JP4496522B2 - Manufacturing method of multi-core metal tube by electroforming - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is an electroforming of a multi-core metal tube having a plurality of fine holes arranged with high accuracy, which is used for a multi-fiber ferrule such as an optical fiber connector or device, a nozzle of an engine injection pump, or a nozzle of an ink jet printer. It relates to the method of manufacturing by.

The present applicants invented a method of manufacturing a multi-core metal tube with a plurality of fine holes arranged with high precision used for multi-fiber ferrules such as optical fiber connectors and devices, etc., 2002 It was filed on August 15 as Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-281957, “Method for producing multi-core metal tubes such as multi-core ferrules for optical connectors by electroforming”. In this method, a metal tube such as a multi-core ferrule for an optical connector in which two or more wires 6 such as metal and plastic are stretched is used as a matrix, and the wire 6 is removed after electroforming. In this case, a plurality of the same shape of the electrical insulating plate 10 in which a plurality of holes are opened with accurate diameters and positions are arranged in a straight line, and the plurality of holes of the electrical insulating plate 10 are arranged in a straight line. A cathode jig 9 formed by passing the wire 6 in a straight line parallel to the hole without being torn is immersed in the electroforming solution, and minus electricity is applied only to the conductive wire 6a provided near the center. A method for manufacturing a multi-core metal tube such as a multi-core ferrule for optical fibers, which is characterized by electroforming. Further, in order to make the outer shape of the metal tube formed by electroforming circular, a cathode jig 9 The distance between the wire 6a at the center of the wire and the anode is substantially the same, so that the wire 6a of the cathode jig 9 is almost Characterized by electroforming while to rotate the.

As a known method for producing a metal tube such as a ferrule for optical concentrator and a sleeve by electroforming, there is a “method for producing a metal tube” described in Patent Document 1.
JP 2003-313695 A

However, as described above, when electroforming while rotating the cathode jig about the wire 6a of the cathode jig, the relative speed with respect to the electroforming liquid is approximately 0 because the wire 6a is the center of rotation. However, since the other wires 6 except the wire 6a are arranged away from the rotation center, a relative speed is generated with respect to the electroforming liquid. As a result, the other wire 6 receives the dynamic pressure of the electroforming liquid and bends backward in the rotation direction. When electroforming proceeds in the bent state, the other wire 6 is formed. The position of the hole is shifted and the linearity of the hole is impaired. The positions of the holes of the metal tube manufactured in this way vary, and when using a ferrule for an optical concentrator, the quality may be significantly impaired.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to form the outer shape of a metal tube in a substantially perfect circle while preventing the displacement of the hole when forming a metal tube having a plurality of holes by electroforming.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an electroforming solution including a cathode jig formed by stretching a plurality of wires made of a conductive material on a pair of electrically insulating supports. In the electroforming solution, an anode is disposed outside the cathode jig, and a direct current is passed between the conductive wire of the cathode jig and the anode, thereby immersing the conductive material. In a method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming, in which a metal tube having a wire rod as an axis is generated and then the plurality of wires are removed to produce a metal tube, the anode is revolved with the conductive wire as a rotating shaft. It was made to be characterized.
Here, it is preferable that the anode is arranged with one or more electrodes substantially parallel to the conductive wire at equal intervals around the conductive wire.
The method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming, wherein the anode is formed of a cylindrical conductive material having the conductive wire as a central axis.
Furthermore, the anode is formed into a cylindrical shape having a double structure by combining a metal inner cylinder and a metal outer cylinder, and an electroformed metal is formed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder. It is also possible to store the material.

According to the present invention, a cathode jig formed by stretching a plurality of wires made of a conductive material on a pair of electrically insulating supports is immersed in an electroforming liquid, and the electroforming A metal with the conductive wire as the axis by placing an anode outside the cathode jig and passing a direct current between the conductive wire of the cathode jig and the anode. In the method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming, in which a plurality of wires are removed to produce a metal tube after the tube is generated, the anode is a cylinder made of a substantially perfect circle with the conductive wire as a central axis It is characterized by being formed of a conductive material having a shape.
Here, the anode is formed into a double cylindrical structure by combining a metal inner cylinder and a metal outer cylinder, and an electroformed metal is formed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder. It is also possible to store the material.
Further, the electrical insulating support is formed by two or more insulating plates formed with holes through which the wire is inserted at the same position, and the insulating plates are arranged at appropriate intervals in the stretching direction of the wire. It is also possible to be characterized by supporting.

  As described above, according to the present invention, without rotating the cathode jig, the anode is revolved or the anode is arranged in a substantially perfect circle around the cathode, so that the hole formed in the metal tube can be formed. It is possible to eliminate the positional shift and to form the outer shape of the metal tube into a substantially perfect circle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a part of an electroforming apparatus used in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main part of FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an electroforming solution tank filled with electroforming solution up to the edge portion, and a cathode jig 2 is arranged in the vertical direction at the center thereof. The cathode jig 2 is provided with a plurality of holes through which wires are inserted at the same positions of the insulating plates 3 and 4 which are electrically insulating supports, and supports the insulating plates 3 and 4 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. In addition, a conductive stainless steel wire is inserted and stretched in the hole at the center position. A resin wire is inserted and stretched in the remaining holes regardless of conductivity. These wire rods 5 are moderately connected to the wire rod 5 between the insulating plates 3 and 4 by connecting the lower end to the fixed plate 6 and connecting the upper end to the fixed plate 8 made of a conductive material via the tension coil spring 7. Give the right tension.

Above the liquid surface of the electroforming bath 1, a ring-shaped disk 9 is rotatably supported by guide pulleys 11 to 14 arranged at four corners around a stainless steel wire 5 of the cathode jig 2. Has been. The disc 9 is formed of a conductive material, and bottomed cylindrical anodes 15 to 17 made of a titanium net are attached to the lower surface of the disc 9 at substantially equal intervals. In the anodes 15 to 17, nickel particles or rods are accommodated as electroformed metal materials. Further, an output shaft roller 21 of a motor 19 with a speed reducer is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the disk 9 via an idler 18, and when the motor 19 is driven to rotate, the output shaft roller 21 rotates. The disk 9 is rotationally driven via the idler 18. As a result, the anodes 15 to 17 revolve around the cathode jig 2 around the stainless steel wire 5 of the cathode jig 2.

A brush 22 is slidably abutted on the right end of the disk 9. The management tank 23 installed on the right side of the electroforming liquid tank 1 in FIG. 1 is connected to the electroforming liquid tank 1 by a pipe (not shown), and the concentration and specific gravity of the electroforming liquid in the electroforming liquid tank 1. The temperature, level, etc. are managed so as to be kept constant. The filter 24 on the right side of the management tank 23 is connected to the management tank 23 by a pipe (not shown) and filters impurities generated in the electroforming liquid.

In the electroforming apparatus configured as described above, when the motor 19 is driven to rotate while a current is passed by connecting the fixing plate 8 to the negative pole and the positive pole to the brush 22, the stainless steel positioned at the center of the cathode jig 2 is used. Electroformed nickel is deposited on the wire 5 made of metal, and a metal tube having a perfect circle with the wire 5 made of stainless steel as the central axis is generated. This is because the anodes 15 to 17 revolve on the circular orbit around the cathode jig 2 at a constant speed, and as a result of deposition of the electroformed metal, a uniform electric field is accumulated over time. This is because nickel is deposited with a uniform thickness around the entire circumference of the wire 2 made of stainless steel.

When the metal tube grows to a predetermined thickness, the energization and the rotation of the anode are stopped, the metal tube is taken out from the cathode jig 2, and the stainless wire 5 and the resin wire 5 are taken out from the metal tube. A multi-core metal tube in which a plurality of thin holes are arranged with high accuracy can be obtained. Moreover, since the outer shape of the obtained metal tube is a perfect circle,
Post-processing becomes easy. In the above-described method, since the cathode jig 2 is stopped without rotating in the electroforming liquid, the resin wire 5 disposed outside the central stainless steel wire 5 is also in the electroforming liquid. The position of the wire 5, that is, the position of the hole is eliminated. In the illustrated example, three anodes are arranged, but the number of anodes can be one or two, or four or more.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a part of the electroforming apparatus used in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main part of FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an electroforming solution tank filled with electroforming solution up to the edge portion, and a cathode jig 2 is arranged in the vertical direction at the center thereof. The cathode jig 2 is provided with a plurality of holes through which wires are inserted at the same positions of the insulating plates 3 and 4 which are electrically insulating supports, and supports the insulating plates 3 and 4 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. In addition, a conductive stainless steel wire is inserted and stretched in the hole at the center position. A resin wire is inserted and stretched in the remaining holes regardless of conductivity. These wire rods 5 are moderately connected to the wire rod 5 between the insulating plates 3 and 4 by connecting the lower end to the fixed plate 6 and connecting the upper end to the fixed plate 8 made of a conductive material via the tension coil spring 7. Give the right tension.

On the outside of the cathode jig 2 of the electroforming bath 1, a double-structured anode 33 comprising an inner cylinder 31 made of a titanium mesh and an outer cylinder 32 made of a titanium mesh is disposed. Between the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32, nickel particles or rods are housed as an electroformed metal material. The upper part of the anode 33 is supported by the stays 34 to 37 on the edge of the electroforming bath 1 so that the inner surface of the inner cylinder 31 is truly centered on the stainless steel wire 5 of the cathode jig 2. It is accurately held so that it is located on the circle.

Moreover, the management tank 23 installed on the right side of the electroforming liquid tank 1 in FIG. 3 is connected to the electroforming liquid tank 1 by a pipe (not shown), and the concentration of the electroforming liquid in the electroforming liquid tank 1. The specific gravity, temperature, level, etc. are managed so as to be kept constant. The filter 24 on the right side of the management tank 23 is connected to the management tank 23 by a pipe (not shown) and filters impurities generated in the electroforming liquid.

In the electroforming apparatus configured as described above, the fixed plate 8 is connected to the negative electrode, the positive electrode is connected to the anode 33, and an electric current is supplied to the nickel wire 5 made of electroformed metal on the stainless steel wire 5 of the cathode jig 2. Is deposited, and a metal tube having a perfect circle with the stainless steel wire 5 as the central axis is generated. This is because the inner surface of the inner cylinder 31 of the anode 33 is held at a perfect circle position with respect to the stainless steel wire 5 located at the center of the cathode jig 2, and therefore the stainless steel wire 5 of the cathode jig 2. This is because a uniform electric field is formed in all directions around the electrode, and the deposition of the electroformed metal becomes uniform.

When the metal tube grows to a predetermined thickness, the energization is stopped, the metal tube is taken out from the cathode jig 2, and the stainless wire 5 and the resin wire 5 are taken out of the metal tube, whereby a plurality of narrow holes are obtained. Can be obtained with high precision. Moreover, since the outer shape of the obtained metal tube is a perfect circle,
Post-processing becomes easy. In the above-described method, since the cathode jig 2 is stopped without rotating in the electroforming liquid, the resin wire 5 disposed outside the central stainless steel wire 5 is also in the electroforming liquid. The position of the wire 5, that is, the position of the hole is eliminated.

In the above-described embodiment, as the insulating plates 3 and 4 of the cathode jig 2, a plastic molded product having a plurality of holes with accurate positions and sizes, or silicon manufactured by a photo-etching method of photoresist processing. A plate or an insulating plate having a plurality of holes formed by NC machining with a special drill can be used. Of these, the method of using a plastic molded product is highly suitable, and it is particularly desirable to use a material having a low linear expansion coefficient such as an epoxy resin, a PPS resin, or a phenol resin mixed with a large amount of feeler.

In the present invention, a stainless steel wire is used as the central wire 5 among the plurality of wires 5 set on the cathode jig 2, but in addition, a metal conductive material such as a phosphor blue pan. Can also be used, and is characterized by flowing a negative current only through the central wire. Further, the material of the wire 5 other than the center may be a conductive metal such as stainless steel or phosphor bronze, or may be a resin wire having no electrical conductivity. In the case of electroforming using this wire 5, some cross-section ovalization is observed to the extent that the electroformed part does not interfere, but when resin wire 5 is used for this, electroforming is performed. In this case, since the resin wire 5 does not have any effect on the electrolytic deposition effect, the positional accuracy is improved, and at the same time, the cross-sectional shape of the produced electroformed product becomes almost a perfect circle. In other words, in the present invention, it is more preferable to use the non-conductive wire 5 as the wire other than the center.

In the present invention, nickel is used as the electroformed metal, but other metals such as cobalt can also be used. Specifically, as the material of the electroformed metal, for example, nickel or an alloy thereof, iron or an alloy thereof, copper or an alloy thereof, cobalt or an alloy thereof, a tungsten alloy, a fine particle dispersed metal, or the like can be employed. Electroforming liquids include nickel sulfamate, nickel chloride, nickel sulfate, ferrous sulfamate, ferrous borofluoride, copper pyrophosphate, copper sulfate, copper borofluoride, copper silicofluoride, copper copper fluoride, alkanol An aqueous solution mainly composed of an aqueous solution of copper sulfonate, cobalt sulfate, sodium tungstate, or the like, or fine powder of silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, boron carbide, zirconium oxide, silicon nitride, alumina, diamond, etc. Dispersed liquids are used, and among these, the solution mainly composed of nickel sulfamate is easy to perform electroforming, various physical properties such as hardness, chemical stability, ease of welding, electroforming Suitable for liquid safety. The electroforming liquid is preferably filtered at a high speed with a filter having a filtration accuracy of about 0.1 to 5 μm, and heated to control the temperature within an appropriate temperature range of about ± 3 ° C.

In electroforming, it is preferable that the direct current is set to a current density of about 3 to 8 A / dm ² , is grown to a predetermined thickness, is taken out from the electroforming tank, washed with water, and then dried.

  In addition to manufacturing multi-core metal tubes used for multi-fiber ferrules such as optical fiber connectors and devices, the present invention provides multi-core metal tubes used for nozzles for engine injection pumps, nozzles for inkjet printers, etc. It can be used when manufacturing.

It is the front view which cut through a part of electroforming device used for a 1st embodiment of the present invention longitudinally. It is a top view which shows the principal part of FIG. It is the front view which cut through part of the electroforming apparatus used for the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electroforming bath

2 Cathode jig

3,4 insulation board

5 Wire

6 Fixed plate

7 Tensile coil spring

8 Fixed plate

9 disc

11-14 Guide pulley

15-17 Anode

18 idler

19 Motor

21 Output shaft roller

22 brushes

23 Control tank

24 filters

31 inner cylinder

32 outer cylinder

33 Anode

34-37 stay

Claims (3)

At least one cathode jig formed by stretching a plurality of wires made of a conductive material on a pair of electrically insulating supports is immersed in the electroforming liquid, and in the electroforming liquid, After an anode is disposed outside the cathode jig and a direct current is passed between the conductive wire of the cathode jig and the anode, a metal tube having the conductive wire as an axis is generated. In the method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming to remove the plurality of wires and produce a metal tube,
The anode is formed of a cylindrical conductive material having a double structure with the conductive wire as a central axis by combining a metal inner cylinder and a metal outer cylinder, and the inner cylinder A method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming , wherein an electroformed metal material is housed between an outer cylinder and the electroconductive wire is rotated around a rotating shaft . 2. The method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming according to claim 1 , wherein the anode is formed of a cylindrical conductive material having a substantially perfect circle with the conductive wire as a central axis. The electrical insulating support is formed by two or more insulating plates having holes through which the wire is inserted at the same position, and the insulating plates are arranged at appropriate intervals in the stretching direction of the wire to support the wire. The method for producing a multi-core metal tube by electroforming according to claim 1 or 2 .

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