Patent Application
20090090633
This invention relates generally to electroplating systems, and in particular, to a system and method of transporting and providing a cathode contact to articles in an electroplating system.
The electroplating of relatively small articles, such as connector pins and sockets, presents many challenges. These challenges include providing a relatively uniform metallic coating on the articles, efficiently using the amount of plating solution to plate the articles, and configuring the plating process and equipment to electroplate large quantities of relatively small articles, while maintaining plating uniformity and consistency.
There are presently many techniques for electroplating small articles. One such technique is referred to in the relevant field as “barrel plating.” In barrel plating, small articles are placed into a barrel containing plating solution and an internal lose wire, typically referred to as a “dangler”, to act as an anode. The barrel is typically positioned on its side and continuously rotated while a plating current is formed through the plating solution. A drawback of the barrel plating technique is that the entire surface of each of the articles is plated. If the entire surface need not be plated, the barrel plating technique results in a substantial excess of plating, which can be very expensive over many runs and time.
In the case where the entire surface of an article need not be plated, only the particular surface of the article that requires plating is immersed in the plating solution while undergoing an electroplating process. Such partial plating technique requires many considerations, including consistency in the amount of surface plated from article-to-article, consistency in the uniformity of the plating formed on the partial surface of the articles, and control of the demarcation lines typically formed on the articles. These considerations are further explained with reference to the following example.
As discussed above, the electroplating of relatively small articles requires many considerations. For instance, there is the consideration of the consistency in the amount of surface plated from article-to-article. In this example, it is desired that the lower portion of the article 100 be plated to a height of H±ΔH, where ΔH is an acceptable error for the height H. If the electroplating process is unable to achieve the height requirement on a consistent article-to-article basis, many articles will be defective which can drive up substantially the costs of plating the articles. Thus, in order to provide consistency in the amount of surface plated from article-to-article, the height of the plating fluid and the vertical position of the article 100 should be well controlled.
Also, as discussed above, another consideration in providing desirable electroplating of relatively small articles is the uniformity of the plating formed on the partial surface of the articles. In this example, if the article 100 is a socket, it would be desirable to uniformly plate the cavity 104 of the socket because that is the region where electrical contact to the socket would normally be made. Accordingly, positioning the anode 106 directly below the article 100 optimizes the plating of the cavity 104 since the electric field (shown as arrows with dashed lines) has generally a preferred path to the cavity 104.
However, if the article is a pin, it would be more desirable to focus the plating to the outer wall of the pin; the region where electrical contact to the pin would normally be made. In this case, the positioning of the anode 106 directly below the article 100 does not optimize the plating of its outer wall since the electric field does not have a generally preferred path to the outer wall. In such a case, it would be preferable to place the anode 106 on the side of the pin. However, the positioning of the anode 106 to the side of the pin, would not be desirable for plating a socket. Thus, to provide optimal plating of different articles (e.g., sockets, pins, etc.), it would be desirable for the position of the anode relative to the article to be adjustable.
Further, as discussed above, the other consideration in providing desirable electroplating of relatively small articles is the control of the demarcation line formed on the articles. Often, during the partial plating of an article 100, a discoloration 110, often referred to as a demarcation line, forms on the article 100 near the surface of the plating solution. It has been previously theorized that the demarcation line 110 was formed by the surface of the plating solution. Through various experiments, it has been discovered by the inventors that the demarcation line 110 actually forms on the article 110 a relatively short distance above the surface of the plating solution. The inventors theorized that the demarcation line 110 is formed by ejection of the plating fluid and subsequent impingement of the plating fluid vapors onto the article. Based on this theory, the inventors have devised a system and method of preventing or reducing the occurrence of the formation of the demarcation line 110 on articles.
Also, in an electroplating system, the articles are typically transported from a loading station through various processing stations, and then to an unloading station. When the articles are within the electroplating station, a cathode contact to the articles is needed to perform the electroplating process. Accordingly, there is a need for a transport system that not only transports the articles from the loading station to the unloading station by way of the various processing stations, but there is a further need for the transport system to provide a cathode contact to the articles.
These needs and other are met by the various exemplary embodiments of the invention described in detail below.
An aspect of the invention relates to a processing system, electroplating cell, and method of electroplating only a desired portion of respective articles. The processing system comprises a pre-processing station including one or more cells to perform one or more pre-electroplating processes on the articles, for example an activation and rinse processes; an electroplating station including one or more cells to plate the articles with one or more desired materials, for example gold; and a post-processing station including one or more cells to perform one or more post-electroplating processes, for example, a dragout rinse, hot deionized rinse, and hot air dryer processes. The processing system may further include a transport system to transport the articles from a loading station to an unloading station by way of the pre-processing, electroplating, and post-processing stations.
The electroplating cell comprises a container to support a plating fluid bath and an anode electrode situated within the container and adapted to contact the plating fluid bath. The methodology of electroplating only a desired portion of the respective articles entails several aspects such as the transport system being secured to a fixed member such that the vertical position (i.e., height) of the articles remains substantially constant as the articles are transported in and out of the electroplating cell. Also, the electroplating cell includes a vertical-adjustment mechanism to adjust the height of the container such that the desired portion of the respective articles is immersed in the plating fluid bath at a precise controlled depth. The electroplating cell further includes a flow control system to control the flow rate of plating fluid into the container such that the height of the surface of the plating fluid bath is maintained substantially constant. The container additionally includes one or more bleed holes through its walls, which assist in stabilizing the surface of the plating fluid bath.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a processing system, electroplating cell, and method of adjusting the effective position of a plurality of anode electrodes to desirably electroplate different type articles. The processing system may be similar to the one described above, including a loading station, pre-processing station, electroplating station, post-processing station, unloading station, and a transport system that transports the articles to the various stations. The electroplating cell comprises a container to support a plating fluid bath, a plurality of spaced-apart anode electrodes situated within the container and adapted to contact the plating fluid bath, and a power supply system adapted to energize a first subset of the anode electrodes with an anode voltage when plating one or more first type articles, and to energize a second and different subset of the anode electrodes with an anode voltage when plating one or more second and different type articles.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a processing system, electroplating cell, and method of reducing the discoloration (i.e., demarcation line) that often forms on articles undergoing a partial plating process. The processing system may be similar to the ones described above, including a loading station, pre-processing station, electroplating station, post-processing station, unloading station, and a transport system that transports the articles to the various stations. The electroplating cell comprises a container to support a plating fluid bath, an anode electrode situated within the container and adapted to contact the plating fluid bath, a support structure, which may be part of the transport system, to support the articles such that only a portion thereof is immersed in the plating fluid bath, and a gas flow system adapted to cause gas flow (e.g., air, nitrogen gas, argon gas, etc.) proximate the interface of the articles to the plating fluid bath. The gas flow near the articles prevents or reduces plating fluid vapors from impinging the articles, thereby reducing the discoloration that would otherwise form on the articles.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a processing system, transport subsystem, cathode contact subsystem and method of providing a cathode contact to the articles being transported within an electroplating cell. The processing system may be similar to the ones described above, including a loading station, pre-processing station, electroplating station, post-processing station, unloading station, and a transport system that transports the articles to the various stations. The transport system comprises an electrically conductive, movable support structure to support the articles; and the cathode contact system is adapted to provide a cathode potential to the one or more articles by way of the electrically conductive, movable support structure.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a processing system, electroplating cell, transport system, cathode contact subsystem and method of providing a cathode contact to the articles being transported within an electroplating cell. The processing system may be similar to the ones described above, including a loading station, pre-processing station, electroplating station, post-processing station, unloading station, and a transport system that transports the articles to the various stations. The electroplating cell comprises a container to support a plating fluid bath, and an anode electrode situated within the container and adapted to contact the plating fluid bath. The transport system is adapted to transport the articles to and from the various stations. The cathode contact system comprises an electrically-conductive moving structure adapted to make cathode contact to said articles and move substantially in synchronous with the articles.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a processing system, electroplating cell, transport system, cathode contact subsystem and method of providing a cathode contact to the articles being transported within an electroplating cell. The processing system may be similar to the ones described above, including a loading station, pre-processing station, electroplating station, post-processing station, unloading station, and a transport system that transports the articles to the various stations. The transport system comprises a plurality of carriers supported by a conveyor structure. Each of the carriers are adapted to support at least one article, but may be able to support a plurality of articles configured into various patterns, such as a single row, or a plurality of rows (i.e., an array). Further, the carriers are adapted to provide a cathode contact to the articles.
Other aspects, features, and techniques of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art in view of the following detailed description of the invention.
In this example, the pre-processing station 206 performs an activation (e.g., cleaning) and rinsing of the articles. The electroplating station 208 performs one or more electroplating processes to form a desired plating of the articles. The post-processing station 210 performs a dragout rinse, a hot de-ionized (DI) water rinse, and a hot air drying of the articles. The unloading station 212 unloads the articles from the transport system 204 into an output bin 244. The control unit 214 controls the operations of the electroplating system 200.
More specifically, the loading station 202 comprises a feeder hopper 220, a bowl feeder 222, an inline feeder tract 224, and a drop tube escapement 226. The feeder hopper 220 receives articles to undergo the processes provided by the electroplating system 200. In this example, the feeder hopper 220 holds approximately ½ cubic feet of articles to be processed, and dispenses articles to the bowl feeder 222 based on a signal it receives therefrom. For example, the feed hopper 220 is disabled unless it receives a low-level condition signal from the bowl feeder 222.
The bowl feeder 222 orients the articles appropriately (e.g., in a substantial vertical fashion with the portion thereof to be plated situated at the lower end of the articles), and serially provides the oriented articles to the inline feeder tract 224. The inline feeder tract 224 transports the articles in a linear fashion to the drop tube escapement 226. The drop tube escapement 226, using a pressurized air nozzle, releases single articles downward to respective carriers periodically spaced on a conveyor belt as part of the transport system 204. The drop tube escapement 226 releases articles on the basis of a position encoder which tracks the position of the carriers as the conveyor belt moves and sends signals to the drop tube escapement 226 at the proper times to cause the articles to be inserted into respective carriers.
As is discussed in more detail below, the transport system 204 includes a horizontally-oriented endless conveyor belt rotationally supported by vertically-oriented 371 and 372. As discussed above, the belt is tooled with removable carriers situated into periodic spaced-apart openings through the belt. In this example, the transport system 204 may include two independent conveyor belts each with their own loading and unloading stations 202 and 212. The belts are, however, attached to a common drive motor 373 with closed loop speed control. Each conveyor belt has an independent tensioning and disengaging device to allow the running of one conveyor belt while the other is available for servicing. It shall be understood that the belt may be replaced with other types of conveyable structures, such as a chain or cable.
As discussed above, the pre-processing station 226, in this example, includes an activate cell 230 and a flood rinse cell 232. The process performed in the activate cell 230 serves to remove contaminants, such as light surface soils and metal oxides, from the articles prior to plating. In this example, the articles may be immersed in a bath of alkaline solution. Alternatively, or in addition to, the articles may undergo an anode and/or cathode cleaning process to generate oxygen (reverse) or hydrogen (direct) on the surface of the articles. In such a case, electrodes are also immersed in the solution to generate the current needed to perform the anode and/or cathode cleaning process. There are many other processes that may be employed in the activate cell 230 in order to prepare the articles for the electroplating process.
In the flood rinse cell 232, the articles undergo a process to remove and contain residual activation chemistry (also known as “dragout”) that may be present on the surface of the articles due to the prior activation process. This prevents the activation chemistry from contaminating the electroplating cell 234. In this example, the articles may be immersed in de-ionized water reservoir and/or sprayed also with de-ionized water. The de-ionized water may be recirculated to and from a rinse reservoir. In such a case, the de-ionized water may be replaced with clean water on a time basis. Accordingly, a programmed timer may be provided to operate a valve to open a fresh DI water supply line in order to replenish the rinse reservoir.
As discussed above, the electroplating station 208 may include one or more plating cells. In this example, two gold electroplating cells 234 and 236 are shown. It shall be understood that the electroplating need not be limited to gold. Other materials may be used to plate the articles. As discussed in more detail in Section II entitled the Electroplating Station, each of the electroplating cells 234 and 236 are configured to control the amount of partial plating of the articles; adjust the effective position of the anode to improve the plating of selected regions of the articles; reduce or eliminate the demarcation line that would otherwise form on the articles; provide a cathode connection to the articles that reduces contamination of the electroplating cell.
As discussed above, the post-processing station 210, in this example, includes a dragout rinse cell 238, a hot DI rinse cell 240, and a hot air dryer cell 242. In the dragout rinse cell 238, a process may be employed to remove residual chemistry remaining on the articles due to the prior electroplating process or processes. The process may be similar to the one performed in the flood rinse cell 232 previously described. Additionally, the process may include a gold recovery chamber to collect any gold metal removed from the articles during the rinse process. In particular, the gold recovery chamber may include ion exchange resin beads, which attract the gold metal as the recirculated water passes through the chamber. After a determined time period, the resin beads are removed from the chamber, and the gold metal is recovered from the resin material.
In the hot rinse cell 240, a process may be employed to remove any remaining residues from the articles due to the prior dragout rinse process. In this example, the articles are subjected to a rinse (e.g., bath and/or spray) using hot deionized water which may also be recirculated. The hot rinse cell 240 may be equipped with a heater to raise the temperature of the water to a desired level.
In the hot air dryer cell 242, a process may be employed to substantially dry the articles. In this example, the hot air dryer cell 242 includes a metal chamber that encloses that portion of the conveyor belt and articles thereon. A thermostatically controlled hot air blower may be located at the bottom of the metal chamber. The chamber may be designed to direct a flow of temperature-controlled hot air around the articles as the conveyor belt passes through the cell 242 to substantially remove the residual water from the articles due to the prior hot DI rinse process.
As discussed above, the electroplating system 200 also includes a loading station 212 that removes the processed articles from the conveyor belt and into an output bin 244. In this example, the output bin 244 is located below the drive wheel of the conveyor belt to collect the articles as they fall from the belt in the region where the belt is being inverted. The unloading station 212 may also include a compressed air nozzle or other mechanical devices configured to assist the removal of the articles from the conveyor belt into the output bin 244. The output bin 244 may be removable by an operator when it becomes full with processed articles.
The following section entitled Electroplating Station describes in more detail an exemplary electroplating cell.
As discussed above, the electroplating station 208 of the exemplary electroplating system 200 may include one or more electroplating cells, such as cells 234 and 236, to form a desired partial plating of articles. The following describes a detailed embodiment of an exemplary electroplating cell that may serve as one or more cells of the electroplating station 208 of the exemplary electroplating system 200. This exemplary electroplating cell is characterized in having a system and method of controlling the amount of partial plating of the articles; a system and method of selectively adjusting the effective position of the anode; a system and method of eliminating or reducing the demarcation line that typically forms on articles above the plating fluid surface; a system and method of providing a cathode connection to the articles; and a system and method of improving the cathode contact of the articles. An overview of the exemplary electroplating cell is discussed below.
A. Overview of Electroplating Cell
The electroplating cell 300 further comprises an anode electrode configuration 316 including, in this example, a plurality of anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c situated in the upper container portion between upper walls 306. The anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c are respectively supported by respective members 318a, 318b, and 318c. The support members 318a, 318b, and 318c, in turn, enclose wiring that electrically connect the respective anode 316a, 316b, and 316c to the positive terminal of a power supply. In this example, the anode electrodes 316a and 316c are situated near the top of the respective upper walls 306, and the anode electrode 316b is situated approximately in the middle between the upper walls 306 and lower than the other anode electrodes 316a and 316c.
The electroplating cell 300 further includes one or more vertical-adjustment mechanisms 320 for adjusting the height of the plating fluid container 302. In this example, each vertical-adjustment mechanism 320 includes a threaded container member 322 connected to the exterior of the lower walls 304 of the plating fluid container 302. Each vertical-adjustment mechanism 320 further includes a bolt 324 threaded with the container member 322, and having a bottom lying on a substantially fixed member. Additionally, each vertical-adjustment mechanism 320 includes a lock nut 326 for preventing undesired rotation of the bolt 324. The lock nut 326 is threaded with the bolt 324, and lies on top of the container member 322.
The electroplating cell 300 further includes an gas-flow system 328 for directing gas flow toward (positive pressure) or away from (negative pressure) the articles while they undergo an electroplating process. Examples of gases that can be used include air, nitrogen gas, argon gas, etc. The gas-flow system 328 includes a pipe 332 for routing gas flow towards or away from a nozzle 330 that includes an opening configured to direct gas flow towards or away from the articles. As is discussed in more detail later, the continued direction of gas flow towards or away from the articles while they undergo an electroplating process prevents and/or eliminates a discoloration of the articles that typically forms above the plating fluid bath surface.
Also illustrated in
B. Controlling the Amount of Partial Plating of the Articles
The electroplating cell 300 is configured to provide a desired control of the amount of partial plating of the articles. It achieves this desired control by providing a substantially stable frame 352 that supports articles at substantially a fixed height, a vertically-adjustable plating fluid container 302, a control system for controlling the flow of plating fluid into the plating fluid container, and one or more bleed ports 310 embedded in the plating fluid container to substantially stabilize the surface of the plating fluid bath.
As discussed above, the frame 352 supports and guides the movement of the conveyor belt 370 as it moves through the various processing stations of the electroplating system 200. A plurality of insert carriers 375 are securely inserted into corresponding spaced-apart openings in the conveyor belt 370. Each of the insert carriers 375 support an article 500 in a substantially vertical orientation. A portion of the article 500 below the insert carrier 375 is immersed in the plating fluid bath supported by the container 302. It is this portion of the article 500 that is being plated. In order to achieve the desired control of the amount of partial plating of the articles, the vertical position of the articles should be controlled as well as the height of the surface of the plating fluid bath.
With regard to the control of the vertical position of the articles, the frame 352 that supports the conveyor belt 370 including the insert carriers 375 that carry the articles, is connected to a substantially fixed member of the electroplating system 200. In addition, the frame 352 is made of relatively high strength material, such as stainless steel, such that the frame 352 exhibits substantially no movement in the vertical direction during the operation of the transport system 350. These characteristics of the frame 352 ensure that the articles exhibit substantially no movement in the vertical direction while being transported through the electroplating cell 300.
With regard to the control of the height of the surface of the plating fluid bath, the electroplating cell 300 includes three elements that assist in this control. First, as previously discussed, the height of the plating fluid container 302 may be adjusted by the vertical-adjustment mechanism 320. This allows the proper setting of the height of the surface of the plating fluid bath supported by the container 302 by adjusting the bolt 324 and subsequently fixing the desired position by tightening the lock nut 326. Second, the bleed ports 310 allows plating fluid from the bath to bleed into a drain. The bleed ports 310 improve the stability of the height of the surface of the plating fluid bath. Plating fluid from the surface of the bath also continuously drains by flowing down the inclined surface of the upper walls 306 of the container 302. Third, the flow of plating fluid into the bath by way of the inlet pipe 312 is controlled with the use of a feedback control system, an example of which is discussed below.
C. Selectively Adjusting the Effective Position of the Anode As discussed in the Background section, optimal electroplating of different articles may require different anode configurations. For instance, certain articles such as pins, where the plating of their respective side walls is most desirable, the anode electrodes should be positioned such that the electric field lines have a generally direct path to the surface that requires plating, i.e., the side walls of the pins. Other articles, such as sockets, where the plating of their respective cavities is most desirable, the anode electrodes should be positioned such that the electric field lines have a generally direct path to the surface that requires plating, i.e., the cavities of the sockets. As discussed in detail below, the exemplary anode electrode configuration 316 of the electroplating system 200 allows for the effective position of the anodes to be adjusted in order to provide the desired plating of the articles.
The controller 604 controls whether the switching elements 602a, 602b, and 602c electrically connect the respective anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c to the positive terminal of the power supply 602. Based on inputs from an operator, the controller 604 can determine which of the anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c receives the anode voltage, and which do not. Although, in this example, three anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c are shown, it shall be understood that the anode electrode configuration 316 may include any number of electrodes. Although not shown, the anode power system 600 may include one or more voltage regulators to independently regulate (and/or in common) the anode voltages at the respective anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c. Alternatively, the anode power system 600 may have independent power supplies for the respective anode electrodes 316a, 316b, and 316c.
D. Eliminating or Reducing the Demarcation Line on Articles
As discussed in the Background section, during the partial plating of an article, a ring-shaped discoloration, also referred to as a demarcation line, is often formed around the article near the surface of the plating fluid bath. It has been previously theorized by others that the demarcation line was formed at the surface of the plating fluid bath. Through various experiments, the inventors have discovered that the demarcation line actually forms on the article a relatively short distance above the surface of the plating fluid bath. The inventors theorized that the demarcation line is formed by ejection of the plating fluid and subsequent impingement of the vapors onto the article. Based on this theory, the inventors have devised a method of preventing or reducing the occurrence of the formation of the demarcation line on articles.
With reference again to
E. Providing a Cathode Connection to the Articles
The point of contact 361, which in this example is a bolt threaded into a housing and secured by a lock nut, is electrically coupled to the resilient device 362 including the brush 363. The resilient device 362 is resilient generally in the vertical direction and absorbs upward vertical energy produced by the rotating exterior cathode contact wheel 364. The brush 363 makes electrical contact to the perimeter of the exterior cathode contact wheel 364. The drive shaft 366 is rotationally coupled and makes electrical contact to the exterior cathode contact wheel 364 and the interior cathode contact wheel 367. The bearings 365 secure the wheels 364 and 367 to fixed members, such as the frame 352 of the transportation system 350, while allowing the wheels to rotate. The interior cathode contact wheel 367 is rotationally and electrically coupled to the conveyor belt 370. The conveyor belt 370, in turn, is electrically coupled to the articles 500 by way of their respective insert carriers 375.
Thus, with the exemplary cathode contact system 360 of the invention, a cathode voltage potential is applied to the articles by way of the point of contact 361, resilient device 362 including its brush 363, the exterior cathode contact wheel 364, the drive shaft 366, the interior cathode contact wheel 367, the conveyor belt 370, and the insert carriers 375. An advantage of the cathode contact system 360 is that the brush 363 makes electrical contact to the exterior cathode contact wheel 364 at a location outside of the electroplating cell 300. In this manner, particles of the brush 363 that flake off as it makes contact with the moving exterior cathode contact wheel 364 does not contaminate the plating fluid bath. Thus, a cathode contact may be provided to moving articles in a contaminant free manner because a fixed member (e.g., brush 363) makes contact with a moving member (e.g., wheel 364) outside of the electroplating cell 300.
F. Improving the Cathode Contact to the Articles
As an alternative embodiment, the endless belt 392 may be made of an electrically conductive material (e.g., a conductive rubber or a metal band). In such a case, the cathode contact to the articles 500 may be made by way of the endless belt 392. Also, in such a case, the conveyor belt 370 and the insert carrier 375 need not be made of an electrically conductive material. Again, this is because the endless belt 392 provides the cathode contact to the articles 500. The cathode contact to the electrically-conductive, conveyor belt 392 may be made by a sliding contact member that slides against the moving belt 392 or a rotating contact member that rotates against the moving belt 392.
The controller 1002 receives the signal generated by the RPM encoder 373b. Based on this signal, the controller 1002 generates a speed control signal for the cathode contact motor 1004. Since the cathode contact motor 1004 and cathode contact conveyor belt 392 may be configured to have different speed control characteristics, the controller 1002 performs the appropriate calculations to generate a speed control signal for the cathode contact motor 1004 such that the movement of the cathode contact conveyor belt 392 is substantially in synchronous with the movement of the article transport conveyor belt 370. This ensures that the preload cathode contact to the articles by the article transport conveyor belt 370 is substantially fixed as the articles are transported through the various cells of the electroplating system 200.
With reference again to
The conveyor belt 370 is made out of relatively high tensile strength material so as to prevent unwanted flexing in the region where the articles 500 are carried. This further ensures that the vertical position of the articles 500 is substantially stable to control the amount of partial plating of the articles. Furthermore, the position of the conveyor belt 370 is such that it does not contact the plating solution. This reduces the amount of maintenance (e.g., cleaning and/or replacement) required on the conveyor belt 370. It shall be understood that the belt 370 may be replaced with other types of conveyable structures, such as a chain or cable.
In this example, the interior configuration of the insert carrier 375a is designed to support an elongated cylindrical-shaped article 500a (e.g., a pin) that includes a ridged portion that makes contact with the interior of the insert carrier 375a. The upper interior walls of the insert carrier 375a is angled inward to guide the article 500a while it is being fully inserted into the insert carrier 375a. The external configuration of the insert carrier 375a is designed to friction fit into the thru-holes 370a of the conveyor belt 370. As discussed below, if a different type article is to be plated, the interior configuration of the insert carrier may be designed differently to properly accommodate the article, while the exterior configuration be kept the same so that it properly interfaces with the conveyor belt 370.
Thus, the plating of different articles is facilitated with the customizable insert carriers 375. The conveyor belt 370 may be populated with the first-type insert carriers 375a to support first-type articles 500a while they undergo the various processes performed by the electroplating system 200. Once the processes are completed on the first-type articles 500a, the first-type insert carriers 375a are removed from the conveyor belt 370, and the conveyor belt 370 is then populated with the second-type insert carriers 375b to support second-type articles 500b while they undergo the various processes performed by the electroplating system 200.
The cover 1308 of the multi-article carrier 1304 comprises a cathode contact port 1314 to receive the cathode potential. The cover 1308 further includes an internal electrical conduit 1316 which is electrically coupled to the cathode contact port 1314 and routes the cathode potential towards the articles 500. The cover 1308 further comprises a plurality of spring-loaded cathode fingers 1318 that make pressured electrical contact to the respective articles 500. The spring-loaded cathode fingers 1318 are electrically connected to the electrical conduit 1316. Thus, the articles 500 receive the cathode potential by way of the cathode contact port 1314, internal electrical conduit 1316, and respective spring-loaded cathode fingers 1318.
In operation, at a loading station, an empty carrier 1304 has its cover 1308 initially in an open position as shown in
While the invention has been described in connection with various embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is capable of further modifications. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptation of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention, and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known and customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains.
This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/096,366, filed on Apr. 1, 2005, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TRANSPORTING AND PROVIDING A CATHODE CONTACT TO ARTICLES IN AN ELECTROPLATING SYSTEM,” which, in turn, claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/666,984, filed on Mar. 30, 2005, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60666984 | Mar 2005 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11096366 | Apr 2005 | US |
| Child | 12246450 | US |
