Patent Application
20170298529
The present invention relates to an electroplating system, and more particularly to an electroplating system in which the electric power distribution can be adjusted according to the shape of the product or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed.
It is well known that the electroplating process is a method of coating a layer of membrane on an object using the electrolytic reduction reaction. The machine used in the electroplating process depends upon the product to be electroplated, and no matter what kind of machine is used, the electroplating region is designed with a different number of electrode bars as the anodes, so as to result in the ionization of metal ions in the electroplating solution; whereas, the workpieces to be electroplated are usually designed as the cathodes.
When performing the electroplating operation, an electric voltage is applied to the anodes and the cathodes respectively, allowing the metal ions to be precipitated in the electroplating solution by the electrolytic reaction. These metal ions will be deposited at the cathode end, forming a metal coating which is plated on the surface of the workpiece to be electroplated after being reduced at the cathodes. The existing electroplating system is divided into a soluble anode electroplating system and an insoluble anode electroplating system depending upon the method for providing the electroplating metal.
In the insoluble anode electroplating system, when the electric current flows from the top of an anode to the bottom of the anode, the magnitude of electric current will decrease gradually by the resistance. In other words, at the top of the anode, more metal ions will be decomposed and released as the electric current passing through this location is larger; on the other hand, the electric current passing through the lower part of the anode is less than the electric current passing through the upper part of the anode, thus fewer metal ions will be decomposed and released, which then results in the phenomenon that the electric lines of force do not distribute uniformly (i.e., the electric current density does not distribute uniformly) in the electroplating bath.
This phenomenon will cause that the product coating is thicker at the place where the electric current density is large and the product coating is thinner at the place where the electric current density is small. Therefore, the quality of product (especially the sub-product) will be affected seriously as the surface coating on the product is not uniform. Furthermore, under some conditions, the product can be charred easily as the electric current density is too large (the electric lines of force are too dense). Accordingly, it has long been an issue to be solved by the related industry to provide an electroplating system in which the electric power distribution can be adjusted depending upon the shape of the product or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an electroplating system in which the electric power distribution can be adjusted depending upon the shape of the product or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed.
To achieve the abovementioned object, the electroplating system of the present invention includes an electroplating bath in which a cathode end and at least an anode end are disposed. The anode end is provided with plural anode elements which are insulative from one another. In addition, there are plural conductive elements which are connected electrically with each anode element, respectively.
By using the abovementioned structure features, in the electroplating system according to the present invention, a variety of distribution of the electric lines of force is able to be formed in the electroplating bath through energizing one or any number of anode elements. In particular, when the shape of the product to be electroplated or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed is changed, the corresponding distribution of the electric lines of force can be formed only through a simple way of switching an electric current supplying loop, without a need for changing the original anode end equipment. Therefore, the quality of electroplating can be improved by a more aggressive and reliable means to result in good benefits.
In the electroplating system disclosed by the present invention, plural anode elements, each of which is able to control the on or off of the circuit, are used primarily, such that a variety of distribution of the electric lines of force can be formed in the electroplating bath through energizing one or any number of anode elements. In particular, when the shape of the product to be electroplated or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed is changed, the corresponding distribution of the electric lines of force can be formed only through a simple way of switching an electric current supplying loop, without a need for changing the original anode end equipment. Therefore, the quality of electroplating can be improved by a more aggressive and reliable means to result in good benefits.
To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
The present invention provides primarily an electroplating system in which the electric power distribution can be adjusted according to the shape of the product or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed. As shown in
In principle, when the electroplating system of the present invention operates practically, the anode ends 30 in pairs are disposed respectively in the electroplating bath 10, opposite to two sides of the cathode end 20. The product to be electroplated, whereas, is suspended on the cathode end 20. Therefore, when the electric current is applied respectively to the anode ends 30 and the cathode end 20, metal ions will be precipitated and deposited on the cathode end 20 in the electroplating solution in the electroplating bath 10 due to the electrolytic reaction. When the metal ions are reduced on the cathode, a metal coating will be plated on the surface of the product.
As the electroplating system of the present invention is provided with plural anode elements 32, with each of which being able to control the on or off of the circuit, a variety of distribution of the electric lines of force can be formed in the electroplating bath 10 through energizing one or any number of anode elements 32. In particular, when the shape of the product to be electroplated or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed is changed, the corresponding distribution of the electric lines of force can be formed only through a simple way of switching an electric current supplying loop, without a need for changing the original anode end equipment. Therefore, the quality of electroplating can be improved by a more aggressive and reliable means to result in good benefits.
Referring to
Referring to
Under all kinds of the abovementioned structure patterns that can be implemented, in the electroplating system of the present invention, the said each anode element 32 is provided with plural meshes 321. In other words, the said anode element 32 can manifest as a structure pattern of a net or basket, so that the metal ions in the electroplating bath can have a better fluidity.
In addition, in the embodiment as shown in
Specifically, in the electroplating system disclosed by the present invention, plural anode elements, each of which is able to control the on or off of the circuit, are used primarily to form a variety of distribution of the electric lines of force in the electroplating bath through energizing one or any number of anode elements. In particular, when the shape of the product to be electroplated or the configuration that the product is suspended and disposed is changed, the corresponding distribution of the electric lines of force can be formed only through a simple way of switching an electric current supplying loop, without a need for changing the original anode end equipment. Accordingly, the quality of electroplating can be improved by a more aggressive and reliable means to result in good benefits.
It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
