JP7178870B2 - Plating equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plating processing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, wet plating has been performed as a method of imparting metallic luster to resin products in the manufacturing process of automotive exterior parts and the like. In wet plating, as is well known, a metal layer is formed on the surface of an object to be treated by immersing the object to be treated in a plating bath containing a plating solution for a certain period of time. The plating solution stored in such a plating tank is contaminated with contamination, even if only slightly, due to long-term use or the like. Contaminants mixed in the plating solution in this way are generally discharged outside the plating bath by overflow. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a plating processing apparatus in which contamination mixed in a plating solution overflowing from a plating tank is recovered by a filter, and the plating solution from which the contamination has been removed is circulated and supplied again to the plating tank. there is

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-100113

However, it is not possible to remove all contamination by overflowing the plating solution. If the contamination contained in the plating solution adheres to the object to be treated, minute projections or the like occur on the object to be treated after plating, and the product fails to meet product requirements, resulting in defective products. In other words, even in a plating apparatus in which the plating solution overflows, a certain number of defective products are generated due to adhesion of contamination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the defective rate by preventing contamination from adhering to an object to be processed in a plating apparatus.

The present invention employs the following configurations as means for solving the above problems.

A first invention comprises a plating bath having an overflow wall through which a supernatant of a stored plating solution overflows, and a circulation supply unit that recovers the plating solution and circulates and supplies the recovered plating solution to the plating bath. wherein the circulation supply unit has a suction head arranged at a position facing the inner wall surface of the overflow wall and below the region where the supernatant liquid overflows. adopt.

A second invention adopts a configuration in which the suction head is arranged above the center of the range from the bottom of the plating bath to the upper end of the overflow wall in the first invention.

According to a third invention, in the second invention, the circulation supply unit includes a plurality of the suction heads.

According to a fourth invention, in the second or third invention, the suction opening of the suction head is directed upward.

A fifth aspect of the invention employs a configuration in which the suction opening of the suction head is directed downward in the second or third aspect of the invention.

According to a sixth aspect, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the suction opening is horizontally elongated along the inner wall surface of the overflow wall.

According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the circulation supply unit has a discharge head for discharging the plating solution toward the suction head.

In the vicinity of the inner wall surface of the overflow wall, a downward flow is formed toward the bottom of the plating tank without going over the overflow wall. If contaminants on the surface layer of the plating solution are caught in this downward flow, the caught contaminants will not be discharged outside the plating tank due to overflow, but will stay there, causing defects. According to the present invention, the circulation supply unit recovers the plating solution and circulates the recovered plating solution to the plating bath. It has a suction head positioned below the area to be treated. Therefore, according to the present invention, the suction head can catch the contamination that is not overflowed and tries to move toward the bottom of the plating bath again. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the defective rate by preventing contamination from adhering to the object to be processed in the plating apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the plating processing apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plating processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (a) is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a plating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a bottom view of an upper layer suction head provided in the plating apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a plating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; (a) is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a plating apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a top view of an upper layer suction head provided in the plating apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plating processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the modification of the plating processing apparatus in 5th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a modification of the upper layer ejection head;

An embodiment of a plating apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a plating processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the plating processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, one direction on a horizontal plane is referred to as the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1), and a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction on the horizontal plane is referred to as the front-rear direction. As shown in these figures, the plating apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a plating tank 2, an electrode plate 3 (not shown in FIG. 2), an air stirring unit 4, and a circulation supply unit 5. .

The plating tank 2 is a liquid tank for storing the plating solution L, and includes a main liquid tank 2a and an overflow tank 2b arranged adjacent to the main liquid tank 2a. The main liquid tank 2a is a rectangular liquid tank with the left-right direction as the long axis direction and the front-rear direction as the short axis direction in a plan view. A pipe 4a, suction heads (an upper layer suction head 5a1 and a lower layer suction head 5b1) and ejection heads (an upper layer ejection head 5g1 and a lower layer ejection head 5h1) of the circulation supply unit 5, which will be described later, are arranged. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom of the main liquid tank 2a is formed as an inclined surface in which the upper surface (that is, the bottom surface 2a1 of the main liquid tank 2a) descends from the overflow tank 2b side toward the opposite side. A side wall of the main liquid tank 2a on the side of the overflow tank 2b is an overflow wall 2a2. This overflow wall 2a2 is a wall portion for partitioning the inside of the main liquid tank 2a and the inside of the overflow tank 2b. The height of the overflow tank 2b is such that only the supernatant liquid of the plating solution L stored in the main tank 2a can flow over the overflow tank 2b from the left side to the right side. is set lower than

The overflow tank 2b is arranged adjacent to the overflow wall 2a2 of the main liquid tank 2a, and is a liquid tank for receiving the supernatant liquid of the plating solution L overflowing over the overflow wall 2a2. As shown in FIG. 1, the overflow tank 2b is provided so as to cover the entire area of one side of the main liquid tank 2a (the entire area of the upper end edge of the overflow wall 2a2) which is rectangular in plan view. .

A plurality of electrode plates 3 are arranged along the inner wall surface of the side wall of the main liquid tank 2a. These electrode plates 3 are immersed in the plating solution L stored in the main solution tank 2a. These electrode plates 3 are connected to a power supply (not shown) or the like, and a predetermined voltage is applied from the power supply.

The air stirring unit 4 includes an air ejection pipe 4a, an air header pipe 4b, and an air supply portion 4c. As shown in FIG. 1, the air ejection pipe 4a is a straight pipe extending in the left-right direction, and has a plurality of ejection ports (not shown) for ejecting the air flowing inside to the outside. As shown in FIG. 2, the air ejection pipe 4a is horizontally arranged in the vicinity of the bottom surface 2a1 of the main liquid tank 2a with a certain gap from the bottom surface 2a1. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) air ejection pipes 4a are provided parallel to each other and spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and the left end is connected to the air header pipe 4b. ing.

The air header pipe 4b is a pipe that connects the ends of the plurality of air ejection pipes 4a, and distributes the air supplied from the air supply section 4c to the plurality of air ejection pipes 4a. The air supply unit 4c is a device that supplies air to the air header pipe 4b.

In such an air agitating unit 4, when air is supplied from the air supply portion 4c to the air header pipe 4b, the air is supplied from the air header pipe 4b to each of the air ejection pipes 4a. The air supplied to the air ejection pipes 4a is ejected from each air ejection pipe 4a into the plating tank 2 and ejected into the plating solution L as air bubbles. The air bubbles ejected in this manner agitate the surroundings of the object to be treated immersed in the plating solution L, and the gas bubbles adhering to the surface of the object to be treated are separated from the object to be treated.

The circulation supply unit 5 is a unit that recovers the plating solution L stored in the plating tank 2 , removes contamination contained in the recovered plating solution L, and supplies the plating solution L to the plating tank 2 again. That is, the circulation supply unit 5 recovers the plating solution L and circulates the recovered plating solution L to the plating bath 2 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the circulation supply unit 5 includes an upper recovery unit 5a, a lower recovery unit 5b, a first filter 5c, a second filter 5d, a third filter 5e, and a pump 5f. , an upper layer supply unit 5g, a lower layer supply unit 5h, and an external pipe 5i.

The upper layer collection unit 5a is arranged on the right end side of the plating bath 2 in plan view, and includes a plurality of upper layer suction heads 5a1 (suction heads) and an upper layer suction header tube 5a2. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper layer suction head 5a1 is a cylindrical head whose diameter expands toward the lower end, and is a part for sucking the plating solution L from the inside of the plating bath 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper layer suction head 5a1 is located at a position facing the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2 of the plating bath 2, and is a region where the supernatant liquid of the plating solution L overflows toward the overflow bath 2b (see FIG. 1). 2 below the overflow region R). The upper layer suction head 5a1 is arranged above the center of the range from the bottom of the plating bath 2 to the upper end of the overflow wall 2a2. That is, the upper layer suction head 5a1 is arranged in the upper layer of the plating bath 2 and close to the overflow wall 2a2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality (three in this embodiment) of the upper layer suction heads 5a1 are provided and arranged in the front-rear direction. These upper layer suction heads 5a1 are expanded by the negative pressure supplied from the pump 5f by comparing part of the plating solution L stored in the plating tank 2 below the overflow area R with the upper end opening edge. Suction is performed upward from the edge of the lower end opening (suction opening).

The upper layer suction header pipe 5a2 is connected to the upper end of each upper layer suction head 5a1, and is also connected to the pump 5f through an external pipe 5i. The upper layer suction header pipe 5a2 joins the plating solution L sucked by each upper layer suction head 5a1 and guides it to the outside of the plating tank 2. As shown in FIG.

The lower layer recovery unit 5b is arranged on the left end side of the plating bath 2 in plan view, and includes a plurality of lower layer suction heads 5b1 and a lower layer suction header pipe 5b2. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower layer suction head 5b1 is a cylindrical head whose diameter expands toward the lower end, and is a part for sucking the plating solution L from the inside of the plating bath 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower layer suction head 5b1 is opposed to the bottom surface 2a1 of the plating tank 2 with a small gap therebetween. That is, the lower layer suction head 5b1 is arranged at the lower left corner of the plating bath 2, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (two in this embodiment) lower layer suction heads 5b1 are provided and arranged in the front-rear direction. These lower layer suction heads 5b1 draw part of the plating solution L from the lower end opening edge (suction opening) at the bottom of the plating tank 2 by the negative pressure supplied from the pump 5f. Aspirate upwards. The diameter of the suction openings of these lower layer suction heads 5b1 is set to be larger than that of the suction openings of the upper layer suction head 5a1.

The lower layer suction header pipe 5b2 is connected to the upper end of each lower layer suction head 5b1, and is also connected to the pump 5f through an external pipe 5i. The lower layer suction header pipes 5b2 merge the plating solution L sucked by each of the lower layer suction header pipes 5b2 and guide them to the outside of the plating bath 2. As shown in FIG.

The first filter 5c is a filter arranged in the middle of the external pipe 5i and between the overflow tank 2b and the pump 5f. The second filter 5d is a filter arranged in the middle of the external pipe 5i and between the upper layer suction header pipe 5a2 of the upper layer recovery unit 5a and the pump 5f. The third filter 5e is a filter arranged in the middle of the external pipe 5i and between the lower layer suction header pipe 5b2 of the lower layer recovery unit 5b and the pump 5f.

These first filter 5c, second filter 5d and third filter 5e remove contamination contained in the plating solution L from the plating solution. That is, the first filter 5c captures contamination contained in the plating solution L collected from the overflow tank 2b. The second filter 5d traps contamination contained in the plating solution L collected by the upper layer collection unit 5a. The third filter 5e captures contamination contained in the plating solution L recovered by the lower layer recovery unit 5b. Since the particle size of the contamination contained in the plating solution L differs depending on where the plating solution L is collected, the number of meshes of the first filter 5c, the second filter 5d, and the third filter 5e is determined according to the contamination contained in the plating solution L. selected depending on the particle size of the nation. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which the recovered plating solution L is merged before passing through the filter, and one or more of the first filter 5c, the second filter 5d and the third filter 5e are omitted.

The pump 5f is located in the middle of the external pipe 5i, between the upper layer recovery unit 5a and the lower layer recovery unit 5b, and the upper layer supply unit 5g and the lower layer supply unit 5h. The pump 5f pressurizes the plating solution L recovered from the upper layer recovery unit 5a and the lower layer recovery unit 5b and supplies it to the upper layer supply unit 5g and the lower layer supply unit 5h.

The upper layer supply unit 5g is arranged on the left end side of the plating bath 2 in plan view, and includes a plurality of upper layer ejection heads 5g1 (ejection heads) and an upper layer supply header pipe 5g2. The upper layer discharge head 5g1 is a head that discharges the plating solution L pressure-fed from the pump 5f toward the right end side of the plating tank 2, and the plating solution L is discharged toward the right end side of the plating tank 2 in which the upper layer suction head 5a1 is arranged. Dispense L horizontally. That is, in this embodiment, the upper layer ejection head 5g1 ejects the plating solution L toward the upper layer suction head 5a1. The upper layer ejection head 5g1 is arranged on the surface layer of the plating solution L, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the upper layer ejection head 5g1 is arranged above the upper layer suction head 5a1 in the vertical direction.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of upper layer ejection heads 5g1 (two in this embodiment) are provided and arranged in the front-rear direction.

The upper layer supply header pipe 5g2 is connected to each upper layer discharge head 5g1, and is also connected to the pump 5f through an external pipe 5i. The upper layer supply header pipe 5g2 distributes and supplies the plating solution L supplied from the pump 5f to each of the upper layer ejection heads 5g1.

The lower layer supply unit 5h is arranged on the right end side of the plating bath 2 in plan view, and includes a plurality of lower layer ejection heads 5h1 and a lower layer supply header pipe 5h2. The lower layer discharge head 5h1 is a head that discharges the plating solution L pressure-fed from the pump 5f toward the left side of the plating tank 2, and the plating solution L is discharged toward the left end side of the plating tank 2 in which the lower layer suction head 5b1 is arranged. is discharged along the bottom surface 2a1. That is, in this embodiment, the lower layer ejection head 5h1 ejects the plating solution L toward the lower layer suction head 5b1.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of lower layer ejection heads 5h1 (four in this embodiment) are provided and arranged in the front-rear direction. Of the four lower layer ejection heads 5h1 arranged in the front-rear direction, the lower layer ejection head 5h1 arranged at the end in the front-rear direction is, as shown in FIG. They are arranged close to the side walls of the tank 2a facing each other in the front-rear direction. That is, of the four lower layer ejection heads 5h1 arranged in the front-rear direction, the lower layer ejection head 5h1 arranged at the end in the front-rear direction has a gap between the plating solution and the side wall of the main liquid tank 2a rather than the air ejection pipe 4a. Dispense L.

Among the four lower layer ejection heads 5h1 arranged in the front-rear direction, the two lower layer ejection heads 5h1 arranged in the central portion excluding the ends in the front-rear direction are the lower layer ejection heads 5h1 arranged at the ends in the front-rear direction. The opening edge (ejection opening) is arranged closer to the lower layer suction head 5b1 than 5h1.

The lower layer supply header pipe 5h2 is connected to each lower layer discharge head 5h1, and is also connected to the pump 5f through an external pipe 5i. The lower layer supply header pipe 5h2 distributes and supplies the plating solution L supplied from the pump 5f to each of the lower layer ejection heads 5h1.

The external pipe 5i is a branch pipe that guides the plating solution L outside the plating tank 2, and connects the upper layer recovery unit 5a and the lower layer recovery unit 5b with the upper layer supply unit 5g and the lower layer supply unit 5h. This external pipe 5i is connected to the bottom of the overflow tank 2b, the upper layer suction header pipe 5a2 of the upper layer collection unit 5a, and the lower layer suction header pipe 5b2 of the lower layer collection unit 5b, and the overflow tank 2b and the upper layer collection unit 5a are connected to the overflow tank 2b and the upper layer collection unit 5a. and the plating solution L recovered by the lower layer recovery unit 5b is guided toward the pump 5f. Further, the external pipe 5i is connected to the upper layer supply header pipe 5g2 of the upper layer supply unit 5g and the lower layer supply header pipe 5h2 of the lower layer supply unit 5h, and the plating solution L discharged from the pump 5f is supplied to the upper layer supply unit 5g. and the lower layer supply unit 5h.

In such a circulation supply unit 5, the plating solution L is recovered from the plating bath 2 by the upper layer recovery unit 5a and the lower layer recovery unit 5b, and the recovered plating bath 2 is pumped together with the plating solution L recovered in the overflow tank 2b by the pump 5f. It is pressurized and supplied again to the plating tank 2 by the upper layer supply unit 5g and the lower layer supply unit 5h.

In the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, a plurality of objects to be treated attached to the hangers are immersed in the plating solution L in the plating tank 2, and the objects to be treated and the electrode plate 3 (not shown) are immersed in the plating solution L. Plating is performed on the surface of the object to be processed by energizing the power supply device.

Here, in the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, by operating the pump 5f, the plating solution L is mainly supplied from the upper layer ejection head 5g1 of the upper layer supply unit 5g and the lower layer ejection head 5h1 of the lower layer supply unit 5h. It is supplied to the inside of the liquid tank 2a. Thereby, a circulation flow of the plating solution L is formed inside the main solution tank 2a. Also, the supernatant of the plating solution L supplied to the plating solution L climbs over the overflow wall 2a2 of the main solution tank 2a and overflows into the overflow tank 2b. Further, the plating solution L stored in the main liquid tank 2a is sucked by the upper layer suction head 5a1 and the lower layer suction head 5b1.

The plating solution L that has flowed into the overflow tank 2b and the plating solution L that has been sucked by the upper layer suction head 5a1 and the lower layer suction head 5b1 are contaminated by the first filter 5c, the second filter 5d, or the third filter 5e. After that, the liquid is pressurized by the pump 5f and supplied again from the upper layer ejection head 5g1 and the lower layer ejection head 5h1 into the main liquid tank 2a.

In such a plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a downward flow is formed near the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2 toward the bottom of the plating tank 2 without going over the overflow wall 2a2. If contamination on the surface layer of the plating solution L is caught in this downward flow, the caught contamination will not be discharged outside the plating tank 2 due to overflow, but will remain there, causing defects. The plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes the circulation supply unit 5 that recovers the plating solution L and circulates and supplies the recovered plating solution L to the plating tank 2 . The circulating supply unit 5 also has an upper layer suction head 5a1 arranged below a region (overflow region R) where the supernatant liquid overflows and faces the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2. Therefore, according to the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the upper layer suction head 5a1 can catch the contamination that is not overflowed and tries to move toward the bottom of the plating tank 2 again. Therefore, according to the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the defect rate by preventing contamination from adhering to the object to be processed.

In addition, in the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the upper layer suction head 5a1 is arranged above the center of the range from the bottom of the plating tank 2 to the upper end of the overflow wall 2a2. A swirling current is formed in the vicinity of the overflow area R (upper and right side of the plating tank 2) due to the downward flow described above, which may increase the density of contamination. Therefore, by arranging the upper layer suction head 5a1 at the top like the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to collect the contamination more efficiently.

Further, in the plating apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the circulation supply unit 5 includes a plurality of upper layer suction heads 5a1. Therefore, the plating solution L can be sucked at a plurality of locations below the overflow area R, and more contaminants can be collected.

Further, in the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the suction opening of the upper layer suction head 5a1 faces downward. Therefore, it is possible to suck up and recover the contamination that has reached the bottom of the plating tank 2 by the downward flow along the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2.

In addition, in the plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the circulation supply unit 5 includes an upper layer ejection head 5g1 that ejects the plating solution L toward the upper layer suction head 5a1. Therefore, the plating solution L can flow toward the upper layer suction head 5a1 inside the plating bath 2, and more contaminants can be collected in the upper layer suction head 5a1 along with this flow. Therefore, according to the plating processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to further improve the recovery rate of contamination.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 3(a) is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the plating apparatus 1A of this embodiment. Further, FIG. 3(b) is a perspective view of the upper layer suction head 5a3 provided in the plating apparatus 1A of the present embodiment as seen from below. As shown in these figures, the upper layer suction head 5a3 of the present embodiment has a rectangular suction opening in plan view, and is provided so that the long axis direction is parallel to the wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2. there is In other words, the upper layer suction head 5a3 in this embodiment is horizontally elongated along the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2. The width dimension of the suction opening of the upper layer suction head 5a3 in the front-rear direction is set so as to include all the suction openings of the three upper layer suction heads 5a1 in the first embodiment.

According to the plating apparatus 1A of this embodiment, it is possible to ensure a wider suction opening of the upper layer suction head 5a3, and it is possible to further improve the collection rate of contamination.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. Also in the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the plating apparatus 1B of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the plating processing apparatus 1B of this embodiment. As shown in these figures, the plating apparatus 1B of the present embodiment includes an upper layer suction head 5a4 having a suction opening directed upward.

According to the upper layer suction head 5a4, since the suction opening is arranged facing upward, the contaminants that flow down along the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2 are removed inside the upper layer suction head 5a4. easier to incorporate into In particular, since the diameter of the upper layer suction head 5a4 of the present embodiment increases as it goes upward, a wider suction opening can be ensured, and contamination can be more easily taken into the upper layer suction head 5a4. there is

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the first or third embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 6(a) is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the plating apparatus 1C of this embodiment. Further, FIG. 6(b) is a perspective view of the upper layer suction head 5a5 provided in the plating apparatus 1C of the present embodiment as viewed from above. As shown in these figures, the upper layer suction head 5a5 of this embodiment has a rectangular suction opening in a plan view, and is provided so that the long axis direction is parallel to the wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2. there is In other words, the upper layer suction head 5a5 in this embodiment is horizontally elongated along the inner wall surface of the overflow wall 2a2. The width dimension of the suction opening of the upper layer suction head 5a5 in the front-rear direction is set so as to include all the suction openings of the three upper layer suction heads 5a4 in the third embodiment.

According to the plating apparatus 1C of this embodiment, it is possible to secure a wider suction opening of the upper layer suction head 5a5, and it is possible to further improve the recovery rate of contamination.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the plating apparatus 1D of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, in the plating apparatus 1D of this embodiment, the bottom surface 2a1 of the main liquid tank 2a is a horizontal surface.

By making the bottom surface 2a1 of the main bath 2a horizontal in this manner, the capacity of the main bath 2a can be increased without changing the height dimension of the plating bath 2 in the first embodiment. It becomes possible. Therefore, according to the plating apparatus 1D of the present embodiment, it is possible to plate more objects.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, at the corner of the bottom of the main liquid tank 2a, a connection surface 2a3 may be provided that descends from the inner wall surface of the side wall toward the bottom surface 2a1. The connecting surface 2a3 may be a curved surface as shown in FIG. 8, or may be a planar inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

By providing such a connection surface 2a3, the flow direction of the circulating flow formed inside the main liquid tank 2a can be gently changed at the corner of the bottom of the main liquid tank 2a, and the circulating flow can be It is possible to prevent the flow of the plating solution L from being obstructed by colliding with the wall surface.

Furthermore, in the left corner of the main liquid tank 2a, where the lower layer suction head 5b1 of the lower layer recovery unit 5b is arranged nearby, contaminants with a large particle size separated by the effect of gravity from the upward circulating flow are connected. It is guided towards the lower layer suction head 5b1 by the surface 2a3. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably collect the contamination by the lower layer suction head 5b1.

In order to secure a high suction force of the lower layer suction head 5b1 over the entire circumferential direction of the lower layer suction head 5b1, the distance between the lower edge of the lower layer suction head 5b1 and the bottom surface 2a1 of the main liquid tank 2a must be is preferably constant in the circumferential direction. Although it is conceivable to make the distance constant by matching the shape of the lower edge of the lower layer suction head 5b1 with the shape along the connecting surface 2a3, the shape of the lower layer suction head 5b1 becomes complicated. For this reason, it is preferable that the connection surface 2a3 be provided at a position not overlapping the lower layer suction head 5b1 in plan view.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the plating apparatus in which the electrode plate 3 is arranged inside the plating tank 2 has been described. Therefore, the plating apparatus of the above embodiment is preferably used as a plating apparatus that performs wet electroplating (for example, copper sulfate plating, semi-bright nickel plating, bright nickel plating, and chrome plating). can be done. However, the invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to apply the present invention to a plating apparatus that performs wet electroless plating.

Also, the numbers of the upper layer suction heads 5a1, the lower layer suction heads 5b1, the upper layer ejection heads 5g1, and the lower layer ejection heads 5h1 in the above embodiment are examples and can be changed. For example, in order to prevent the flow of the plating solution L discharged from the lower layer discharge head 5h1 from interfering with the air discharge pipe 4a of the air stirring unit 4, one of the four lower layer discharge heads 5h1 in the first embodiment may be It is also possible to employ a configuration in which only two of the parts are installed.

Further, for example, the ejection opening of the upper layer ejection head 5g1 may be narrowed to increase the flow velocity toward the upper layer suction head 5a1 so that more contamination is guided to the upper layer suction head 5a1. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the tip of the upper layer ejection head 5g1 may be tapered into a circular shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, it is conceivable that the tip shape of the upper layer ejection head 5g1 is tapered into a rectangular shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, it is conceivable to provide a diaphragm having a circular opening at the tip of the upper layer ejection head 5g1. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9D, a diaphragm having a semicircular opening may be provided at the tip of the upper layer ejection head 5g1. When adopting the configuration shown in FIG. 9D, it is preferable to provide an opening on the bottom side of the main liquid tank 2a where the water pressure is high, that is, on the lower side of the upper layer ejection head 5g1. It should be noted that the lower layer ejection head 5h1 may similarly have a narrower ejection opening to increase the flow velocity toward the lower layer suction head 5b1.

Further, for example, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the circulation supply unit 5 includes the lower layer recovery unit 5b and the lower layer supply unit 5h has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to employ a configuration in which either or both of the lower layer recovery unit 5b and the lower layer supply unit 5h are not installed. Further, in addition to the above-described embodiment, the circulation supply unit 5 may employ a configuration including a discharge head for discharging the plating solution L onto the intermediate layer of the main liquid tank 2a.

1 Plating equipment 1A Plating equipment 1B Plating equipment 1C Plating equipment 1D Plating equipment 2 Plating tank 2a Main liquid tank 2a1 Bottom surface 2a2 Overflow wall 2a3 Connection surface 2b Overflow tank 5 Circulating supply unit 5a Upper layer recovery unit 5a1 Upper layer suction head (suction head) 5a2 Upper layer Suction header tube 5a3 Upper layer suction head (suction head) 5a4 Upper layer suction head (suction head) 5a5 Upper layer suction head (suction head) 5b Lower layer collection unit 5b1 Lower layer suction head , 5b2 Lower layer suction header tube 5g Upper layer supply unit 5g1 Upper layer ejection head (ejection head) 5g2 Upper layer supply header tube 5h Lower layer supply unit 5h1 Lower layer ejection head 5h2 ……lower layer supply header pipe, L ……plating solution, R ……overflow area

Claims (6)

a plating bath having an overflow wall through which the supernatant of the pooled plating solution overflows;
A plating treatment apparatus comprising: a circulation supply unit that recovers the plating solution and circulates the recovered plating solution to the plating tank,
The circulation supply unit has a suction head arranged at a position facing the inner wall surface of the overflow wall and below the region where the supernatant liquid overflows ,
The suction head is arranged above the center of the range from the bottom of the plating tank to the upper end of the overflow wall.
A plating apparatus characterized by: 2. The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said circulation supply unit comprises a plurality of said suction heads. 3. The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction opening of said suction head faces upward. 3. The plating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction opening of said suction head faces downward. 5. The plating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said suction opening is horizontally elongated along the inner wall surface of said overflow wall. The plating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the circulation supply unit includes a discharge head for discharging the plating solution toward the suction head.

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