160a-e, respectively. In one embodiment, one or more of the brochettes 154a-e carries components 160a-e having different shapes or sizes. As described in greater detail below with respect to
The system 150 also includes a brochette rotation system configured to rotate one or more of the brochettes either individually or at the same time. In one embodiment, the brochette rotation system includes a source of motion 162 and a transmission comprising a plurality of motion transfer mechanisms 164a-f. In the embodiment shown in
Rotation of the motion transfer mechanisms 164a-f causes the brochettes 154a-e to rotate via direct or indirect coupling. In one embodiment the first ends 156a-e of the brochettes 154a-e are configured to be coupled to the motion transfer mechanisms 164a-f such that rotation of the motion transfer mechanisms 164a-f causes the brochettes 154a-e to rotate. In other embodiments, motion transfer mechanisms 164a-f in the brochette rotation system are replaced by another motion transfer mechanism or mechanisms, such as a chain and sprocket system, a rack and pinion system, and the like. In the case of the rack and pinion system, the source of motion 162 may generate linear motion to drive the rack and the pinion or pinions convert the linear motion of the rack to rotary motion of the brochettes 154a-e.
In some embodiments, the system 150 includes additional features, such as support hooks 170. In use, the support hooks 170 in one example are placed on a support structure over a tank (e.g., a cleaning solution tank or a metal plating solution tank) such that the brochettes 154a-e are suspended in the tank. In this example, when the brochettes 154a-e are suspended in a tank containing solution, the source of motion 162 can be operated to rotate the brochettes 154a-e and the components 160a-e via an associated transmission, such as the motion transfer mechanisms 164a-f, within the solution contained in the tank. In some embodiments, the support hooks 170 are made of an electrically-conductive material that conducts electricity from a support structure over a tank to the brochettes 154a-e to provide an electrical charge during the metal plating process.
Referring now to
The spacers 140 in some embodiments are configured to engage the bores 122 and 122′ of the components 120 and 120′. The spacers 140′ are configured to engage the bores 132 and 132′ of the components 130 and 130′. The spacers 140 and 140′ are also configured to mask the bores 122, 122′, 132, and 132′ as the components are supported by the brochette 154. In one embodiment, the fasteners 180 and 180′ are configured to engage the threads on the brochette and to exert a compressive force against the components 120, 120′, 130, and 130′ and the spacer 140 and 140′. The combination of the configuration of the spacers 140 and 140′ to mask the bores 122, 122′, 132, and 132′ and the compressive force exerted by the fasteners 180 and 180′ prevents a solution (e.g., cleaning solution, metal plating solution, etc.) from entering the bores 122, 122′, 132, and 132′ and contacting the inner bore surfaces 126, 126′, 136, and 136′ of the components 120, 120′, 130, and 130′ when the brochette 154a is submersed in the solution. This arrangement allows for such solution to contact and/or plate the outer surfaces 124a-d, 124a′-d′, 134, and 134′ of the components 120, 120′, 130, and 130′ when the brochette 154a is submersed in the solution but prevents plating at the location of inner bore surfaces.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
One representative process for metal plating components using a metal plating system, such as, for example, the system shown in
An assembly composed of the structure 206 and the brochette 200 is then placed in a cleaning solution tank 210 that holds cleaning solution 212, as shown in
As shown in
After the components 202 have been cleaned in the cleaning solution 212, the components 202 are ready to be plated.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the brochette rotation system 208 is configured to rotate the brochette 200 while the brochette 200 is submersed in the metal plating solution 218. In some embodiments, rotating the brochette 200 while the brochette 200 is submersed in the metal plating solution 218 results in more even metal plating on the components 202 than if the brochette 200 remained stationary. In one embodiment, pressurized air can be advantageously used to power the brochette rotation system 208 because pressurized air will not harm the metal plating solution 218 if pressurized air is inadvertently released into the metal plating solution 218. In addition, powering the brochette rotation system 208 with an electrical motor may introduce an electrical charge into the metal plating solution 218 that causes uneven application of metal plating to the components 202. However, while an electric motor may not be the preferred source of motion in the brochette rotation system 208, an electric motor may be used in the brochette rotation system 208 as a source of motion.
After the components 202 have been metal plated, as shown in
At block 234, the components are cleaned. In some embodiments, the components are cleaned by submersing the brochette with the components and spacers in a cleaning solution. The components and spacers are installed on the brochette such that portions of the components that will not be plated are not exposed to the cleaning solution. In one example, the cleaning solution is an electrolytic cleaning solution. One example of cleaning components on a brochette is depicted in
At block 236, the cleaned components are metal plated and dried. In some embodiments, the components are cleaned by submersing the brochette with the components and spacers in a metal plating solution. The components and spacers are installed on the brochette such that portions of the components that will not be plated are not exposed to the metal plating solution. In one example, the metal plating solution is an aqueous solution with cadmium for cadmium plating. In some embodiments, the components are metal plated by passing an electrical charge to the components while the components are submersed in the metal plating solution. In some embodiments, the brochette with the components is rotated by a brochette rotation system while the components are submersed in the metal plating solution. One example of metal plating components on a brochette is depicted in
At block 237, the plated and dried components and the spacers are uninstalled (e.g., removed) from the brochette. In one example, the metal plating process is complete when the plated and dried components are removed from the brochette. In this example, no polishing or adhesive cleaning is required after the plated and dried components are removed from the brochette. One example of uninstalling components from a brochette is depicted in
The method 230 depicted in
It should be noted that for purposes of this disclosure, terminology such as “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “inner,” “outer,” “front,” “rear,” etc., should be construed as descriptive and not limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. Further, the use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings.
The principles, representative embodiments, and modes of operation of the present disclosure have been described in the foregoing description. However, aspects of the present disclosure which are intended to be protected are not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. It will be appreciated that variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes, and equivalents fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as claimed.
