JP7552966B2 - Plating power supply jig - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plating power supply jig.

When plating a substrate or other object to be plated, a plating power supply jig is used in a plating tank to supply current to the object to be plated. Conventional plating power supply jigs clamp opposing edges of the object to be plated with connecting parts, thereby simultaneously holding the object to be plated and supplying power to it using the same member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Special table 2019-527473 publication

Because the object to be plated needs to be held and power supplied while it is being smoothed out, conventional plating power supply jigs have thick connection parts that hold the object to be plated and supply power. However, making the connection parts thicker reduces their flexibility. Therefore, if the object to be plated has small irregularities, undulations, or thickness variations, there is a risk that the contact between the connection parts and the object to be plated will be insufficient, and power may not be supplied to the object to be plated.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a plating power supply jig that can supply stable power.

This plating power supply jig has a connecting portion having one and the other main surfaces, a first connection portion fixed to one of the main surfaces of the connecting portion and including a first holding portion for holding an object to be plated on which a plating film is to be formed, and a first power supply portion for supplying power to the object to be plated, and a second connection portion fixed to the other main surface of the connecting portion so as to face the first connection portion across the connecting portion, and including a second holding portion for holding the object to be plated, and a second power supply portion for supplying power to the object to be plated, a first cutout portion is provided on the tip side of the second holding portion, and the first power supply portion is arranged in the first cutout portion so that both side surfaces do not contact the inner surfaces of the first cutout portion in a planar view; a second cutout portion is provided on the tip side of the second holding portion, and the second power supply portion is arranged in the second cutout portion so that both side surfaces do not contact the inner surfaces of the second cutout portion in a planar view; the first power supply portion has a lower rigidity than the first holding portion, and the second power supply portion has a lower rigidity than the second holding portion .

The disclosed technology makes it possible to provide a plating power supply jig that can supply stable power.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a plating power supply jig according to a first embodiment is attached to a support member; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a plating power supply jig according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating a connection portion of the plating power supply jig according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the contact of the power supply portion.

Below, a description will be given of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings. Note that in each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a plating power supply jig according to a first embodiment is attached to a support member. Fig. 1(a) shows a state in which a pair of plating power supply jigs 10 does not hold a plating workpiece W, and Fig. 1(b) shows a state in which the pair of plating power supply jigs 10 hold a plating workpiece W. In Fig. 1, the longitudinal direction of the support member 300 is the X direction, the longitudinal direction of the plating power supply jig 10 is the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction is the Z direction.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the plating power supply jig according to the first embodiment. Figure 2(a) shows a cross section horizontal to the XZ plane at line A-A in Figure 1, and Figure 2(b) shows a cross section horizontal to the XZ plane at line B-B in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating the connection part of the plating power supply jig according to the first embodiment, and is a view of a part of the connection part viewed from the contact side. Note that the insulating film is omitted from Figure 3.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the plating power supply jig 10 according to the first embodiment holds the plate- or sheet-shaped object W to be plated from both sides and supplies power to the object W when the object W is immersed in a plating solution for plating. The plating power supply jig 10 has a connecting portion 20 and connecting portions 30 and 40.

The plating power supply jigs 10 are supported on both ends of an elongated support member 300 that extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The plating power supply jigs 10 and the support member 300 are mainly made of a conductive material. The connecting portion 20 of one plating power supply jig 10 is supported to be able to swing on one end of the support member 300 and extends in a substantially perpendicular direction to the support member 300. The connecting portion 20 of the other plating power supply jig 10 is supported to be able to swing on the other end of the support member 300 and extends in a substantially perpendicular direction to the support member 300.

One of the plating power supply jigs 10 clamps and holds one end of the object W in the left-right direction (X direction). The other plating power supply jigs 10 clamps and holds the other end of the object W in the left-right direction (X direction). When the object W and a pair of plating power supply jigs 10 clamping the object W from both sides are immersed in a plating solution and power is supplied to the pair of plating power supply jigs 10 via the support member 300, current flows on both sides of the object W, and a plating layer is formed on both sides of the object W. If the pair of plating power supply jigs 10 are structured so that current flows only on one side of the object W, it is also possible to form a plating layer on only one side of the object W.

Hereinafter, each component of the plating power supply jig 10 will be described in detail. The connecting portion 20 has a main body 21 and an insulating film 24. The main body 21 is a long and narrow plate-like member extending in the Y direction. The main body 21 has one main surface and the other main surface, and the one main surface and the other main surface of the main body 21 are approximately parallel. The main body 21 is formed from a conductive material. Examples of the material of the main body 21 include stainless steel. The entire surface of the main body 21, except for the parts in contact with the main bodies 31 and 41 (described later), is covered with an insulating film 24. The material of the insulating film 24 is, for example, a fluororesin. The thickness of the insulating film 24 is, for example, about 300 μm. The insulating film 24 is provided to prevent plating from being deposited in unnecessary parts.

The connection part 30 is a part that is connected to the object W to be plated, and that holds the object W to be plated and supplies power to the object W to be plated. The connection part 30 has a main body 31, a holding part 32, a power supply part 33, and an insulating film 34. The main body 31 and the holding part 32 are integrally formed, for example, from a conductive material. Examples of materials for the main body 31 and the holding part 32 include stainless steel.

The main body 31 is a long and narrow plate-like member extending in the Y direction, and is fixed in contact with one of the main surfaces of the main body 21. The main body 31 is fixed to the main body 21 by, for example, bolts or the like. The entire surface of the main body 31, except for the portion in contact with one of the main surfaces of the main body 21, is covered with an insulating film 34. The material of the insulating film 34 is, for example, a fluororesin. The thickness of the insulating film 34 is, for example, about 300 μm. The insulating film 34 is provided to prevent plating from being deposited in unnecessary areas. The insulating film 34 may be formed from the same material as the insulating film 24.

The holding portion 32 is a member formed of a thinner plate than the main body 31, extending in the X+ direction from the Z+ side of the end face of the main body 31. The thickness of the holding portion 32 may be the same as that of the main body 31. The holding portion 32 holds the plating object W on which the plating film is to be formed. The holding portion 32 bends in the Z- direction to form an obtuse angle at a first bending point 32a located further in the X+ direction than the main body 31, bends in the Z+ direction to form an obtuse angle at a second bending point 32b located further in the X+ direction than the first bending point 32a, and forms a substantially V-shaped contact point 35 at the tip.

In the holding portion 32, the vicinity of the contact 35 elastically deforms and returns to its original shape. The thickness of the holding portion 32 is, for example, about 0.5 mm to 1 mm. The entire surface of the holding portion 32, including the contact 35, is covered with an insulating film 34. In other words, the contact 35 of the holding portion 32 contacts the object W to be plated, but is not electrically connected to the conductor of the object W to be plated. In other words, the holding portion 32 does not contribute to the supply of power to the object W to be plated.

On the tip side (opposite the main body 31) of the holding portion 32, a plurality of notches 32x are provided discretely at a predetermined interval in the Y direction from the tip side toward the main body 31. The planar shape of the notches 32x is, for example, rectangular. The deepest part of the notches 32x (the part closest to the main body 31) is located between the first bending point 32a and the second bending point 32b. The deepest part of the notches 32x is located, for example, closer to the first bending point 32a than the midpoint between the first bending point 32a and the second bending point 32b.

Note that the planar shape refers to the shape of the object when viewed from the Z direction. Also, planar view refers to viewing the object from the Z direction, such as in Figure 1.

The power supply unit 33 is a part that supplies power to the plating object W, and is arranged to face the power supply unit 43. The power supply unit 33 may have a function of holding the plating object W, but the plating object W is mainly held by the holding unit 32. One power supply unit 33 is arranged in each cutout portion 32x so that both side surfaces do not contact the inner side of the cutout portion 32x in a plan view. The power supply unit 33 is fixed to the main body 31 side of the cutout portion 32x by welding, for example. It is sufficient to have at least one cutout portion 32x and one power supply unit 33, but it is preferable to provide multiple of each to enable more stable power supply.

In a cross-sectional view, the power supply portion 33 is partially disposed within a recess 32y provided in the holding portion 32, and is bent in a direction approximately parallel to one and the other surfaces of the plating object W near the deepest part of the cutout portion 32x. The power supply portion 33 has a contact 36 at its tip. The contact 36 has, for example, a structure in which a large-diameter cylindrical portion and a small-diameter cylindrical portion are arranged concentrically. The small-diameter cylindrical portion of the contact 36 is, for example, inserted into a through hole 33x provided on the tip side of the power supply portion 33 and fixed by a welded portion 39. The large-diameter cylindrical portion of the contact 36 protrudes toward the power supply portion 43.

In the power supply part 33, the vicinity of the contact 36 elastically deforms and returns to its original shape. The power supply part 33 and the contact 36 are made of a conductive material. Examples of materials for the power supply part 33 and the contact 36 include stainless steel. The entire surface of the power supply part 33, except for the end face 36a of the contact 36, is covered with an insulating film 34. In other words, power is supplied to the plating object W from the end face 36a of the contact 36.

It is preferable that the power supply part 33 has a lower rigidity than the holding part 32. By increasing the rigidity of the holding part 32, the object W to be plated can be stably held. Furthermore, by decreasing the rigidity of the power supply part 33, the flexibility of the power supply part 33 is improved. As a result, even if the object W to be plated has small irregularities, undulations, or thickness variations, the power supply part 33 can flexibly deform, allowing the contact 36 of the power supply part 33 to stably contact the object W to be plated, and power can be stably supplied to the object W to be plated.

To make the rigidity of the power supply unit 33 lower than that of the holding unit 32, for example, the thickness of the power supply unit 33 may be made thinner than that of the holding unit 32. The thickness of the power supply unit 33 may be, for example, about 1/2 to 1/3 of the thickness of the holding unit 32. To make the rigidity of the power supply unit 33 lower than that of the holding unit 32, the power supply unit 33 may be formed from a material with lower rigidity than the holding unit 32. For example, the material of the holding unit 32 may be stainless steel, and the material of the power supply unit 33 may be a stainless steel spring material. Note that, to make the rigidity of the power supply unit 33 lower than that of the holding unit 32, the thickness of the power supply unit 33 may be made thinner than the thickness of the holding unit 32, and the material of the power supply unit 33 may be made from a material with lower rigidity than that of the holding unit 32.

The connection part 40 is a part that is connected to the object W to be plated, and that holds the object W to be plated and supplies power to the object W to be plated. The connection part 40 is fixed to the other main surface of the main body 21 so as to face the connection part 30 across the main body 21. The connection part 40 has a main body 41, a holding part 42, a power supply part 43, and an insulating film 44. The main body 41 and the holding part 42 are integrally formed, for example, from a conductive material. Examples of materials for the main body 41 and the holding part 42 include stainless steel. The connection part 40 has the same structure as the connection part 30, for example.

The main body 41 is a long and narrow plate-like member extending in the Y direction, and is fixed in contact with the other main surface of the main body 21. The main body 41 is fixed to the main body 21 by, for example, bolts or the like. The entire surface of the main body 41, except for the portion in contact with the other main surface of the main body 21, is covered with an insulating film 44. The material of the insulating film 44 is, for example, a fluororesin. The thickness of the insulating film 44 is, for example, about 300 μm. The insulating film 44 is provided to prevent plating from being deposited in unnecessary areas. The insulating film 44 may be formed from the same material as the insulating films 24 and 34.

The holding portion 42 is a member formed of a thinner plate than the main body 41, and extends in the X+ direction from the Z- side of the end face of the main body 41. The holding portion 42 holds the plating object W on which the plating film is to be formed. The holding portion 42 bends in the Z+ direction at a first bending point 42a located further in the X+ direction than the main body 41 to form an obtuse angle, and bends in the Z- direction to form an obtuse angle at a second bending point 42b located further in the X+ direction than the first bending point 42a, forming a substantially V-shaped contact point 45 at the tip.

In the holding portion 42, the vicinity of the contact 45 elastically deforms and returns to its original shape. The thickness of the holding portion 42 is, for example, about 0.5 mm to 1 mm. The entire surface of the holding portion 42, including the contact 45, is covered with an insulating film 44. In other words, the contact 45 of the holding portion 42 contacts the object W to be plated, but is not electrically connected to the conductor of the object W to be plated. In other words, the holding portion 42 does not contribute to the supply of power to the object W to be plated.

On the tip side (opposite the main body 41) of the holding portion 42, a plurality of notches are provided at predetermined intervals in the Y direction from the tip side toward the main body 41. The planar shape of the notches is, for example, rectangular. The deepest part of the notches (the part closest to the main body 41) is located between the first bending point 42a and the second bending point 42b. The deepest part of the notches is, for example, located closer to the first bending point 42a than the midpoint between the first bending point 42a and the second bending point 42b. The notches of the holding portion 42 are, for example, arranged to face the notches 32x of the holding portion 32.

The power supply unit 43 is a part that supplies power to the plating object W, and is arranged to face the power supply unit 33. The power supply unit 43 may also have a function of holding the plating object W, but the plating object W is mainly held by the holding unit 42. One power supply unit 43 is arranged in each cutout so that both side surfaces do not contact the inner wall surface of the cutout in a plan view. The power supply unit 43 is fixed to the main body 41 side of the cutout by welding, for example. It is sufficient to have at least one cutout and one power supply unit 43, but it is preferable to provide multiple of each to enable more stable power supply.

In cross-sectional view, the power supply portion 43 is partially disposed in a recess 42y provided in the holding portion 42, and is bent in a direction approximately parallel to one and the other faces of the plating object W near the deepest part of the cutout portion. The power supply portion 43 has a contact 46 at its tip. The contact 46 has, for example, a structure in which a large diameter cylindrical portion and a small diameter cylindrical portion are arranged concentrically. The small diameter cylindrical portion of the contact 46 is, for example, inserted into a through hole 43x provided on the tip side of the power supply portion 43 and fixed by a welded portion 49. The large diameter cylindrical portion of the contact 46 protrudes toward the power supply portion 33.

In the power supply part 43, the vicinity of the contact 46 elastically deforms and returns to its original shape. The power supply part 43 and the contact 46 are made of a conductive material. Examples of materials for the power supply part 43 and the contact 46 include stainless steel. The entire surface of the power supply part 43, except for the end face 46a of the contact 46, is covered with an insulating film 44. In other words, power is supplied to the plating object W from the end face 46a of the contact 46.

It is preferable that the power supply part 43 has a lower rigidity than the holding part 42. By increasing the rigidity of the holding part 42, the object W to be plated can be stably held. Furthermore, by decreasing the rigidity of the power supply part 43, the flexibility of the power supply part 43 is improved. As a result, even if the object W to be plated has small irregularities, undulations, or thickness variations, the power supply part 43 can flexibly deform, allowing the contact 46 of the power supply part 43 to stably contact the object W to be plated, and power can be stably supplied to the object W to be plated.

To make the rigidity of the power supply unit 43 lower than that of the holding unit 42, for example, the thickness of the power supply unit 43 may be made thinner than that of the holding unit 42. The thickness of the power supply unit 43 may be, for example, about 1/2 to 1/3 of the thickness of the holding unit 42. To make the rigidity of the power supply unit 43 lower than that of the holding unit 42, the power supply unit 43 may be formed from a material with lower rigidity than the holding unit 42. For example, the material of the holding unit 42 may be stainless steel, and the material of the power supply unit 43 may be a stainless steel spring material. Note that, to make the rigidity of the power supply unit 43 lower than that of the holding unit 42, the thickness of the power supply unit 43 may be made thinner than the thickness of the holding unit 42, and the material of the power supply unit 43 may be made from a material with lower rigidity than that of the holding unit 42.

When a pair of plating power supply jigs 10 hold the object W to be plated from both sides, a current flows from the contact 36 of the connection part 30 of one plating power supply jig 10 to the contact 36 of the connection part 30 of the other plating power supply jig 10, forming a plating layer on one side of the object W to be plated. Also, a current flows from the contact 46 of the connection part 40 of one plating power supply jig 10 to the contact 46 of the connection part 40 of the other plating power supply jig 10, forming a plating layer on the other side of the object W to be plated.

In this way, the plating power supply jig 10 has a holding section and a power supply section provided separately at the connection section. In other words, because the holding section and the power supply section at the connection section can be designed with different specifications, the holding section can be designed with specifications suitable for holding the object to be plated, and the power supply section can be designed with specifications suitable for supplying power to the object to be plated. This ensures a holding force sufficient to smooth out wrinkles and kinks even if the object to be plated is thin, and enables stable power supply even if the object to be plated has small irregularities or undulations, or if the thickness of the object to be plated varies.

First Modification of the First Embodiment
In the first modification of the first embodiment, an example of a plating power supply jig having a different shape of the contact of the power supply part is shown. Note that in the first modification of the first embodiment, the description of the same components as those in the already described embodiment may be omitted.

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the contacts of the power supply unit. The power supply units 33 and 43 may have curved contacts without corners, such as contacts 37 and 47 shown in Figure 4.

The contact 37 has a structure in which, for example, a hemispherical portion and a cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the hemispherical portion are arranged concentrically. The cylindrical portion of the contact 37 is inserted, for example, into a through hole 33x provided at the tip side of the power supply portion 33 and fixed by a welding portion 39. The hemispherical portion of the contact 37 protrudes toward the power supply portion 43. The contact 37 is covered with an insulating film 34 except for the vicinity of the tip of the hemispherical portion that contacts the plating object W. The contact 37 may have a semicircular, semicylindrical portion in cross section instead of the hemispherical portion.

Similarly, the contact 47 has a structure in which, for example, a hemispherical portion and a cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the hemispherical portion are concentrically arranged. The cylindrical portion of the contact 47 is inserted, for example, into a through hole 43x provided on the tip side of the power supply portion 43 and fixed by a welding portion 49. The hemispherical portion of the contact 47 protrudes toward the power supply portion 33. The contact 47 is covered with an insulating film 44 except for the vicinity of the tip of the hemispherical portion that contacts the plating object W. The contact 47 may have a semicircular, semicylindrical portion in cross section instead of the hemispherical portion.

In this way, the shape of the contacts can be appropriately determined as needed. In particular, the contacts 37 and 47 shown in FIG. 4 are preferable in that they have high followability to steps and thickness differences of the plated object W. That is, if the contacts of the power supply part have a structure with corners, the contact area with the plated object W will vary greatly due to steps and thickness differences of the plated object W. If the contact area between the contacts of the power supply part and the plated object W becomes small, sparks may occur if the current concentrates in the small area. As shown in FIG. 4, the power supply part has a contact with the plated object W that has a curved shape (e.g., hemispherical) without corners, so that the contact area between the contacts of the power supply part and the plated object W is approximately constant even if steps and thickness differences of the plated object W occur. Therefore, the generation of sparks at the contacts can be suppressed.

Although the preferred embodiment has been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the claims.

10 Plating power supply jig 20 Joint portion 24, 34, 44 Insulating film 30, 40 Connection portion 31, 41 Main body 32, 42 Holder 32a, 42a First bent point 32b, 42b Second bent point 32x Notch portion 32y, 42y Recess 33, 43 Power supply portion 33x, 43x Through hole 35, 36, 37, 45, 46, 47 Contact point 36a, 46a End surface 39, 49 Welded portion

Claims (9)

A connecting portion having one and another main surfaces;
a first connection part including a first holding part fixed to one main surface of the connecting part and holding an object to be plated on which a plating film is to be formed, and a first power supply part supplying power to the object to be plated;
a second connection portion fixed to the other main surface of the connecting portion so as to face the first connection portion across the connecting portion, the second connection portion including a second holding portion that holds the object to be plated and a second power supply portion that supplies power to the object to be plated;
having
A first cutout portion is provided on a tip side of the first holding portion,
the first power supply portion is disposed in the first cutout portion such that both side surfaces are not in contact with inner surfaces of the first cutout portion in a plan view;
A second cutout portion is provided on a tip side of the second holding portion,
the second power supply portion is disposed in the second cutout portion such that both side surfaces are not in contact with inner surfaces of the second cutout portion in a plan view;
The first power supply portion has a lower rigidity than the first holding portion,
The second power supply portion has a lower rigidity than the second holding portion . the first holding portion has a first bending point between a side closer to the connecting portion and a deepest portion of the first cutout portion, and a second bending point on the opposite side to the first bending point across the deepest portion of the first cutout portion;
2. The plating power supply jig according to claim 1, wherein the second holding portion has a third bend point between a side closer to the connecting portion and a deepest portion of the second cutout portion, and a fourth bend point on the opposite side to the third bend point across the deepest portion of the second cutout portion. A plurality of the first cutout portions are provided at a tip end side of the first holding portion at predetermined intervals in a predetermined direction,
the first power supply portion is disposed in each of the first cutout portions such that both side surfaces are not in contact with inner surfaces of the first cutout portions in a plan view;
A plurality of the second cutout portions are provided at a tip end side of the second holding portion at predetermined intervals in a predetermined direction,
The plating power supply jig according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second power supply portion is arranged in each of the second cutout portions so that, in a plan view, both side surfaces of the second power supply portion do not contact inner surfaces of the second cutout portions. The thickness of the first power supply portion is smaller than the thickness of the first holding portion,
The plating power supply jig according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the second power supply portion is thinner than a thickness of the second holding portion. the first power supply portion is formed from a material different from that of the first holding portion,
The plating power supply jig according to claim 1 , wherein the second power supply portion is formed from a material different from that of the second holding portion. The plating power supply jig according to claim 1 , wherein surfaces of the first holding part and the second holding part are covered with an insulating film. The first power supply unit and the second power supply unit are disposed to face each other,
the first power supply portion has a first contact protruding toward the second power supply portion,
The plating power supply jig according to claim 1 , wherein the second power supply portion has a second contact point that protrudes toward the first power supply portion. The plating power supply jig according to claim 7 , wherein the first contact and the second contact are curved. The plating power supply jig according to claim 8 , wherein the first contact and the second contact are hemispherical.

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