Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D13/00—Electrophoretic coating characterised by the process
  • C25D13/22—Servicing or operating apparatus or multistep processes
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
  • C25D5/02—Electroplating of selected surface areas
  • C25D5/022—Electroplating of selected surface areas using masking means
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S205/00—Electrolysis: processes, compositions used therein, and methods of preparing the compositions
  • Y10S205/917—Treatment of workpiece between coating steps

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for the selective electroplating of a band-like, metallic carrier material in a continuous pass, in particular for the electroplating of a carrier material strip with pre-punched contact elements.
• the carrier material is first completely covered with lacquer by either spraying it with lacquer or immersing it in lacquer. Then the areas where contact material is to be galvanized are removed from the paint by means of a laser.
• a further disadvantage of the known method is that even if only very small areas have to be galvanized, very large amounts of lacquer are required for completely coating the carrier material with a lacquer layer.
• the relatively large thickness of the lacquer layer required to achieve a closed lacquer layer and, in particular, the extreme accumulation of lacquer with three-dimensional carrier materials make this even more difficult. It should be borne in mind that the paint materials required for such experience are relatively expensive.
• the process according to the invention has the advantage that in the case of electrophoretic paint coating, a closed paint layer can be achieved even with significantly smaller paint thicknesses, this having a very constant paint thickness. In this way, damage to the carrier material can be effectively prevented when the lacquer layer is removed by laser treatment. In addition, the very thin lacquer layer can be removed more quickly and with less power, which enables a higher throughput speed of the carrier material.
• the electrophoretic lacquer is deposited on the carrier material very quickly, which in turn enables higher throughput speeds of the carrier material.
• the electrophoretic lacquer coating also leads to uniform thin lacquer layers in the case of three-dimensional carrier materials, so that selective electroplating is also possible with them. Since the removal of lacquer can be controlled practically as desired by the action of a laser, in addition to strip-like galvanization, selective galvanization can also be achieved. Advantageous further developments and improvements of the method specified in claim 1 are possible through the measures listed in the subclaims.
• the tape-like carrier material expediently undergoes a cleaning and / or activation and / or rinsing process before the coating in order to create optimal initial conditions.
• a plurality of lacquer strips of the same or different widths can be applied to the same side or to both sides of the tape-like carrier material.
• the width of these strips can be precisely adjusted using the electrophoretic coating process, so that the required coating material can be minimized by optimizing the strip width.
• the thickness of the lacquer layer can vary depending on the applied voltage, the lacquer composition and the speed of the
• Carrier material are adjusted, in particular a cataphoretic or anaphoretic paint deposition takes place.
• this lacquer layer can also be completely removed at the required points by appropriate adjustment of the laser beam, whereby damage to the carrier material is nevertheless avoided.
• cathodes in a housing of the lacquer coating device are expediently covered with respect to the carrier material by means of a slot-like bend, the width of the lacquer strip being adjustable depending on the slot width and the distance between the bend and the carrier material.
• several lacquer strips can be formed by bending with several slots.
• the carrier material is expediently rinsed and dried, in particular in an oven or by UV light. Furthermore, the carrier material is expediently rinsed after laser stripping.
• the areas stripped by laser can now be galvanized using one or more of the following selective galvanizing processes: selective diving in a galvanizing bath, covering the areas outside the at least one paint stripe using mechanical masking masks, in particular belt tools, applying the electrolyte using wheel technology, Spotter or brush technique.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the individual stations of a system for selective electroplating to carry out the method according to the invention
• FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a paint coating cell for applying a paint strip of the desired width
• FIG. 3 shows an end view of a carrier material tape with three lacquer strips on the front and rear
• FIG. 4 shows a perspective illustration of the carrier material strip shown in FIG. 3,
• FIG. 6 shows a perspective illustration of the carrier material band shown in FIG. 4
• FIG. 7 shows an end view of a three-dimensional carrier material band with a lacquer strip on the shaped area
• FIG. 8 shows a perspective illustration of the carrier material band shown in FIG. 7
• FIG. 9 shows an end view of a further three-dimensional carrier material band with a lacquer strip
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the carrier material tape shown in FIG. 9,
• FIG. 11 shows an end view of a carrier material strip with a lacquer strip in which a strip-shaped area has been stripped by laser treatment, and with a cover for selective galvanizing and
• FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the carrier material tape shown in FIG. 11.
• the electroplating system shown in FIG. 1 for the selective electroplating of a carrier material strip is designed as a so-called reel-to-reel system, the metallic carrier material strip 10 being continuously unwound from a first roll or spool 11, passed through the system and behind it again to a second one Roll or spool 12 is wound as a finished tape.
• Belt speeds of 20 m / min or higher speeds are possible.
• the carrier material strip 10 passes through a preparation station 13, in which it is cleaned, activated and rinsed.
• the carrier material strip 10 is then passed through a coating station 14, where selective electrophoretic coating takes place.
• the coating station 14 can have one or more coating cells 15, as are shown schematically in FIG. 2.
• Such a coating cell basically consists of an encapsulated housing, for example, which is shielded in such a way that uncontrolled paint deposition on undesired areas is avoided.
• bends 17, 18, which, like the other housing areas, consist for example of Teflon or another non-conductive plastic, are arranged in such a way that they cover layered areas of the carrier material strip 10 with respect to a flat anode 19.
• the anode 19 is made of stainless steel, but can also be platinum-plated from titanium.
• the coating cell 15 shown is designed for anaphoretic paint deposition, for which an anaphoretic paint is used.
• a lacquer layer is resistant to acidic media, such as a nickel, gold or tin bath, and can be removed in an alkaline environment.
• the anode 19 is connected to the positive pole of a galvanizing voltage, while a contacting unit 21 is arranged in front of the cell by supplying current to the carrier material strip 10.
• cataphoretic paint deposition with cataphoretic paint is also possible.
• the cataphoretic lacquer is resistant to alkaline media and can be removed in an acidic environment. The polarity is reversed, that is, a cathode takes the place of the anode 19.
• the coating cell 15 is designed such that the paint strip formed or the areas coated with paint are no longer damaged after the coating process. This is achieved, for example, by guide rollers, not shown, which are positioned in front of and behind the coating area. le 15 are attached and which position the carrier material in both the vertical and horizontal directions exactly so that the area coated with the lacquer strip 22 does not come into contact with areas of the housing 16.
• the distance between the carrier material band 10 and the bent portions 17, 18 is chosen so that, on the one hand, there is a sufficient dimming effect, but that no points of contact arise.
• the paint located in a storage tank (not shown) is fed to the coating cell 15 via nozzles.
• a pump located in the storage tank is connected to the paint cell via a pipeline, and the amount of paint supplied can be adjusted or controlled via an interposed throttle valve, also not shown.
• a filter arrangement can also be provided.
• the paint feed pump is designed in such a way that the use of lightly sliding materials on all moving parts that are surrounded by paint prevents electrical charges, otherwise the paint will separate on moving parts that can become electrically charged and come into contact with the paint come, can take place.
• FIGS. 3 to 10 various types of carrier material tapes are shown as examples, which are provided with differently arranged lacquer strips. 3 and 4, three lacquer strips 24-26 of different widths are applied to the front and back. This can be carried out either with painting cells 15 arranged one after the other or with painting cells which have a plurality of slots 20 and bends and anodes or cathodes arranged on both sides of the carrier material band 23.
• 5 and 6 is pre-punched so that individual contacts are already formed, which can be broken off or cut off after completion. Two paint strips 28, 29 are applied.
• the carrier material band 30 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is also pre-punched to form individual contacts, these contacts having semicircular formations 32 on one side of a holding strip 31 which holds them together, so that the carrier material band 30 is three-dimensional.
• a paint strip 33 is applied to the outside of the formations 32.
• the carrier material band 34 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is also three-dimensional, with holding strips 35 connecting the individual contact elements 36 at their ends. These contact elements 36 are box-shaped in the central area, a lacquer strip 37 running over the central area of the box-like configurations.
• the selective paint strip (or several) is used in 3D Backing material strips are applied over the entire spatial depth, as can be seen in FIGS. 7 to 10.
• the carrier material strip 10 is guided through a drying station 38 according to FIG. 1.
• the drying and thus a partial polymerization is carried out in an oven of the drying station 38, in which there is a uniform temperature distribution.
• the lacquer strips can also be dried with UV light and partially polymerized.
• the carrier tape 10 is passed through a laser station 39 for selective stripping.
• those lacquer areas which are to be galvanized later are removed from the lacquer strip (s). Both streak-like paint removal and paint removal from singular surfaces are possible, for example by the laser oscillatingly processing these surfaces.
• several strip-shaped lacquer removals can also be carried out by means of the laser within one lacquer strip. The tolerances of the paint removal and thus the subsequent electroplating are low and amount to approx. 50 ⁇ m.
• the substrate is not damaged by the laser beam and the varnish removal is complete. This is ensured by the exact setting of the laser via energy, wavelength, strength and duration of the pulses. 11 and 12 show that of the on the carrier a strip-shaped area 42 was stripped in the laser station 39.
• the carrier material strip 10 is now passed through a galvanizing station 43, in which the region 42 stripped by the laser is galvanized. This is achieved by a selective electroplating process known per se.
• a galvanizing station 43 in which the region 42 stripped by the laser is galvanized.
• the areas of the carrier material strip 10 outside the paint strip 20 are covered by two continuously rotating belts 44.
• the speed of the belts 44 is matched to the throughput speed of the carrier material band 10, so that the belts 44 move accordingly.
• the area left between the two belts 44 is now wetted with a plating solution by means of a cloth, a brush or the like and is thereby galvanized. Depending on the desired layer thickness, this can be done in several stages.
• the selective electroplating can also be carried out by selective immersion in a galvanizing bath.
• other mechanical masking masks can also be used, spotter technology and brush technology being mentioned as further known methods for selective galvanizing.
• the carrier material strip 10 is completely stripped in a stripping station 45 by passing it through a corresponding aqueous solution.
• the aqueous solution is acidic or alkaline.
• the carrier strip 10 which is usually made of brass, copper or a copper alloy.
• Different electroplating layers can also lie one above the other, with the steps required for this taking place one after the other.
• the carrier material strip 10 can also already have, for example, an electroplating layer which has been applied in a conventional manner, for example selective electroplating without a lacquer covering.
• the method according to the invention can - as described - be carried out with carrier material tapes which according to FIGS. 5 to 10 already have pre-punched contacts or other elements or which are still full-surface, for example according to FIGS. 3, 4, 11 and 12.
• punching operations can also be carried out after the electroplating, but this requires a larger amount of lacquer and electroplating metals.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Electroplating Methods And Accessories (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
• Superconductors And Manufacturing Methods Therefor (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (3)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 2001
  • 2001-07-20 DE DE10135349A patent/DE10135349A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2002
  • 2002-06-20 EP EP02754718A patent/EP1409772B2/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-06-20 AT AT02754718T patent/ATE291110T1/de active
  • 2002-06-20 DE DE50202493T patent/DE50202493D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-06-20 WO PCT/EP2002/006824 patent/WO2003012175A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2002-06-20 CN CNB02814614XA patent/CN1250777C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-06-20 US US10/484,205 patent/US6972082B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-06-20 JP JP2003517344A patent/JP2004536971A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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