JPS6154878B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a multi-type injection partial plating means, which is used for partial plating of contacts of electrical components such as contactors for communication equipment, bonding areas of lead frames for ICs, etc. The present invention relates to a partial plating method using a separator and an apparatus therefor, in which the spacing between plating liquid spray nozzles and mask holes can be freely and variably set according to the spacing between the parts to be plated using the separator, which is a member of No. 3.

In general, electrical contacts such as contacts used in communication equipment exchangers, lead parts of printed circuit boards, bonding areas of IC lead frames, and connectors for multi-pole connections are usually made of hoop-shaped copper slits. Alternatively, after punching and bending a copper alloy material by press working, the tip contact portion is partially plated with a noble metal such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, etc. using a partial plating means.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a contactor 1 used in communication equipment is made by pressing a tough pitch copper plate with a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm into a U-shaped side surface with a width of about 1.0 to 3.0 mm. The curved bottom part 3 has a thickness of several μ and an area of 0.3 to several mm ²
It is functionally sufficient if the microscopic partial plating layer 4 can be processed.

However, in the conventional partial plating means, as shown in FIG. 2, a pressurized plating liquid is applied to the cathode from a nozzle 5 set at the anode of the workpiece (in this case, the curved bottom part 3 of the contactor body 2). The electrolytic plating process is performed by spraying the plating toward the plating area, and the part to be plated is masked using a mask 6 having openings corresponding to the plating pattern, but the plating accuracy and quality are extremely high. There were quite a few problems with the manufacturing of the metsuki equipment.

For example, in the case of the above-mentioned contactor 1, the actual machining interval P ₀ is 2.54 mm, and it is necessary to partially plate 40 pieces at the same time, so the nozzle 5 is also applied to each workpiece as shown in Fig. 3. The 40 masks must be arranged at the same intervals, and the masks 6 must also have minute mask holes 7 drilled at the same intervals.

In other words, since a plating device consisting of a nozzle 5 and a mask 7 dedicated to each type of work is required, it is necessary to prepare in advance as many dedicated plating devices as there are workpieces.

Moreover, in the plating device, both the mask 6 and the nozzle 5 must be made of heat-resistant, chemical-resistant, and durable materials, such as ceramics and stainless steel, through micro-precision machining, so the manufacturing cost of the device is low. In addition to being bulky, it is necessary to replace and adjust the nozzle 5 and mask 6 each time depending on the workpiece, which requires a large number of setup steps.

Furthermore, if the interval P ₀ between the parts to be plated on the workpiece is close, the outer diameter of the nozzle 5 is also restricted, so partial plating at minute intervals may not be possible.

Such problems have a particularly large effect when processing the contactor 1 for communication equipment described above.

That is, the contactor body 2, which is the object to be plated, is
These products are produced in large quantities in a wide variety of varieties, and the shapes of each variety are often similar, or differ only in the spacing of the areas to be plated, or in the area to be plated. In addition, during processing, as shown in FIG. 4, after punching out the outer shape of the pilot hole 8 and the contactor body 2 in the hoop material at intervals of 2.54 mm, for example, as described above, the curved bottom part 3 It is common to perform a partial plating process first, and then proceed to a cutting process.

Therefore, the mask 6 can be made of a mask plate 10A having continuous single mask holes 7 as shown in FIG. 5, or a mask plate 10A having continuous comb-shaped mask hole cutouts 9.
Alternatively, a mask 6 (see FIG. 6) with a flat plate-shaped side plate 10B attached thereto can be used, but the manufacturing cost of this increases considerably and it must be prepared for each type of contactor 1.

On the other hand, for the nozzle 5, individual nozzle holes corresponding to the mask holes 7 are machined, or long groove-shaped nozzle holes 5A covering several to several dozen mask holes 7 are bored. (See Figure 7) This manufacturing cost is also higher than Mask 6, and
It is necessary to prepare for each type of contactor 1. Moreover, during plating, the current density is significantly degraded due to interference of the plating liquid flow, generation of turbulent flow and eddy current, and retention phenomenon in the masking part, and combined with halation due to plating liquid infiltration in the masking part. There is a risk that the plating quality and efficiency will be extremely reduced, and there is a problem that the plating processing cost increases due to a combination of a decrease in yield, an increase in the number of setup and processing steps, and an increase in equipment costs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its first purpose is to enable any number of partial masking areas to be freely and variably set in accordance with the type of workpiece. In addition, the flux of plating liquid from the nozzle is divided into states corresponding to each partial masking area, making multi-type partial plating possible, and using a separator that greatly reduces the plating process setup time and plating process man-hours. The purpose of this invention is to provide a partial plating method. Another object of the present invention is to provide a mask in which slits or elongated holes are simply formed, and a separator as a third member erected on the opening surface of the nozzle facing the slits or elongated holes. In addition, by holding the separator between the mask and the nozzle, the mask is rigid and it is possible to simultaneously process a large number of partial platings without requiring complicated and precise machining of the nozzle, and a single device can handle a wide variety of workpieces. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive partial plating device that can be used for various purposes.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to form a sealed space by the mask or mask holder in contact with the object to be plated and the mantle, and to arrange a nozzle in the space and create a negative pressure state. An object of the present invention is to provide a partial plating device which, together with the interposition of the separator, can perform high quality partial plating at a low cost.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on FIG. 8 and subsequent figures. First, a mask 12A for masking the area to be plated of the workpiece 11 is held by a mask holder 13, and the lower part of the mask holder 13 holds a nozzle 14A for spraying plating liquid and has a plating liquid discharge hole 15. A mantle 19 is provided with a nozzle holder 16, and a mantle 19 is disposed at the lower stage of the nozzle holder 16 and has a chamber 17 that communicates with the plating liquid discharge hole 15 and has a communication hole 18 at the bottom; a gas-liquid separator 20 that is arranged in series and communicates with the communication hole 18; and a gas-liquid separator 20 that is connected to the gas-liquid separator 20 and that
3 and a suction mechanism 21 that maintains the chamber 17 of the nozzle holder 16 to the mantle 19 in a negative pressure state.
The gas-liquid separator 20 is also connected to a plating liquid tank (not shown), and the plating liquid collected in this plating liquid tank is supplied again to the nozzle 14A. (See FIG. 8 above.) In the above device, the mantle 19, gas-liquid separator 20, and suction mechanism 21 are fixed, and the nozzle holder 16 and mask holder 13 are detachable and replaceable. Next, the structure of each part mentioned above will be explained in detail.

First, as shown in FIG. 9, the mask holder 13 is made of a material such as stainless steel and is formed into a flat cap shape, with a recess 22 formed on the front surface thereof, and a long groove 23 of a predetermined width in the center of the recess 22. is formed. The inner surface is hollow, and the long groove 23 is formed in a reverse tapered shape as shown in FIG.

The recess 22 of the mask holder 13 may be made of a metal such as aluminum and coated on the entire outer surface with an insulating material such as fluororesin, or a non-conductive material such as glass, ceramic, or hard rubber. A plurality of thin flat plate-shaped mask bodies 24 molded with are arranged side by side and fitted, and a width corresponding to the width of the pattern to be plated is formed in the center of both mask bodies 24.
A slit 25 of _W1 is formed.

That is, one of both mask bodies 24 is formed into a flat plate shape, and the other is formed with the width W ₁ of the slit 25.
A U-shaped notch corresponding to this is formed, and when the two are joined together, this notch becomes a slit 25.

The slit 25 of the mask body 24 also has a reversely tapered bottom, so that the mask holder 13
The long groove 23 is continuous with the tapered part of the long groove 23.

On the other hand, the nozzle holder 16 is formed in the shape of a flat frame that can be connected to the mask holder 13, and a rectangular bottomed liquid supply groove 26 corresponding to the long groove 23 is formed in the center of the nozzle holder 16. 26 communicates with a plating liquid supply hole 27 formed in the side wall thereof, and rectangular plating liquid discharge holes 15 are formed on both sides of the liquid supply groove 26.

Furthermore, the nozzle 14A assembled into this nozzle holder 16 has a flat side plate 28 and an injection groove 29 having a length corresponding to the slit 25 of the mask body 24.
The nozzle 14A is connected and fixed to the nozzle holder 16 in a state where the injection groove 29 and the liquid supply groove 26 are communicated with each other by combining the two and tightening them with screws or the like. do.

Further, between the nozzle 14A and the mask holder 13, there is a rigid body made of an insulating material such as glass, ceramic, or hard rubber, or a material made of a metal such as aluminum whose outer surface is coated with an insulating material such as fluororesin. Separator 3 molded in a convex shape from the front
1A is interposed as shown in FIG. 10, the width W ₀ of the top part 32 of the separator 31A is a size that allows it to face into the slit 25 of the mask 13, and the bottom part 33 is the size that allows the top part 32 of the separator 31A to face the inside of the slit 25 of the mask 13. The width is such that it can straddle 14 injection grooves 29. Note that the shoulder portion 31A' of the separator 31A is attached to the mask holder 1.
3, it will be in a pressed state.

The separators 31A are used in an amount corresponding to the number of parts to be plated of the workpiece 11, and their arrangement intervals are made to correspond to the intervals between the parts to be plated, and the nozzle 1
4A and the mask 12A through a sealing material (not shown) such as silicone rubber, and the nozzle 14A is fixed to the nozzle 14A using an adhesive or by mechanical means such as screwing. It may be fixed to.

In particular, in the present invention, the nozzles 14A, 14
It is better to make the distance between the poles of B, 14C and the workpiece 11 closer, and the separators 31A, 31B, 31
It goes without saying that the fixation of C and 31D can be ensured, but by setting the distance between the poles to 1 mm or less, a high electric field strength can be obtained and plating of extremely small parts becomes possible.

Further, the nozzle opening area partitioned by the separator 31A is larger than the mask opening area also partitioned by the separator 31A. That is, the width W ₁ of the slit 25 of the mask 12A and the width W ₂ of the injection groove 29 of the nozzle 14A have a relationship of W ₁ <W ₂ .

Next, the outer mantle 19 is connected to a suction mechanism 21 such as a vacuum pump through the communication hole 18 provided at the bottom of the chamber 17 and the gas-liquid separator 20 as described above, and the suction mechanism 21 is driven to The plating liquid discharge holes 15 of the mask holder 13 to the nozzle holder 16 and the chamber 17 of the mantle 19 can be brought into a predetermined negative pressure state.

The plating liquid tank connected to the bottom of the gas-liquid separator 20 is connected to the plating liquid supply hole 27 of the nozzle holder 16 via a pipe and a pressurizing pump mechanism (not shown). A sending/closing circuit is configured to enable the plating liquid to be used in circulation.

In the above configuration, prior to the plating process, first, the required number of separators 31A are placed in the nozzle holder 16 according to the plating pattern of the workpiece 11 by the above-described means, and the nozzle opening setting and masking are performed simultaneously. While completing the process, a predetermined DC voltage is applied to each of the workpiece 11 on the cathode side and the nozzle 14A on the anode side.

Next, after placing the workpiece 11 in close contact with the mask 12A, the suction mechanism 21 is activated to remove the mask holder 1.
3 and the chamber 17 of the mantle 19, the plating liquid is supplied through the plating liquid supply hole 27 of the nozzle holder 16 and the liquid supply groove 26 by driving the pump mechanism for pressurizing the plating liquid. The liquid is ejected from each nozzle opening partitioned by a separator 31A. At this time, the top 3 of the separator 31A
2 serves as a guide for the work 11, and the side wall surface blocks air. Therefore, the plating liquid is work 1.
Electrolytic plating is performed by colliding with the part to be plated in No. 1, but since the used and surplus plating liquid is forcibly removed by negative pressure, it is completely possible to prevent it from staying near the nozzle 14A and mask 13 and creating a back pressure state. In addition, the plating liquid is always kept in a fresh state by forced suction and removal, so the plating current density increases and plating can be performed with high efficiency. mask 1
Since infiltration during the 2A period can be prevented, a high-quality plating layer without halation can be obtained.

In addition, if the type of workpiece 11 is a bonding area of the inner lead of a lead frame, and only a very small part needs to be plated, the plating liquid is sprayed with the distance between the surface to be plated and the nozzle 14A extremely close to 1 mm or less. Even in this case, the excess plating liquid that tends to stay in this small gap is instantly suctioned away due to the negative pressure, and fresh plating liquid is supplied to the surface to be plated, so that, for example, the plating area is 0.3 to 1.0. Plating with a plating thickness of about 1 μm is possible with mm ² .

The above-mentioned surplus or used plating liquid flows into the gas-liquid separator 20 through the chamber 17 of the mantle 19 in a gas-liquid mixed state, and the separated plating liquid there is collected in the plating liquid tank.

Of course, by interlocking the progressive feeding of the work 11 and the plating liquid pressurizing pump mechanism, the partial plating can be performed continuously at high speed, and when changing the type of the work 11, the number and arrangement interval of the separators 31A can be changed. Since it is only necessary to change and arrange the parts as appropriate, the number of setup steps can be greatly reduced. Maybe the mask body 24
The structures of the nozzle 14A and the separator 31A are extremely simplified, and the processing precision can be relaxed, so the manufacturing and maintenance costs are extremely low, and together with the improvement of plating efficiency, the plating processing cost can be significantly reduced. It becomes possible.

Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described.

First, for the mask 14B, rectangular mask holes 42 are bored in a flat mask plate 41, and these are partitioned into predetermined intervals at the tops of the separators 31A and the separators described later, so that each area to be plated can be accurately masked. be. (See FIG. 11) On the other hand, the nozzle 14B according to the second embodiment includes a nozzle main body 52 in which a predetermined number of notched grooves 51 are arranged in a row corresponding to the arrangement interval of the parts to be plated, and a nozzle body 52 in which the notched grooves 51 can be closed. It consists of a side plate 53, and has a structure that connects and fixes both. (See FIG. 12) In addition, the nozzle 14C according to the third embodiment has a predetermined number of nozzle holes 55 arranged in a row in the nozzle body 54 corresponding to the arrangement interval of the parts to be plated, and the nozzle holes 55 can be opened as needed. Linear guide grooves 56 are cut into both side wall surfaces of the main body 54. (See FIG. 13) Furthermore, the nozzle 14A according to the first embodiment is
In order to make it easier to fix the separator 31A when it is installed, a large number of parallel holding grooves 57 may be formed at predetermined intervals in the nozzle main body 30 and the side plate 28, respectively. (See FIG. 14) Of course, this can also be applied to both the nozzles 14B and 14C of the second and third embodiments, for example, the first nozzle.
Nozzle holes 5 individually formed as shown in Fig. 5
Nozzle 1 with hold grooves 57 bored on both sides of Nozzle 5
It may also be 4C'.

Next, the separator 31B according to the second embodiment is made of hard vinyl chloride resin or polycarbonate resin, has a flat top part 61, and a bottom part 62 that is connected to the nozzle 14.
A, 14B, 14C can be installed in a state where it straddles, and when installed, the top part 61 becomes the mask 12A, 12
It is made to be flush with the masking surface of B, and its side wall surface 63 is designed to block air. (See FIG. 16) Furthermore, the separator 31C according to the third embodiment has a protruding top portion 64, and has a tapered surface 65 on the side surface of the top portion to facilitate transport and guide of the work 11, and has leg portions 66 at the bottom. is formed,
It is arranged so that it can be fitted into the nozzles 14A, 14B, and 14C. (See FIG. 17) Of course, the tapered surface 65 is not essential, and may be flat.

Furthermore, the separator 31D according to the fourth embodiment has a flat top part 67, a leg part 68 protruding from the bottom part, and a rib 69 formed inside the leg part, and the nozzle 14
The rib 69 is inserted into the guide groove 56 of C and slid. (See Figure 18) Masks 12A, 12B and nozzle 1 explained above
4A, 14B, 14C and separators 31A, 3
Each combination of 1B, 31C, and 31D is the workpiece 11
For example, in the case of the contactor 1 described above, the separators 31A and 31C of the first and third embodiments are used to accurately guide and position the workpiece 11. When plating bonding areas of lead frames of ICs, etc., the separators 31B and 31D of the second and fourth embodiments are used.

Note that the nozzle holder 16 is not limited to that of the first embodiment; for example, as shown in FIG.
A plating liquid supply port 72 is drilled, and a through hole 73 corresponding to the notch groove 51 of the nozzle 14B and the nozzle hole 55 of the nozzle 14C is continuously provided at the upper part, and this is called 16'. The outer peripheral space of the holder body 71 is connected to the plating liquid removal passage 74.
It's good as well.

Further, when the nozzles 14A, 14B, 14C are mounted on the nozzle holders 16, 16', instead of screwing or gluing them onto the surface thereof, they may be embedded in the nozzle holders 16, 16'.

In each of the above embodiments, the mask and mask holder have a completely sealed structure to block outside air. It is also possible to prevent the plating liquid from scattering in the vicinity, or to forcibly remove excess plating liquid. Also, although the inside of the sealed space formed by the cloak, mask, and mask holder is kept under negative pressure, this is not an absolute requirement, and it is of course possible to keep the inside of the closed space at normal atmospheric pressure. It is.

As described above, according to the present invention, only extremely simple processing such as slits and rectangular mask holes is performed on the mask for masking the part to be plated of the workpiece, and the slits and mask holes are set in a predetermined manner corresponding to the workpiece. Since the nozzle is equipped with a separator that partitions the parts at intervals and areas, and this also forms the plating liquid injection flow path for each part to be plated.
The manufacturing cost of plating equipment is low, and it is possible to greatly reduce the number of setup steps during plating processing, and
Since the plating accuracy and quality can be maintained at a high level, the yield is improved, and the cost of plating processing can be expected to be reduced.

Furthermore, it is highly adaptable to workpieces such as contactors and lead frames that have a wide variety and require high-speed processing in large quantities, and is extremely effective in terms of maintenance and running costs. It is highly effective.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a contactor, which is one of the workpieces for partial plating, Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main part showing a conventional means for partially plating the same contactor, and Fig. 3 is a multi-layer Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the state of press working of a contactor, which is one of the target articles of multi-type partial plating, and Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal explanatory view showing the conventional means of multi-type partial plating. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a conventional mask used, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the same mask, and FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing a conventional nozzle often used in multi-type partial plating. Figure 8 and subsequent figures all relate to embodiments of the partial plating apparatus of the present invention, in which Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view showing the general configuration of the partial plating apparatus, and Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the same partial plating apparatus. FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view showing how the separator is attached to the plating device, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a mask according to the second embodiment, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the nozzle of the second embodiment, and FIG. The figure is a perspective view of a nozzle according to the third embodiment, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of main parts of the nozzle showing another embodiment of the nozzle according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a nozzle according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view showing a second embodiment of the separator; FIG. 17 is an enlarged perspective view showing a third embodiment of the separator; FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the separator. FIG. 19 is an enlarged perspective view showing the fourth embodiment of the nozzle holder, and FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the nozzle holder. 11...Work, 12A, 12B...Mask,
13...Mask holder, 14A, 14B, 14
C... Nozzle, 16, 16'... Nozzle holder, 17... Chamber, 19... Overcoat, 24
... Mask body, 25 ... Slit, 29 ... Injection groove, 30, 52 ... Nozzle main body, 31A, 31
B, 31C, 31D...Separator, 41...Mask plate, 42...Mask hole, 53...Side plate, 55
... Nozzle hole, 56 ... Guide groove, 57 ... Hold groove, 71 ... Holder body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An arbitrary number of separators made of an insulating material as a third member are interposed between the mask and the nozzle, and the wide area to be plated masked by the mask is divided into a predetermined number, and each is set at the part to be partially plated, and the plating liquid flux injected from the nozzle is also divided into a predetermined number of parts, each of which is a plating liquid flow targeting the part to be plated. Partial plating method using separators. 2. Form slits, long slots, etc. to cover a wide area in the mask that comes into close contact with the object to be plated, and install any number of insulating separators upright on the nozzle side that sprays the plating liquid. A partial plating device in which the separator is held between a mask and a nozzle. 3. The partial plating device according to claim 2, wherein the separator has its top projected from the long groove of the mask, and serves both to set the partial plating area and to guide the workpiece. 4. The separator is characterized in that the top part thereof is formed flat, and the flat surface is exposed only to the long grooves of the mask, etc., and is brought into close contact with the flat workpiece to set the area to be partially plated. A partial plating device according to claim 2. 5. The partial plating device according to claim 2, wherein the separator has a flat bottom and is placed and fixed on the surface of the nozzle opening. 6. The part according to claim 2, characterized in that the separator has a plurality of legs protruding from its bottom at intervals wider than the width of the nozzle, and is fixed so as to straddle the nozzle opening. Metsuki device. 7. The mask is characterized in that a plurality of rectangular flat mask plates are arranged side by side with a predetermined gap left, and the gap covers the entire area of the part to be plated. Partial plating device described in section. 8. The partial plating device according to claim 2, wherein the mask has a flat mask main body with a long slot hole that can cover a wide area of the part to be plated and mask it. 9. A patent characterized in that the nozzle has a nozzle body in which a U-shaped cutout slightly longer than the wide-area comprehensive masking range is formed, and a flat side plate is attached to form a long slot-shaped nozzle hole. A partial plating device according to claim 2. 10 A patent characterized in that the nozzle has a nozzle body in which a predetermined number of narrow U-shaped notched grooves are successively arranged in a comb shape, and a flat plate-like side plate is attached to the nozzle body so that a large number of nozzle holes are successively provided. A partial plating device according to claim 2. 11. The partial plating device according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle has an integrally molded nozzle body with an arbitrary number of nozzle holes formed in series. 12. The partial plating device according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle is provided with an arbitrary number of holding grooves into which the separator can fit. 13. Claim No. 1, characterized in that the nozzle has a horizontal linear guide groove formed on its side wall surface, and a rib that engages in the guide groove is provided on the inside of the leg of the separator. The partial plating device according to item 6. 14. The partial plating device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the separator is formed of an insulating rigid material such as glass or ceramic. 15. The separator is characterized in that it is formed of a metal material and its entire outer surface is coated with a heat-resistant and chemical-resistant material such as fluororesin. Partial plating device. 16 A mask holder that removably holds a mask in close contact with a workpiece and capable of setting a wide area to be plated, and a mask holder that fixedly holds a plating liquid spray nozzle and has a plating liquid removal part and can be connected to the mask holder. A nozzle holder, a mantle connected to the nozzle holder and forming a sealed space together with the mask holder, and a suction mechanism that communicates with the mantle and maintains the inside of the sealed space at a predetermined negative pressure value. and a partial plating device comprising an arbitrary number of separators erected and held between the nozzle and the mask.